Mumbai- the city of dreams; where time doesn’t give us a chance to realize when one complete rotation of our planet gets over. It’s been nine long years in Mumbai and I am bemused by the reality that I have grown nine more years. Writing about life after coming to Mumbai always seemed outlandish to me. It reminds me of my school days when after any educational trip or excursion we all were compelled to write about our individual experiences. But today I don’t want to restrain myself going with the flow. That is what people call it as the “Charm of Mumbai”. Those who have migrated to Mumbai and also have got some writing streaks have always shared their thoughts in some or the other way and I admit that I am no exception.
I always boast to people that I have got a very strong intuitive power, those who really know me will agree with the fact. The very first day when I have stepped in front of my residence here, I sensed something unusual, some positive vibes which didn’t make any sense at that time that how it relates to me .Its’ the truth, that Mumbai always has something in store for you. I felt that something better was waiting for me though with the flow of time I did not give any special consideration to the fact.
As I have got the privilege to be in three metro cities in India i.e.; Kolkata, Bangalore and last but not the least, Mumbai; different cultures have been ingrained in me and which has proved to be beneficial for making me grow as an individual. As an outsider, I had a very surreal idea about this city, for which I cannot exactly blame myself, like, people here talks only in Hindi, everything happens over here in a very filmy style (as we used to see in movies), people are really very advanced over here etc. But, all these were there in my mind before coming to Mumbai. My first misconception was shattered badly when I was in college and I saw people conversing in the local language and to my surprise our lectures were sometimes conducted in Marathi. For a girl who doesn’t even understand a word of that language, those lectures seemed like severe punishment, though Professor’s mind did not change after my repetitive request.
My second illusion got over when I saw; here guys do not talk to the girls!!! There was a clear distinction in our class and enumerable times I felt that I had gone back to sixties. Never ever in my life, I shopped from streets, but here people prefer shopping from there. My dear mother always taught me that we should go for the quality not for the quantity and I eventually follow that till date. My college life in Mumbai was the most non happening part of my life. Attending lecture and returning home in time, was the only motive of my friends, no bunking lecture, no gossip in canteen and no outing, no CCD, no Pizza Hut and no movies in the weekends, precisely no college days flavor!!! I truly used to feel that I was in hell, missed Kolkata, my old friends in Bangalore. There were times I had cried my heart out and wanted to go back to Bangalore or Kolkata, but life never leaves any kind of option for me. Out of frustration I started cursing myself and my father for taking admission in that college. Though my college is an exception, as other colleges in Mumbai have got metropolitan environment and students enjoy their college life along with studies and extracurricular activities. It seemed to me that I was in a wrong college at the right time; true, but those days were building blocks my career and the typical monotonous environment helped me to concentrate only on my studies and career. But I have achieved some treasures for which I am really proud of; my friends in my college. I have never seen such nice and helping people in my life. They have always stood beside me through thick and thin and a word of gratitude would not suffice their role in my life.
Not once but several times I have complained to my friends and family that here people are very indifferent to others; like in a queue everybody stands and after purchasing your ticket the relation is over, true it is, though partially.
After finishing my college life the typical pressure was built on me for getting a job. Surprisingly with zero effort, I got my first job and at that time I understood the hidden string of Mumbai; i.e.; “here no one would die with an empty stomach.” Rarely you will find people over here who want to intrude in your life without your permission and reminds you about your downfall in life, the city believes in one hymn “Moving On”. The flavor of Mumbai, the city never looks back and never brood on the hard times, very much justified why this city is excelling in every field. Here people are not culturally strong as the people in West Bengal and this is the fact. Anyone who is efficient in the field of art, music, classical dance, or writing, painting and knows how to portray their qualities will surely excel in Mumbai. Many times I have felt that in Mumbai people with no qualities have gone very far in their life but I failed to notice that they have got one quality that is “Representation” and that’s the key to succeed in this city, strange but true. The intellectual quotient of this city is really low. Only handful amount of people think that there is need for intellectual recreations.
To be very honest I very much detest Mumbai trains but when I started travelling I had seen millions of people travelling everyday for four-five hours just for their living, everyone with full of energy, full of life. They know how to spread joy over small things and how to turn this hectic travelling into an interesting one. If one part of Mumbai is selfish and competitive, the other part is cordial to a greater extent. Here I have seen people helping someone who fell sick in the train and they never did care even if they had been late for that reason. I would like to share a nice example for that, I was in a bus approaching towards station and it was during the peak hours in the morning, when everyone was rushing to their work place. One middle aged person, broke his hand as he kept it out of the window and an adjacent bus dashed on it. The bus conductor stopped the bus and took him to a hospital!!! To them it was their duty to look after their passenger. Is Mumbai really heartless or we fail see the good part of Mumbai?
When I first came to Mumbai, my friends used to say that whoever comes down here never wants to go back and I used protest them like an idiot, I always used to feel that I would never reside among those people who have got no knowledge apart from making money and partying in the weekends. Numerous times I made fun of my friends that they didn’t know the difference between Bengal and Bangalore and I seriously meant that .Agreeing to fact that here people have less knowledge except from their matter of interest, if I say now; they don’t feel the urge to know anything more as they get everything in their very own state. It’s we who are migrating from other states and making this city over populated, they are getting everything in this city, a good education, a good career and a better life; normal people don’t require anything more than these to spend their lives. In spite of the hectic schedule when time comes to celebrate, they never miss any chance to enjoy it thoroughly, be it Ganapti or Navratri or Diwali. During Ganpati festival we go to our friends place after the office hours, in Navaratri people attend those Garba, Dandiya Ras after their office hours and dance till wee hours in the morning and the same goes for Diwali celebration. I salute their energy level; appreciate their way of enjoying life.
When it comes for friendship or love I have always preferred like minded people; when even silence would speak louder than words, when our chemistry would match. It’s very obvious that here it’s hard to find a person who matches with my mindset. My college life made me feel that I should not hope for that but secretly wished for that person who will be my mirror image and just by one glance I can recognize that he is the person I am waiting since ages. I fear, my words may fall short if I want thank Mumbai for the same but it would be selfish of me if I don’t. It doesn’t matter if the person doesn’t stay in your life forever but a moment spent with him can change our dimension of life. The insatiable thirst of searching the motive of one’s life never ends but it has to be initiated once. Mumbai has invoked the” me “in myself. I have found a reincarnated me.
My friends and familiars from Kolkata say that I have become a Mumbaikar, and the friends over here say that I am biased about Kolkata but I say that people have got perception problem. One is my native place another is my present habitat. Nothing can be treated as substitutes as both the cities have got their very own flavor and both are close to my heart. In my college days I always said that I did not find any reason to love this city, Mumbai might have listened to it. Three years back when I went to my native place I realized what was the pain of staying away from a place you love and I understood that I fell in love with this city, I laughed at myself and was bit surprised that I finally fell in love with this city. Sometimes we do need a reason to love something. Now I get nightmares that someday I have to leave this city, like one feels the same pain of breaking up with someone one dearly loves. I can’t even think of going back to Kolkata not only because I can make a better life over here but also because I love Mumbai. It is the city where your dreams come true and each molecule and particle of this place will support the one who have their very own dreams and desires and has got the courage to chase it.
