Mumbai.....

I headed to Mumbai today morning in an Inovva not owned by me for a blogcamp barcamp meet @ Windsor building, Kaleena, Santa Cruz (E). Mumbai, the country's supposedly best city and most happening city (inarguably) and in the limelight for 11/26. Not to mention Bollywood, Marathiwood also exist here besides being home to GOD and Sunny Gavaskar. Oh yeah, the MNS too and its vocal boss you know who.

Mumbai has been a mixed bag for me. Have spent 1 and half year working in TCS in 2003-04, then after relocating to Pune have been to Mumbai on weekends umpteen times. But it stopped somehow in 2007. After Nov 2006, went first time to Mumbai in Oct 08 for my Visa stamping and then now today after 11/26...

Was nervy and tip-toed to go or not. Last moment chickening out should be learnt from me, but today it was determination to go. I have travelled in over crowded, foul smelling locals on western tracks, travelled on bike on Western Express highway 50 kms every day from Borivali (where I worked) to Bandra(E) and rolled over the stones @ Queen's necklace, snapped up Kulfis @ gateway, gave interviews @ Trident and Taj, travelled in bus from Churchgate to CST(VT), saw movie @ Metro (dont remember), walked through millions of heads @ Dadar or Andheri stations or the crowd @ Chruchgate at 9 am in the morning to rush to the office..

Mumbai is like India 's New York. Has witnessed 9/11 like event too. Hosts 'liberal' elite class, activists who proclaim themselves to be free enough to discuss sexuality in open, have no qualms in coming out in open to protest against terror only when some of them are targetted in Taj / Trident and mostly who keep mum when terror strikes suburban areas or 'lesser cities' like Delhi or Ahmedabad or Bangalore or Jaipur.....Those who dont feel any shyness to declare themselves gay bellweather bloggers and try to hog the limelight in every blogger meet with their 'harrofying' experiences on 'abuse' and 'sexuality' along with usage of lot of jingoisms and showing gratitude to the applause they get on cooking up 'life turning more than personal deeper experiences / abuses / events' in public....Well all for blog comments :)..In short the bindaas and kewl log !! The elitists who feel South Mumbai is the world and everything beyond that is dirty potbelly shit good enough to pee on.....

Despite this the slums and the sky rises co-exist just next to each other and dont complaint. For them everybody within them is a Mumbaikar, no matter he is outside MH or outside India. It even welcomes the men who come on trawlers from sea, create havoc and then die. Mumbai for all its amazing, amusing culture, spirits continues to befuzzle you and amaze you....And then i wonder does it deserve what its going through ? Bleeding through a rogue country's ill ambitions to cripple its breath or the politicians who 'on their own' own the city (aamchi Mumbai)....

It deserves a lot better than what its getting now. A lot better leadership, a diluted social clan. An integrated rejuvenated fight against terror from within (politicians) and outside( we all know who)....

and the change wont come by narrating experiences in a blogger meet or on the blog. will have to take your voice to the common man, untill that everything you say is just an idea and a prospective opportunity to hog the limelight in social dos.

There is nothing called as spirits of Mumbai. On name of "Mumbai's indomitable spirits" we have hurt the city even more. We havent healed it deep within it burns on its scars and wounds. We keep pledging support and salutes to the people of Mumbai on every calamity be it terror or floods, but do we really help them after the "window of impact" is passed ?

Mumbai needs to be healed to its golden days of folklore in whatever way :)