Enchante, Mumbai!

  It has been roughly nine years since we landed in the city of dreams - the two of us with a one big suitcase each and one kid half-the size of a case. We walked into an empty apartment on the twelfth floor of a building on a hot June afternoon, physically exhausted, yet high in spirits (Age had not withered us then). Strangely, I seem to remember how the first day in Mumbai unfolded with a lot of detail - insignificant things like the first dress I wore in Mumbai, first road-side sandwich , the first shopping experience in the very Mumbai-sh "DMart", the first person I heard speaking in Tamil in a rather foreign place, the first maid I employed(who promptly quit on me), and of course, the first meal that we ordered (in a non-Swiggy era). Jhumpa Lahiri, in her Pulitzer winning collection "Interpreter of Maladies",  insinuates through one of her characters, who reminisces about his first day in America with a new wife - about how bizarre it is that the mundane first things are etched in his memory - owing to the emotional attachment to these experiences. I couldn't agree more. 

Growing up in a small religious town in South India, I had correlated Mumbai (or Bombay) with Bollywood, Bombay Stock Exchange, local trains and the rains. Little did I expect that there the city would possess a charm not limited to the dashing heroines of Hindi cinema.  A few days into the city and the apartment,  I remember sitting on the floor with a cup of adrak chai, gazing through a  French window at the incoming monsoons when they hit the city for the first time, that year.  I was charmed then and there .  If someone like me who didn't grow up dancing in the rains, could get exuberant with the monsoon onset, then its fair to declare that the  elation that the first monsoon showers of the year bring are universal. There are several inconveniences that the heavy rains and monsoons cause - potholes, muddy puddles, traffic jams, wet floors - and yet its business as usual in the bustling city. Unless the local trains halt their operations in lieu of storms (which arent infrequent), maids and daily labourers report to work on time. There is a lot one could learn from the work ethics of most maids and daily labourers in this city. 

As another good friend had once commented "I love Mumbai because the city celebrates all the festivals of India with equal fervor", or something in the lines of it. Geographically situated half-way across the length of the country, the city is demographically diverse - with communities from all parts of the country. Ganpati is the home-ground festival, nonetheless, Durga Puja (or the South Indian Navaratri golu), Diwali , Christmas, Holi or the National days - all were occasions of get-together and fun for my daughter. The city was also the epicenter of the Covid pandemic in the country and had given us a couple of crazy years. It may have been chaos, but the city responded with charisma. 

I particularly  remember traveling by the local train to see the iconic "Common Man Statue" - at the Worli Seaface during our intial months in the city. Over the years, we have visited several landmarks - the museum, national parks, ferries, caves , boothouse and yes, the beaches. The city does boast of housing several pockets of green ecosystems amidst its hustle-bustle. The cuisine in a cosmopolitan city does not reflect the native taste of the region, but we were fortunate to experience the authentic Maharashtrian food during our weekend getaways. And not to forget, the leopard sightings and the horror stories / gossips are as special to Mumbai as its vada-pav. 

     This cartoon from a HT post sums up the city rather well. 

Nine years into this city, we have one more girl, two Doctorate degrees, two-and-a-half shelves of books, three shelves of toys and several miscellaneous items that definitely wont fit into a suitcase each. As my daughter commented, "I've been here all my life" - all of nine out of her ten years. We grew as parents in this city, made a lot of new acquaintances, some really good friends, restarted our Carnatic musical adventures (a few misadventures ) , started playing badminton games and of course attended family get-togethers with friends. My non-existent sense of fashion morphed into a comfortable personal style in the city, thanks to the lovely human sightings. 

As much as the people of a city shape its character, it is probably true that the city leaves its mark on every individual's personality. We will always harbour the love, support and the everlasting memories made in this city,  in our next stop and beyond. I,
in particular, will forever be enchanted by its beauty, inside and out. As Poirot would say "Enchante, Madame - Mumbai" !