Spice of life: Mumbai, magical city of millions of dreams
The genuine amalgamation of different cultures has imbued in the Mumbaikars a feeling of true comradeship and camaraderie. It is a real cosmopolitan city with Parsis, Muslims, Punjabis, Sindhis and Biharis living cheek by jowl, mingling happily together
Bombay! The oft-repeated epithets: Magical, mysterious, intriguing, city of dreams, aptly describes this enchanted financial capital of India.
For me, it always invoked memories of rags to riches stories, illustrious singers and musicians belting out memorable songs and soulful lyrics, enigmatic smugglers bootlegging alcohol and pursuing gorgeous Bollywood heroines, gangsters lording over vast communities and serving as local Robin Hoods, unbelievable opportunities and an appeal far transcending that of any other Indian city.
The success stories of penniless actors making roadside pavements their beds and achieving stupendous fame and money, unknown migrants establishing prosperous industrial empires, friendly and talkative taxi drivers always eager to point out the plush bungalows of celebrities and the ‘Dabbawalas’ with their exceptional and fantastically successful business model are all part of folklore.
Bombay was kind to me and my girlish infatuation and did not disappoint when I finally landed there.
Of course, I saw it in its state of perpetual construction with scaffolding, tall poles and huge swathes of green net billowing over every second building, most of which were in a state of dilapidation, wet, mossy and grey with neglect. Traffic was chaotic as usual, with congestion and bottlenecks on the arterial road, which caused a ripple effect kilometres away, resulting in long queues and honking vehicles. Potholes, massive hoardings and unruly drivers were a common sight as were serious joggers, hawkers offering raw groundnuts and casually necking couples on the promenade of Marine Drive.
The charmed city exuded a distinguishable and unique vibe, a sense of confidence, a nonchalance and swag not to be found on any other place on Earth.
The people all seemed to exude a sense of purpose and an indefatigable spirit. It’s as if those stories of hard work, courage and dreaming big are the catalyst that rally them forth, day after tough day.
The genuine amalgamation of different cultures has imbued in the Mumbaikars a feeling of true comradeship and camaraderie. It is a real cosmopolitan city with Parsis, Muslims, Punjabis, Sindhis and Biharis living cheek by jowl, mingling happily together.
The quality of eateries is impeccable and the sheer variety is as diverse as the population. Surprisingly, the concept of queuing comes easily to Mumbaikars and never did I see any chaos or shoving, reminiscent of our North Indian behaviour.
The thousands that enter the city daily, migrants in search of a better future or those whose daily bread depends upon logging into the numerous factories and households they work in, all have one thing in common. A doggedness, a tenacity and sheer will to make their dreams a reality, odds be damned.
On bidding the city a regretful goodbye, as my plane rose and soared over the condemned and wretched shanties of Dharavi that dot the immediate landscape, with the sun glinting off their multitudinous tin roofs, I knew that in those millions of people and their beating hearts, amid all that glamour, wealth and luxury they see from a distance, there nestles like a trapped fledgling, a glimmer of fierce optimism and determination that nudges them to open their tiny windows and doors each morning to let in that sliver of light which promises to see them through another day, hopefully better than the last. pallavisingh358@gmail.com
The writer is a Jalandhar-based freelance contributor
