On several occasions I have missed by a hair's breadth a life and career in Mumbai. This did not prevent me from having these short tempestuous visits to the city. A day, at best two, a whirlwind of visiting friends and family while managing somehow to squeeze in my actual purpose of visit. In these short associations I have developed a love-hate relationship with the city. I wouldn't ever be able to give you a consistent reply on whether I would prefer living in the city or not. The Love-Mumbai alter ego of mine, is completely enchanted among other things, by the romantic names of the areas. You call a friend and each one mouths one such name after another, "Come to Worli, party tonight!", "I live in Bandra", "Mulund dude, its f***ing far, but you have to come!". These names, of mysterious origins, hang in your mind, free of any literary, historical or political significance, just associating themselves with your memories of people, parties and conversations.
And then on the other hand there is the rain, every time I step out of CST, it is either raining, is about to rain, or has just finished, making the streets reflect the sodium-lamp street lights and filling the air with that typical Mumbai smell, which I guess, is that of a sewer overflowing. As I make casual conversation with the taxi-wala, I look out of the half open Premier Padmini window to see the late night traffic comprising of the ultra rich tipping out of discs and pubs and the ultra poor trying to find a place to shelter themselves from mother nature's next lashing.
I remember sometime ago, I, though unsuccessfully, was trying my hand at writing lyrics for a tune that my ,then ,flatmate had (He meanwhile has gone ahead and started his own band, Shor Bazaar!). After some soul searching on our part for a protagonist of the song, we came upon the idea of a middle aged lady-of-the-night, wearing lots of makeup and treating her clientele in a world weary way. Halfway through writing the piece both of us came to an unanimous conclusion that the lady is none other than Mumbai. Beautiful, seductive, wise, old and ragged but still can look a knocker when she wants to.
