Beyond The Physical Ironies

Being away from home for nearly a decade and missing Mumbai, I have long been a self-declared
Mumbai lover (and Yes! Non-Mumbaikars can be Mumbai lovers too) but now seeing the apathy
amongst people I seriously doubt is this the same Mumbai I have always had in my heart? Perhaps the
one I did was a little more idealistic. But what is it that makes a person like Mumbai? Is it really the ever
crowded streets clouded with the smoke and dust? Or is it the lovely free massage the local train give
you? Probably it must be the roller coaster feeling the roads give you in monsoon?

Ok, now please don’t scream that “NO” out… you know the noise levels in the city are already at a good
mark.

Can it be the comforts and the great night outs the city offers? If this were the case one would find it
hard to pull through the long day in anticipation of some relaxation. However the one who truly likes
Mumbai will be able to equally appreciate the noisy days and the snugness of the nights.

So what really is it in Mumbai that lures people? I believe it is none but the people themselves. A people
where no one really seems to care whether you are faring or fading. A vast multitude that seems so non-
judgemental. A pace that inhibits your recognition process and a daze caused by the gushing thoughts
strategizing your next move, that you know will help you whiz past even the glaring stares. Such is our
little tortoise shell that makes us feel safe amid the huzzing-buzzing peregrinations. But at some point
do dare to peep out of the shell and in this very crowd you will find those random stranger who will
brighten your day with a smile either when you bump into them in an attempt to carve out a path to
move ahead of the masses, or maybe when you are stuck with the other in an overcrowded bus or in the
long wait at the signal (if at all you do follow signals) and you receive a sarcastic smile that conveys “I
know your state for I am in the same puddle”. A smile that make you break out of your constructed
tortoise shell. In such a seemingly non- bothering crowd you encounter every day, you might over time
let familiar faces become a part of your routine course. Without the urge to know the other’s names and
ancestral origins, just the awareness of the common hardships lets invisible bonds take birth. In these
elusive manners the city secures you even when you are among the ones you least know.

Another aspect of the people in Mumbai is that the people with the different cultures they all carry
manage to blends into a harmonious oneness. By one ness I do not mean the hum sath-sath hai
oneness, I rather point out to the oneness that make you a part of a new culture. A culture in which
each and every one is forced to set aside biases and overcome stereotypical notions regarding the other
and be modest to pursue those common needs that in turn facilitate our individual needs, be it the
need to give a great push to get into the locals or the need to co-ordinate and cooperate during floods.
This culture not only helps in mitigating the hurdles that affect a large number socially but at the same
time keeps us motivated to wade through the little disappointments of each day. It is this unconscious
culture that helps us learn many things and tactics of dealing with life from others, and we may
subsequently adapt them to our personal use. These manoeuvres would have probably always been
foreign to us if we were to shield our world with the blinds of our preconceptions. Additionally you
never know when your way of doing things is admired and adapted by someone else making you a
contributor towards this culture. This absorbing and diffusing of common wisdom gives considerable
scope to broaden your thought process.
The emotional soundness that one can find in the daily hurries of life is a unique joy of living in Mumbai.
It brings out the self-motivation that keeps one aiming for a fuller life. The brotherly and sisterly
solidarity resulting from the coming together of people of different backgrounds creates an intangible
realm of belongingness that allows one to grow more with more and more interaction. When we as new
mumbaikars get more acquainted with this fact we will possible be able to overcome shallow
indifferences that do not allow the realization of a Mumbai that is akin to the Ideal Mumbai of our
Dreams.

SO people go beyond the physical… beyond you comfy shells and explore the Mumbai that will gradually
add new shades to your life.

Introduction of the writer: A generally confused girl who lives on the outer outskirts: Mira Road, and has
joined the newly mumbaikars club with her trips to college.