Dateline 8212; Mumbai

Bright lights, big citySurvival. One word that sums up the city. An overwhelming sense of life. Too many of us, and life seems a little ch...

Bright lights, big city
Survival. One word that sums up the city. An overwhelming sense of life. Too many of us, and life seems a little cheap. Crowded trains and traffic jams, well this is it. The city that Salman Rushdie never tires of writing about. And I wonder about the charm. Some of it rubs off on you the very minute you walk by the sea, and the rest remains something of a mystery, as of yet!Previous visits were different, the eyes were those of a tourist. So the city never mattered, this much. But this time the reflexes have changed. More observant, more watchful, more curious. Some sights are delightful.

Like when you stand to catch a local train and the moment it comes in sight, every sari in sight is tucked in a little more firmly. And yes, the sari versatility came as a surprise to my very typical North Indian view point.Surprises galore. The size, for instance, and the way it changes. The sea follows you and yet at times you can forget it is near you. One week and two accidents. Aslip and fall while she tried to catch the train. A skid and slam on Marine Drive and a pool of blood. A crowd and there is a desperation to hail a taxi and make for the nearest hospital. A few meters on and everyone moves on.

Cool and cold. 8220;The city doesn8217;t interfere with your life.8221; True, it just doesn8217;t. Would rather paint it in shades of grey, it vacillates between black and white, quick, fast, like the rest here.

8220;If you live here for two years, you will never be able to leave it.8221; Prophetic words as I grinned to myself. And yet there is a part of the city which compels you to move with its rhythm. Slowing building itself up and at times the crescendo bursts with the clouds.

Queen8217;s necklace. Shimmering, beautiful. After a long time, it was a sight that just held me. Befitting for a queen. And the sea which isn8217;t heard quite that much. That was Manali, Beas, when it gurgled and roared, as if trying to converse. Perhaps, here if the sea was to be heard the city would have to don an altogetherdifferent garb. But then this wouldn8217;t be Mumbai.

First impressions. Initial thoughts. The hesitations as a city and an individual come to terms with one another. Almost as if we are holding out our hands to one another and yet unsure whether to take it and shake it or leave it hanging for some more time. Hugs as of yet are just out of the question!

At times it scares me, the immensity basically. And the mad rush. Almost as if everyone is in a hurry and it is a rush. A whole wave of humanity seems to swarm everywhere. And nobody looks into your face, nobody lingers in your memory. As one set of people are fast replaced by another, it all gets hazy.Big city. Bright lights. Lots of night life. Minutes compressed into seconds. A city to chase dreams, to think big and become big? Well, in all honesty, here it seems to be more of survival. Bit by bit and thread by thread.

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The more I look at it, the more convinced am I of the distances I would like to maintain. The city is a nice friend, but it really is nolover. And then I think of Rushdie8217;s Mumbai. A very different city. But then it is an altogether different angle. Maybe to each one of us it comes alive differently. And that could be the best part. A different Mumbai for each!But when I put aside all ponderings and just look at it, hard and clear, the city resembles a big stage. With the drama of life being played out, one scene after the other. It8217;s like television, image after image. To stand away and shut your eyes for a while is like missing part of the action. Or more precisely, missing a train.

But I guess the city is more than that. More than a mere experience. It8217;s hinting in that direction, the rest remains to be seen.