Bombay. The city of
dreams. Or as they say.
I am from a small town
called Firozpur, lying on the borders of India and Pakistan in the state of
Punjab. My life has been spent as a nomad, travelling from city to city for a
near regular interval of 3 years, owing to the fact that my father was an
officer in the Indian Army. I consider myself to be a purely metro guy,
spending my adolescence in the beautiful city of Pune. Delhi was always a
mystery to me. Friends told me it was the place to be. The aura around it
proved too strong to resist, as destiny( or whatever that is) forced me to
spend my college life here( I am not complaining! ). I never thought I could
have an aversion for any city, since I truly believe that the World is my
Country, and Science is my Religion. That was the case until I landed in the
city of Mumbai( Or Bombay as the hippies called it) in January 2009 for some
purely academic work.
The negatives were
overwhelming. Over the years, I gave the city more chances, but mostly I got
only disappointment in return.
The weather. It really
sucks. Sweating in the winter months of January isnt something you would love.
You go around the city covered in sweat and I have to tell you it will get
worse. Every Mumbaikar I talked to would say that they get used to it. Well,
you would, wouldn't you? After all, if your livelihood depends on this
soon-to-be-swamp city. NGC claims that the city would have had drowned by 2050.
What do you expect from a city which takes in from the Arabian Sea and throws
it back there.
The people. They say
the people live in the true spirit of the city. Not meddling into anyone's
affairs. Live and Let Live. I say they just don't give a damn. I haven't found
ruder people than some folks here in the city. And I must say, even though
Delhi isn't considered safe for women, it is definitely a helpful city. The
traffic is everywhere. No-one has time for anyone else. For a person like me
who likes to travel, this city presents a great deal of challenges. And today
as I write this article, I realise I don't have the energy to fulfil them.
As of this day, this
city has given me the biggest blow of my life. It has transformed the very
people I love. Or I loved. Sometimes in the spirit of your morals and ideologies,
you feel that changing the city doesnt mean changing the person. But it does
NOT apply here. This city gives you that freedom that you wouldnt get anywhere
else. But at the same time, it would take away the very people you thought you
knew so well. This is the very reason why I probably get very negative vibes
from Mumbai whenever I come here. I sometimes think back into the abyss that
has been created, because of what circumstances brought upon me. But then, life
goes on. It takes a long time. But it does go on.
Marine Drive and IIT
Bombay are some of the best attractions of the city.. Marine Drive gives you
the feeling of a free bird just waiting to soar in the sky. But I fear it takes
away your true identity, and replaces it with the transient personality,
analogous to the waves thrashing Marine Drive's rocks- old waves going, new
waves coming. And the cycle goes on.
IIT is the place to be.
Academic excellence, research-orientation- something that a physicist like me
would thoroughly enjoy. The people make it better. They have ambitions, they
have dreams. Not to be stopped by petty obstacles on the way. IITB has a way of
living that probably doesnt exist in the entire city.
But are these reasons
enough for me to stop this near-pessimistic article? I wonder whether the list
will ever be exhaustive. Except the shores of the city and the academia, I
doubt ill ever turn back to the Financial capital. Atleast I will try not to.
My friends tell me to
give the city another chance. A few people or a few incidents do not define a
city. But what would you do with an agglomeration of 50 million people, and
particularly the few special ones who meant the world to you, when they give
you the cold shoulder? As I write this on my way back to Delhi in an Air India
plane, I firmly believe that my metropolitan views have very vividly been
shaken.
I shall not miss this
place. Only the people.
