The movers & packers came home this morning to take my stuff to Calcutta. All I have with me now is just enough clothes to see me through two weeks at home.
Never thought that after having lived in Bombay for so long, it would just be a matter of three days before I leave. It’s heart-wrenching. I love this city so much I don’t know how I’ll manage to stay away. I’ll go through major withdrawal for sure. I’ll always be a Bombay girl.
Life is very funny indeed. I never thought I would be moving to Calcutta. I liked the city on my various visits there – I always felt that Calcutta had the heart of a small town in spite of being a metro. I loved the laidback lifestyle, loved the fact that Calcuttans value things in life other than money. But I never thought I’d end up living there!
Well, life has its ways of getting you around to doing things you never thought you would so, and therefore the saying “Never say never”.
So yeah…this is it! Three more days in Bombay and then it won’t be home anymore. Even though I know my way around, I’ll still be a visitor to the city. But then again, I took a conscious informed decision to move out, so can’t really complain. I’d like to end this post with the opening lyrics of Vince Gill's 'The strings that tie you down'...
You're so close to telling me your leaving
Packing up your things and leaving town
If you can walk away the rest is easy
Once you cut the strings that tie you down
Showing posts with label Great cities of the world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Great cities of the world. Show all posts
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Survival of the fittest
On my way to work today, I saw a sight that almost tore my heart.
Anyone who has been to or even passed by Dadar train station knows how crazy the place is! It is swarming with people. Infact, swarming is an understatement. There is no word that aptly & sufficiently defines Dadar station - it is simply a phenomenon to be experienced.
I usually take the Mahim-Dadar TT route to work (so I don't pass Dadar station) but today I took Tulsi Pipe Road as I had to drop my roommate along the way. Both are just as bad but Tulsi Pipe Road takes about 15-20 minutes longer because of the bottleneck infront of Kamla Mills & the excruciatingly long traffic light right before Phoenix Mills!
Outside Dadar station I saw about ten people, men & women, fighting with each other to get inside a cab. And I mean a physical fight. They all ran behind the cab, and when it slowed down, they started pushing & shoving each other to get inside. It was a painful sight & it made me question whether living in Bombay is worth all the hardships people have endure.
People are packed like sardines in local trains, commuting by road is a nightmare thanks to the constantly deteriorating traffic situation in the city, most people can't travel by cab as it is fairly expensive. We pay astronomical amounts as rent that make non-Mumbaikar's eyes fall out of their sockets when they hear of it, yet live in flats the size of shoeboxes. The air we breathe in is saturated with all the pollutants one can possibly think of. We frequently read of leakages from sewage pipes into pipes carrying potable water, in the newspaper. The infrastructure is crumbling as the city is bursting at its seems with people. Everyday is a fight for survival. Is this the life that we want for ourselves? Is this the life we want to give to our kids?
Irrespective of how great a city Bombay is, this is a question all of us living in this "great ruined metropolis" (in Salman Rushdie's words) must ask ourselves - is it all really worth it at the end of the day?
Anyone who has been to or even passed by Dadar train station knows how crazy the place is! It is swarming with people. Infact, swarming is an understatement. There is no word that aptly & sufficiently defines Dadar station - it is simply a phenomenon to be experienced.
I usually take the Mahim-Dadar TT route to work (so I don't pass Dadar station) but today I took Tulsi Pipe Road as I had to drop my roommate along the way. Both are just as bad but Tulsi Pipe Road takes about 15-20 minutes longer because of the bottleneck infront of Kamla Mills & the excruciatingly long traffic light right before Phoenix Mills!
Outside Dadar station I saw about ten people, men & women, fighting with each other to get inside a cab. And I mean a physical fight. They all ran behind the cab, and when it slowed down, they started pushing & shoving each other to get inside. It was a painful sight & it made me question whether living in Bombay is worth all the hardships people have endure.
People are packed like sardines in local trains, commuting by road is a nightmare thanks to the constantly deteriorating traffic situation in the city, most people can't travel by cab as it is fairly expensive. We pay astronomical amounts as rent that make non-Mumbaikar's eyes fall out of their sockets when they hear of it, yet live in flats the size of shoeboxes. The air we breathe in is saturated with all the pollutants one can possibly think of. We frequently read of leakages from sewage pipes into pipes carrying potable water, in the newspaper. The infrastructure is crumbling as the city is bursting at its seems with people. Everyday is a fight for survival. Is this the life that we want for ourselves? Is this the life we want to give to our kids?
Irrespective of how great a city Bombay is, this is a question all of us living in this "great ruined metropolis" (in Salman Rushdie's words) must ask ourselves - is it all really worth it at the end of the day?
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Mumbai...You rock!!
Sometimes, the things we love the most are the things that tie us down. And no matter how much we love them, or how much they are a part of our lives, we must break away...if we want to explore what else the world has to offer, to test what all we're capable of!
Same goes for my relationship with the city of Bombay. Bombay...Mumbai...whatever you call it, the headiness remains the same. I absolutely LOVE the city. It's a city unparalleled in the world. Sure, there are many great cities in the world but Mumbai has a character that's it's own.
This city has given me a lot, just as it's taken a lot from me. But now I've come to the point where I must break the strings that tie me to it & move away. Much as I love Mumbai, it's weighing me down.
It's a beautiful love affair I have with Mumbai, and to preserve its beauty I must say goodbye to it....until I'm ready to embrace it again.
Same goes for my relationship with the city of Bombay. Bombay...Mumbai...whatever you call it, the headiness remains the same. I absolutely LOVE the city. It's a city unparalleled in the world. Sure, there are many great cities in the world but Mumbai has a character that's it's own.
This city has given me a lot, just as it's taken a lot from me. But now I've come to the point where I must break the strings that tie me to it & move away. Much as I love Mumbai, it's weighing me down.
It's a beautiful love affair I have with Mumbai, and to preserve its beauty I must say goodbye to it....until I'm ready to embrace it again.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Oh! Calcutta
The city of joy
Of the Hooghly
Of Howrah Bridge
Of Victorial Memorial
Of St Paul's Cathedral
Of Durga Puja
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