The Hundered Friendly faces of Bombay :)

Well, I remember my first local train ride in Bombay. For the record, it is not one of my best experiences. All that pushing and shoving, plus my wide eyed expression that very well gave away my delicate condition of being the "new one". I remember how I used to curse those days and nights and always whine about the "crowd" of Bombay... Reckless and Impatient. I was a "Delhi" girl, trying my best to get used to the Time Zone of Bombay (Yes, Bombay has its own time zone!!), in addition to other things, like calling bhaaji for sabji, batata for aaloo, kaanda for pyaaz and not saying thanks to the rick guys. And then one day something happened that made me love this city more than my birthplace Delhi.

We know how everybody is always in a hurry in Bombay. Well it is the story of one such busy day (like all the other usual days). I had to catch a flight to Delhi. I chose to board a local train from Thane station to Ghatkopar and then take a rick from there to the airport. At that time, local train travelling was kind of an adventure for me (it still fascinates me) but I still wasn't aware of which platform to go to and which train to board. So, there I was with all my luggage on some platform. I had already missed 4 trains, as they were too crowded, and now I was getting late. Then the time came when I had to board the next train otherwise I would miss my flight. So I ran towards the nearest ladies dabba and asked a lady, who was also running along with me and was clearly in a lot of hurry, that if this train would go to Ghatkopar. She frowned but then all of a sudden, forgetting all her hurry, she said yes and explained to me how all the trains that stop at that platform, stop at Ghatkopar also :). She did this with a smile and disappeared in the crowd. It was a very small incident, but it changed my view about this city and the people in it. The compassion with which they pursue their dreams each day, the aggression with which they live their lives, the daredevilry which is a part of the day to day life of a normal mumbaikar. I started respecting it all. And then started the love story between me and my favourite city in the whole world. Bombay. Mumbai. Call it whatever you like. It is there and will always be there accepting anybody: saint or sinner, rich or poor, a don or an ordinary human being, a keralite or a delhite. Nobody is un-welcome here. Thats the charm of Bombay.

I miss the colors, the sea and the trains. I miss the hundereds of friendly faces in the crowd. I miss the freedom and the stinking air. I miss Bombay.