Bombayite goes lateral

The expressway between Bombay and Pune has thrown up a new breed of city residents

There is a new breed of Bombayites, who are coming into their own. Facilitated by the new expressway, fast cars and the rise of Pune as a hip city, this particular city-dweller has a leg in each city. He spends time in both cities and commutes seamlessly between them.

He may have breakfast in Bombay waffles and honey and lunch at Mallaca Spice in Pune tasty river prawns. He may watch the sunrise on his morning walk by the sea in Bombay and sunset on his evening walk by the river in Pune. He may live in Bombay and love in Pune. He may hang out with his old friends in Bombay, and with his new friends in Pune. He may spend his weekdays in Bombay and his weekend in Pune. He may read books in Bombay but watch films in Pune 8212; at the neighbourhood multiplex.

He is amazed by how the hinterland suddenly opens up if you have a flat in Pune. Mahableshwar is three hours away, and Panchgini, two. Kolhapur, Nashik, Phaltan all suddenly come into play. He suddenly begins to appreciate the greenery of Pune which, sadly, is diminishing by the day and the fact that beauty may lie in landscapes other than urban ones. He may get charmed by the fact that some shops still remain closed between two to four are we in India or Portugal? and frustrated by the fact that getting work even close by in Pune takes twice as long in terms of commuting time as in Bombay.

He may get appalled by the roads, the potholes and the traffic in Pune, all of which are much worse than Bombay, but may get gratified by the fact that Punites have an active citizens8217; movement which grows more powerful every year. He might quarrel with his Pune friends when they call Bombay 8216;Slumbay8217;, and try to explain that you can really live in Bombay without noticing the slums. He may quarrel, just as easily, with his Bombay friends when they call Pune a hick town. He tells them that Pune is a far gentler town than Bombay and one can make friends far more easily there. He also tells them that Pune is the cradle of Maharashtra, even though Bombay may be the passbook of India.

Actually he soon realises that he loves both cities equally and cannot do without either of them. He is particularly fond of the salubrious climate of Pune, which is generally two or three degrees cooler than that of Bombay during the daytime. Which, of course, makes all the difference.

He is the new breed of Bombayite: the Bombay-Punite.