SAYING GOODBYETO MUMBAI
When I came
to Mumbai in 1992, it was still called Bombay. Apart from the name and other
thing the flavor of the city remains the same. It’s been 23 years and I haven’t
been away from this city. Only for two years when I was in Pune for my job.
My relatives
who are not from Mumbai crib that its humid and crowded but I love it’s both
forms. Humidity means that we have ample rain and crowded means that any point
you are not alone. During the 1992 riots, I was just in 4th standard
and I hadn’t had any clue of what was going on. The riots only meant that I had
a holiday from school but now I understand the gravity of situation. The whole
country was divided into two but not Mumbai. Years later on 26th July
and on 26th November, I saw the real Mumbai. No one cared a damn
about one’s religion but helped them. Not only horizontally but Mumbai has
grown vertically. Virar, once was a far off place is now very stay able.
Now that I am
shifting to Pune, not because I am getting married, changing a job and so on but
I am going to stay in my own house. i.e. a flat that has the name ‘Amol Ambokar’
on its nameplate. Erratic pedestrians, lack of transport and a wild traffic
marks Pune. If you say that Puneites follow traffic rules then I am Aishwarya
Rai i.e. practically impossible. Puneites boast about Lokmanya Tilak and other
freedom fighters and they should be but we Mumbaikars boast about our
cricketing dynasty. The Gavaskar, Solkar, Tendulkat and many more are common
names in any Mumbai home. We can talk on cricket for hours.
A song says
‘a dil hai mushkil hai jeena yahan, jara hatke jara bachke, yeh hai Mumbai(Bambai)
meri jaaan’. If you understand Marathi, then waaaaaaatch this video. It specifies
a Mumbaikar, a Punekar and a Nagpurkar.
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