Bombay, when I shifted to this city of 7 islands it was still Bombay. Till one day Mubaikars decided to be so. WHatever the name is, it hardly matters. I still love it.
Came here when I was in 5th. Switched schools twice, started learning hindi from the first alphabet as opposed to my kabir ke dohas which I had started to love by now. Hindi was better than marathi, because I was a hardcore 'MP'ite, my friends thought it weird. The place I came to live in was still a subarban village of Bombay with a police station and dhaba next to our building. From a convent school to a normal one, from the good old ICSE board which I so much love and still consider the epitome of good education to SSC was a pleasent change as I had to study less. In approx 2 years there sprang building beside ours and I could no more see across the higway. Though I could still see my school bus coming from around the corner and run down in a jiffy:D Soon I forgot there existed a highway across and was happy settling for the part of world I could see and experience.
My dad taught me to ride the bicycle and then my first scooter in which I crashed and never touched a motorized 2 wheeler again. Bicycling is still my favourite sport. Thought havent done it for years. I had my first music lessons in Mumbai, as my mom always wanted me to learn to sing. And I am glad that she had discovered my passion for music. I love and appreciate music. I had a bengali music teacher, who taught it in her typical sweet Bengali accent :)
My brother loves Mumbai though he was born in Bhopal and I still love the small town feel, A disscusion on Mumbai and you will know he hates to get out of that place and dreams to make it big there. Bhopal has no importance other than the place of birth. I guess thats is why he is the hardcore Mumbaitte and not me :)
He was very young then, I still remember his running around in that fav red sweater and playing with my gang of girls till I was in 10th. After which he attended my school picnic and that was the end of my gaming sessions with my bro, where I had to finally declare that he make his own friends.
Extremely naughty fellow, who always got me complaitns in school, but which only made me love him more. The bond and understanding with which we grew, will always be as strong and I am glad, I have a sibling.
Then came the junior college and I spent more time at home that usual, bunking college... The transformation from school to college was really enriching experience from new friends to new dresses to new teachers, new subjects, new travel in local train to even a few crushes. Things were always merry. The love hate relations of life just started and thats when I understood the ppl of this city more. While in school I only interacted more with families staying in my colony.We had a bengali, tamil and bihari family staying on the same floor. Then I was awed by the strong bengali culture, the importance of women they potrayed, while at the same time I could see the boldness of the biharis and the simplicity, hardwork and religiousness of the tamilians. We had north, south, east, west exp...all in one.
But when I went to college, that is the time I experienced the real Mumbai culture and the sweet people. The maharashtrians and gujratis though being different have over the years struck a sanguine relation. And its hard to differeciate anymore. They stay in one family while sharing the cultural beauties with each other. Going to engineering college, always being interested in other cultures, I had more gujrati friends. Getting to see their culture from such proximity was something I cherished.
The fourth year of engg was even better with a project at IIT, one of the biggest university campuses in India was worth experiencing. With a good professor and a nestle canteen and the powai lake and four project partners, life had come to a standstill for the moment after which we did not know where our lifes would take us. My journey of Mumbai was for 13 years after which it was time for Infosys and moving on to another Big B. There is a lot more to write, but for now its late, the clocks ticking and dreaming of it sounds like a better idea :)
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