I (Heart) Mumbai!

I remember the first day in  Mumbai as an official Mumbai employee (not the one as a visitor!), I was watching television with my other batch matches in the company accommodation. We were watching a famous new channel and they were showing a small film on "Crowded Mumbai". They had painted such a picture that I felt guilty for making it crowded as a part of the "bhid"! I must say,  I was wrong. Mumbai hugged me and I eventually melted like a spoon of sugar in the glass of milk! (Ah, I copied the whole phrase from a story on Parasis ,we were taught in third class, "Dudh ma sakar"!)

The city witnessed a change in me, the awesome growth and additions of dimensions in my personality! The city saw me crying in rain, laughing-smiling, participating in walks to remember, struggling to fit in the corporate world, making new friends everyday, eating junk to healthy food, roaming around here and there, living my life to the fullest!

Mumbai is multicultural. You can feel the real "India" here. You are not of a specific caste or a state here. You are just your own self! I tried to identify some spheres of Mumbai which I touched, felt and loved! I always thought the speed of life and the population will make me tired and I will just leave it soon-as per some opinions I had got in free when transferred. I was wrong. I entered, conquered and indulged like anything in some of these spheres!

Food and Mumbai :Vadapao, fresh fruits at stations, idli-vada-dosa for breakfast, juices, nariyal pani near stations and food corners are main highlights of Mumbai food. Sandwich ice cream of Rustomjee, Chinese of Main land china and  Gypsy , Corns at Matunga and Chaupati, Proper Gujarati food dishes at Samarat, amazing parathe at Bandra , lovely coffee sessions at Barista, CCD and Costa coffee, Cheese cakes at Pizza hut and Costa coffee, healthy sandwiches of Subways and my company canteen,Cold coffee at Leopold cafe, Awesome sizzlers in Colaba! Oh my god, I can go on and on! Mumbai gives food to each class of this society. 'Mumbai' and 'food' are two sides of the same coin!

Monsoon and Mumbai: For both you can use a phrase, " Love it or hate it, you gotta accept it!"! That is fun but. How can I forget those walks to plant with an umbrella and coming back from office without the umbrella! Eating bhutta or Maggie in this season is the feeling I can swear by. The mud puddles actually make me happy!! I love to play with mud ,still!!I love observing kids wearing colorful rain coats, splashing water on each other and ah, those rainbows in water puddles due to oil leakage in it! I love them all!Local train travelling with mess is fun for me!Don't they give a flavor to life?

Hang outs and Mumbai: How can you stay home in weekends. Mumbai offers you awesome places and hundreds of activities! Theaters , movies, sea shores, coffee shops, malls, plays, fashion shows, resorts, spas everything. You name it and Mumbai has it. I love watching plays in town, movies and of course eating and shopping in phoenix mall and infinity mall. How can I forget street shopping-the best boon for Mumbaikars! Be it fashion street, Link road, Borivali, Natraj market or crowford market! Do you love music you have concerts, Do you love craft you have craft shops and hobby ideas, Do you love dramas you have plays to watch! Mumbai has everything!!I love those sights town offers while we travel by taxis-Sky scrappers and clean and wide roads, people in formal dresses in week days and funky dresses in weekends and period- amazingly beautiful sea shores, wet sand and walks!

Local trains and Mumbai: Heart of Mumbai. I have written about them many a times on my blog. I just love them. With economical fare and speed with great frequency, the city makes you feel the wholeness of Mumbai. Those blurry sights of buildings, sea shores and people from the window of the moving train are just like "time travel" dreams!

Buddies and Bombay: Mumbai has offered me my life-my buddies. My company colleges , My office and everything you want in life. They are my life. They are my support and strength. They make me laugh in a second even when I cry like no one is watching! Do I need to specifically name them!?

I used to become very sad on the fact that I am leaving Mumbai for higher education. I still feel so. Tomorrow is my last day in Mumbai. The emotions come out in the form of tears every now and then. I just want to cry out loud saying, "Mumbai, I shall come back!", I can see each building, each person on the road waving "Good bye"! Period. I promise Mumbai, I will see you soon!

Whenever I used to see people wearing t-shirts of "I (heart) New York", I used to think of making a t-shirt of "I (heart) Mumbai"! But then I realized it is much more than the phrase,

"I (live) Mumbai"!

Isn't it true?