Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan!

"Why do they have to keep 8:00 am lectures?” I complain as I read my timetable for next day. Despite all complaints, my usual day begins by running for 7:08 Dadar local, which actually comes 2 MINs early (god knows what’s wrong with that motorman... somebody tell him its Mumbai...Here every minute counts!). If at all I manage to take that train, my next complaint is "Hell!!!! There is no place to stand at 7:00 in morning!! Where is India’s population going?".
Day full of complaints, one after the other. Hello!!!! I Love my life and I looooove Mumbai!!

But this morning as I picked the newspaper on my way to college, I read something that made me think. "Mumbaikars die younger than other Indians” read TOI headlines (on Nov3 2009). It immediately caught my attention. Was it just another attractive headline or a real piece of news? Do they mean that mumbaikars die young at heart? I proceeded to read. It was real news full of facts and figures based on survey report from National Resource Centre for Urban Poverty and the All India Institute of Local Self Government, Mumbai.

"What bullshit?” How was that possible? After all this is "Amchi Mumbai". Mumbai... country's financial capital, fashion hub, the city which has never say die spirit, city that never sleeps, city of dreams. City that has survived riots, bomb blasts, rains but it never stopped functioning. City of bollywood... whose spirit has been depicted in countless movies and songs. City of Arabian Sea, of Rajabai Tower and of Hanging Gardens. After all these adjectives that had been conferred on the city, how can some survey claim that mumbaikars die younger than other Indians and not by year or two but 7 years younger than other Indians. And 12 years than others in Maharashtra.

I am a born mumbaite. In short I hail from Mumbai coz my parents lived here. All my life I read great things about Mumbai and felt proud of city I lived in. You name it and its here. Its either a step away or a phone call away. All my life I took for granted all the facilities that came as a part of living in big city. Best schools and colleges at door step, best shopping malls, best food joints, best movie places , best jobs, etc. (one benefit of staying in Mumbai also meant no power cuts).

Later I had to leave Mumbai for job, although unwillingly. As part of the job I stayed in Hyderabad initially and then Pune for 3 years. For the first time I had a chance to meet different people from different states\cities. For the 1st time I understood what diversity in India meant. Got a chance to taste different cuisines, learnt different languages. Even there, we all mumbaikars flocked together. And whenever the talks of our hometown sprang, we all ganged up to fight for Mumbai. By the nature of it, the knack of talking that we had, we also managed to win. Most of our friends from other cities looked at us the COOL people and as though we came from WONDERLA!

Not everyone was from big cities, neither did everyone had life served on gold platter. But all them had equal talent and equal chance to prove (in terms of job\ career at least). But I realised there was one major difference. All these people had learnt one very important thing in life, to sit back and relax. To find time for themselves and their close ones. My life was still running, and I behind it to somehow get hold of it. Although my mom always complains that staying out of Mumbai has taught me to waste time.

Today when I am back in Mumbai, I don’t seem to like anything about it. Living life on edge, scrambling for a toehold on trains, honking ones way from bumper to bumper, fighting to find roof over ones head, Sound decibels that leave you deaf, Fresh air that is scant even in wee hours in jogging parks, by the way where are the jogging parks? Is this what we call life? Is this the life we strive for? In race for life we have forgotten to take a breather.
By now the train had reached Dadar. People rushed at the compartment doors to jump out of train before it halted, so that there were fewer crowds on overhead bridge. By the time the train halted on the station, there was sea of people gushing out of the platform. Like an army of ants out of an ant hill. I too hopped out, to reach out for another connecting train. Yehi hai mumbai meri jaan!