Mumbai/Bombay (i prefer calling it as Mumbai. .) as called the 'City of Dreams' has shown me all
kinds of life which normally i hadn't dreamt of. . . Here each one thinks of himself/herself as the KiNg/QuEeN of Mumbai, they walk with their heads held high and ego's held even higher. . . The city makes sure it keeps u humble and cuts off your ego at every step forcing you to remain grounded. . It makes u realize each time that u are nothing more than a mere mortal. You are just anothe in the crowd like any of them. . .
The last time I was in Mumbai, was when I was on my way to Baroda to attend a friends wedding. . It was a connecting flight from Bangalore to Baroda via Mumbai. . It halted at the CST ie Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminal for about five mins. . I Looked out and wondered as to how and when will I get a chance to explore this city and look around for some movie stars (Oki. .
atlest soap stars.. he he) and nowww I am here with only one ambition in mind ie to return back to Bangalore asap. . .
Mumbai welcomed me and three other pals of mine with open arms. The warmth of the city pierced my skin and the scorching temperature of the place made me feel brighter and also,lighter from inside :-) we glanced towards our left and we could see the Big slums of Dharavi with small small kids doing potty here and there ;-)
We decided to commute to company guest house by a taxi. . There were taxi wallahs using the hindi I dono of, the lingo apparently known as the "MUMBAIYYA". . I tried my best not to look like a stranger in this new town coz I had previously heard from lots of people to be extra careful as there are chances of getting cheated if they know that u are a stranger entering their territory.
The taxi wallahs just flocked us and for a moment I felt like there was paparazzi surrounding me.(but for the cameras they had trolleys in their hand. .lol :-) ) We reached our destination two hours later and reported to office immediately. . The people here were as professional as one could be. . We underwent a security check and yes,all the girls bags were checked unlike
in Bangalore I just give the security guard an evil look as to 'how the hell can he even think that he can check my bag!!!' Anyhow I didnt wanna be a female chauvanist the first day I am here (I told u,your egos will have to be manicured here!!). . I flashed a broad smile to the security
guard and he smiled back after checking my bag, and from the next day,he didnt check my bag :-) . i guess this is the advantage we girls have ;-)
The very first day we went to the shoppin mall which are just few metres away from my office building. . I desperately wanted to watch Ranbir Kapoor in 'Ajab prem Ki Ghazab Kahani' I find him soo cute. . But we ended up watching 'De Dhana Dan'..Ahem.... let me correct myself. All the others watched the movie. . I SLEPT!!! My eyes were just refusing to open and my entire system went into sleep mode :-)
The entire week passed with the mumbai team. . Initially they seemed very professional, but later we realised their team too is just like ours with the developers and managers in constant conflict with each other, the functional guys in their own worlds, politics , etc ,etc u guys
know...the usual office stuff :-)
One thing I must say is that their team is a lot fun, they are always talking to each other in 'Mumbaiyya' and pulling each others leg all the time... Its a scene which we enjoy watchin ;-)
We had a technical session by a senior manager here who btw talks in mumbaiyya as well. . Dint know that even managers could crack a joke without being sarcastic!! Learnt a few things on EJB
and stuff. . Mumbai is filled with all kinds of people, coming from different parts of the country, speaking different languages. My first team meeting here included a guy who could talk Malyalam, a tamilian, myself a Kannadiga, my Manager, a Punjabi, Few Maharashtrians, My friend a Bengali, a telgite and also a friend who can speak Tulu!! One helluva National Integration it was!!! :-) We spent the entire week 'talking'/'discussing'/'gossipping' :-)
I miss Namma Bengaluru terribly. . . I miss the home made food - (only dinner in the guest house is good!) Mane oota, tindi, bisi annada jote chutney pudi and ghee. . . Adigas, Ganesh Darshan coffee, road side tea. . I miss all this :-( I miss my Family and Friends the most!!!!!!. . By
meaning Family and Friends i also mean the 'Family and Friends' offer which Vodafone network provides ;) The Docomo network is Baaad:-(. . hmmmmm I miss Bengaluru :-(
But. . .
Any place for it to become special you need someone of your own, your mom, your dad, elders of the family, your guy/girl, your best friends. . For me, a place, where all these people are present, is my life. Then i can gleefully say "ha, This where i belong". . I am what I am today, dumb or stupid, smart or intelligent is because of all the wonderful people in my life. . .
I am having fun here no doubt but my heart and soul remains amidst my loved ones be it in Bangalore or Mumbai. . . :-)
Enough written now. . tata. .
Seeeemaaa here from AMCHI MUMBAI :-)
