I had heard about it. I had seen it in movies. I had even written about it. But hearing, seeing and writing are hardly enough for a city like this - the only way to experience Mumbai is by living it.
The first day I landed in Mumbai, I was thoroughly depressed. I mean, this was the metropolitan and economical capital of India!?!?! The city that never slept?!?! To me, it felt like the city that had never seen a broom, the city where curly hair is possibly the worst curse to bestow upon someone, and the city where the refreshing effect of a shower lasts for a grand total of one minute!
It's still all of that.
But knotted within these obvious superficial settings are people who are struggling every day to earn their living, who are so busy in their own lives that they have no time to poke their nose in yours, and yet who are always willing to help you out should you need it.
- In my school, where I've been teaching grade 2 for a few weeks, we have helper staff who maintain our classrooms. The eldest one (whom we call Maushi) saw that I barely ate any food (except wada-pavs) and offered to bring me lunch everyday! I now enjoy her home-made roti-sabzi daily!
- Our security guard (Hari bhai) is the most cheerful person ever! Every time I come back home, he greets me warmly. And he's really helped us settle down and try and find us a maid.
- A random guy on the bus helped me figure out which stop to get off at (considering the conductor had no idea!)
For a newcomer in the city, getting around is quite a daunting task. But every time I get lost (pretty often), I always find someone to point me in the right direction. In a world where we are told that nice people get nowhere, I've found that people respond to you nicely if you ask them nicely. Of course, that doesn't mean I've never been ripped off, but I'd call that more a result of my ignorance.
In this complex maze of a city, there are an incessant number of things to complain about. And maybe the things worth praising are few - perhaps so few, that you really have to hunt for them. Sure, the buildings in Mumbai have all gone from their original colours to black, and there is more garbage on the roads than anything else, but the people - they are simple. And yet complex (should I say simply complex?).
It's the people in this city that make Mumbai work.
The first day I landed in Mumbai, I was thoroughly depressed. I mean, this was the metropolitan and economical capital of India!?!?! The city that never slept?!?! To me, it felt like the city that had never seen a broom, the city where curly hair is possibly the worst curse to bestow upon someone, and the city where the refreshing effect of a shower lasts for a grand total of one minute!
It's still all of that.
But knotted within these obvious superficial settings are people who are struggling every day to earn their living, who are so busy in their own lives that they have no time to poke their nose in yours, and yet who are always willing to help you out should you need it.
- In my school, where I've been teaching grade 2 for a few weeks, we have helper staff who maintain our classrooms. The eldest one (whom we call Maushi) saw that I barely ate any food (except wada-pavs) and offered to bring me lunch everyday! I now enjoy her home-made roti-sabzi daily!
- Our security guard (Hari bhai) is the most cheerful person ever! Every time I come back home, he greets me warmly. And he's really helped us settle down and try and find us a maid.
- A random guy on the bus helped me figure out which stop to get off at (considering the conductor had no idea!)
For a newcomer in the city, getting around is quite a daunting task. But every time I get lost (pretty often), I always find someone to point me in the right direction. In a world where we are told that nice people get nowhere, I've found that people respond to you nicely if you ask them nicely. Of course, that doesn't mean I've never been ripped off, but I'd call that more a result of my ignorance.
In this complex maze of a city, there are an incessant number of things to complain about. And maybe the things worth praising are few - perhaps so few, that you really have to hunt for them. Sure, the buildings in Mumbai have all gone from their original colours to black, and there is more garbage on the roads than anything else, but the people - they are simple. And yet complex (should I say simply complex?).
It's the people in this city that make Mumbai work.
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