Serendipity

Monday, September 10, 2007

BOMBAY-WORTH MANY CITIES!





I can’t read anything and everything. That’s because I don’t like to read certain things, for example travel write-ups. Never found travel write-ups delectable. I love to watch travel shows though. I find travel write-up (TW) very bland as I fail to be perceptive. I lose interest, as I’m really not keen to know his/her views abt the “place”. I would rather have a look at the place and feel it. I even tried reading certain travel write up by a writer,I had a crush on. But it didn’t help. I even tried reading a TW of a friend who is too good with words but I JUST couldnot enjoy.
Mmm talking abt TW. I feel like writing about BOMBAY, a place worth many cities.Well I visited Bombay when I was around 12-13 years of age when “its my life” was a cool life quote and being an atheist was a trend. The family decided to go to Bombay, as it was my dads much loved city. Initially, I was seeing Bombay through his eyes. He gave a brief detail about the places he liked (VT is his favourite) and the coolest joints of his time. He was nostalgic about the place as this was where he first fled to and realized that life is not just lamenting about broken homes
I don’t remember the exact itinerary.but yeah we visited all the tourist joints like chowpatty lane, marine drive, taraporrewala aquarium, Juhu beach, Nehru Science Auditorium, Gateway of India and the bewildering serene Elephanta caves. I even caught up with the film shooting where I was lucky enough to catch a glimse of my then fav Salman Khan. (This bit made me famous amongst my girl friends)
I enjoyed all the spots as it was all-new to me. I was from Mysore, a small town and I had never been out of karnataka. I was enraptured, as everything was a novelty.
VT station, the lovers kissing on the rocks of marine drive, the most shocking encounter of a large group of tranvestites, the real genuine chats, huge multitude of well mannered people, regular buses, huge wide roads etc., these, I saw it through my eyes.

But then a particular city has its intendment. And Bombay is quite emphatic in this matter.
We were staying in a guesthouse in Mathunga. And on the second night, we couldn’t sleep due to sheer excitement. Then my dad suggested us to go for a walk and treat ourselves with ice creams. Take a walk at 11.30 PM!!!. That’s famous. He affirmed that theres nothing to worry and we set forth with fewer apprehensions. He was very confident that his daughters would be safe in such a place and no one bothered to delude my father in this regard. And we never missed that late night walk to have an ice cream till we stayed there.My sister divulged me into all her thoughts and I saw too many things.I felt as though iam attaining nirvana.Bombay walk was my bodhi tree.(i was a young teenager.forgive me!)Those Bombay walks did bring out a considerable change in me. And principally for this reason, Bombay will remain my favourite city. I havent visited many cities. But I’m sure of one thing about Bombay that it is magnanimous when it comes to the life it offers like no other city.
I visited Bombay again for a couple of days when I was in my late teens. The life was still there but I perceived the city with all my growing heart and mind and consequentially my heart was burdened by people from certain walks of life, certain incidents and certain moments in Bombay.I can never forget till date and I don’t think I will ever do.Those things have made me.


6 Comments:

At 10:06 AM , Blogger Bit Hawk said...

Bombay is one city I have not been and love to visit some time.

I dont hate travelogues per se, but I would not want to read travelogues that have no personal touch and just full of data.

I loved the pictures, looks like directly from 80s movies :)

 
At 9:47 PM , Blogger Soumia said...

@Bit hawk
Thanks! I searched all the old albums to get these pictures.
U should visit Bombay. The richness of God 's own country, Goa’s laid-back atmosphere, etc is quite inadequate to overwhelm you when compared to Bombay.

 
At 10:18 PM , Blogger krupa said...

Lovely write up!

I have just seen the mumbai airport...and I got to see John Abraham and Ayesha Takia!

So many people have told me about Mumbai...I have to visit it some time!

Makes me feel so much better to know that even you had that "love Salman" phase!;)

And the pics look so retro n cool!

 
At 9:42 PM , Blogger Soumia said...

@Thanks K.Dont miss visiting Bombay.Oh yes!i used to go weak in my knees whenever i see certain scenes of MPK.
I have heard that u get to see lot of moviestars at bombay airport.

 
At 6:32 AM , Blogger mouna said...

bombay, i visited it some years back, and i fell love with it(i dunno why). felt exciting to be there. the vt, the gpo, the diamond necklace, everything. i'm drooling :D

 
At 4:26 AM , Blogger Soumia said...

@mouna
this is what bombay does to people.Its exciting to talk abt it even after many years.a treat!

 

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