commiserations to my fellow mumbaikers about the rains. or should that be bombayites?. gujju today, told me that calling a bombayite, a mumbaiker is the ultimate affront. ok i'll compromise, how about mumbaiiytes? (bombayker doesn't cut it, even i know that!!)
My dad who's an out and out bombayite ( i'll bow to gujju's demands, after all, the poor chap waded in squelchy water for 5 hours before reaching home) told me, to my surprise, that the media was sensationalizing the entire issue and that most bombayites were rather enjoying the whole ordeal, secretly atleast. how could they?. how could anyone enjoy wading in knee deep water, that wet miserable feeling under gloomy ominous skies?. i told my dad that it was impossible to be even cheery under the circumstances, so the idea of enjoying it is plain daft. but then he looked at me as if he couldn't understand why it wasn't apparent to me. " its a part of their lives" he said, " it happens every year, and as with most things, they take this in their stride"
i love bombayites. i really do. they are so tough and i feel like a spineless wimp infront of them. they make me feel small and puny and without no guts whatsoever. very very few people make me feel that way, but i'm always overwhelmed by a bombayite in bombay. i call it the local train sassiness. most of them have spent a significant portion of their lives travelling by local train, and i still can't postulate how, but i'm sure there is a correlation between local trains, chaalooness and zero slouch tolerence. everyone i know in mumbai, works so hard, the city brings about such a ferver in one, that its unthinkable to rest even for a second. thats why holidaying in mumbai was a bizarre experience. i got stuck in Dadar station, waiting to rendezvous with my bro, and all around me, people were moving about with a purposeful worker frenzy, as if there was no time to be lost, and the trains zipped by barely stopping for a few seconds, and i felt i had transgressed just by standing there purposeless.
oh, i'm sure, you guys will get through this, you guys are tough bastards. and god bless you for that.
5 comments:
ok um this gujju tat mentioned so in this article by mango. Thats what i call her btw. NIce blog though. Made me smile. Yeah i walked home 5 hours in flooded streets. And it was fun, although my dad screwed me later. It was exhilarating. Theres something about unresponsive cellphones, clogged streets, shivering friends, great amounts of exertion, planning and logistics, and a long and desperate trek ome that really appeals to my sense of adventure. It was my first time walking through flooded streets though. Wouldnt like to do it too often. Once in a while would be all right. Im sure an enterpreneur could open an adventure sports thingy on bombay streets.Mmm dadar station. Ive almost been run down a few times there. Similiar thingss happen at churchgate and ghatkopar. Hundreds of men make a dash for all the good seats and if u stand in their way ur trampled over. they mve too fast to see u. Theyre usually fellow gujjus i call them the flying gujjus. Very comic imagery, that. All right mango, this wasnt demeaning at all. I know i seldom post comments, im sorry. Hope ur fully well soon. We still have to go drinking beer.Take care,
Always,
Tanay
typo on the previous one. Its supposed to read
ok im this gujju thats mentioned so in this.....
Ash,
Hey....I'll take our Bengaluru any day..this place (Mumbai) sucks....I live near the Borivli National Park (on a hillock, believe it or not)...and I had some stuff to do at home and did not venture out...jeez, I would not have liked to be stuck like those poor souls....Mumbaikars think it is a matter of pride travelling on those trains..trust me, I pity them...ignorance is bliss, you know...if these folks had to ever come to Blore and see the relative peace and tranquility (not to speak of the excellent weather and peace loving people), they'd cringe in trepidation on returning back to Mumbai...they have these bazooka like d**ks that keep humming...Mumbai is great...Mumbai is great...to be honest with you, as a Bengalurean, I think it is an unconscious ploy on their parts to retain their sanity..else, to be frank, they'll lose it all...Ash...I can't wait to get back to Bengaluru...never mind the traffic and pollution probelms..
I do have a very important question for you though...when are you UTPT guys/gals going to post the updates on this year's UTPT? I've been trying to get Santosh's attention by posting some sick/funny comments on the UTPT blog but alas, to no avail. Aren't you done with your exams? Gowda promised to put the updates on June 10th...still nothing has happened...my only interest lies in trying to attack some of the questions you had asked in the various quizzes...could you plz talk to the gang (Adi, Abhi, Gowda, Amuda, etc) and give an update. This Mumbai flood thing has made me terribly homesick...as it is, I hate this freakin' slum of a place....this flood makes me want to puke on this god forsaken slum...
Cheerio,
Raki
gujju : thanks, thats the sweetest comment ever!! *hugs* and oh you can foot the bill at mondy's anytime, you owe me that :P
Raki: strong comment that.but don't be too hard on mumbai and besides bangalore no longer retains that " Peace and tranquility", the traffic has become a nightmare.
Ash,
I know...that's what I've been told about Blore..actually it's been a while (a *long* while) since I've been in Blore....have heard a lot of not-so-good things...see, I'm not that concerned about change...what I am concerned about is a change without *balance*...when multiplexes spread like fungi...there's something not right about it...give me some green space anyday...see, for eg, Mumbai has these incredibly historic and (to a certain extent quaint) Irani cafes..bet your Dad could deliver a sermon on them..these cafes are dying out...there was an article on Rediff or Mid Day few weeks back about how people selling books on the pavements of Mumbai are being cleared...the author went on to say how he had gotten some of the best works at dirt cheap prices from those kids....now, they are gone...Ash, I know you are still a little young (ahem, here comes the wise old guy bit...) but before all these gizmos came to India, things were certainly more tranquil (relatively speaking) and people largely adopted constructive recreational outlets...not like going to sleazy dance bars (Ok Ok I'm not Gandhi or Vinoba Bhave...)....anyways, it is nice to read your blog (it is updated and not disappointing like the UTPT blog)...I am re-looking (is that a word!!??) the world througha younger person's eyes...indeed, the world is so beautiful when seen through less burned-out souls..hey, keep blogging....it is very liberating for you (I'm sure) and for guys like me who have no other better kelsa to do (he he he he)
Raki
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