One of the things that you would come across within a few conversations with me is the unparalleled place that Pune and Koregaon Park, Main Street and FC Road hold in my heart. And how difficult it was for me to leave Pune and come to Mumbai...the city of dreams! Well, almost! It doesnt matter out here if people are stamping or standing on your feet in the dreams; it is still the place where the future is...well, atleast mine.
It wasnt like I didnt have other choices. Pune did have its options and Bangalore was calling...literally! But what I wanted to do was to move up the value chain. The southern sensibilities didn't appeal to me...Hence, Bangalore was out of the question! And Chennai would have been over my dead body! And Hyderabad already had the Nizam! :)
So when luck came knocking down the door, i embraced it with both hands! But not without a heavy heart! I am often asked the reason of my love for Pune. All i can say is that you have to live and experience life in Pune to understand the sentiments! And 2 years (well, almost) is a long time! You just cant help fall in love with the city...and its people! ;)
But the future was calling...And so i landed in Mumbai! Well, actually, i biked myself down to Mumbai with a back-pack! 200 odd minutes and I was there!
Mumbai wasnt a new place. I had been here quite a few times and was well versed with the city and its lifeline...the locals!
But, Mumbai as a city is nothing like Pune or Goa (which is where i hail from...). It is HUGE! and crowded!
If you pass through Chakala or Saki Naka in the suburbs or find yourself at the main foot-bridge at Dadar station, you will know exactly what i am talking about! Or else, if you have ever caught the 18:24 slow local to Borivali! Chances are that in this case, you will never want to look at a train again! (And yet I did...you just cant ignore them out here).
These...and many more like these are the symbols of Mumbai. What it stands for...
Before the 'Mee Mumbaikars' sulk, i must add that while I make it sound horrible, Mumbai isnt all that bad! It is just that my eyes, my thoughts and my mind are so clouded by Pune and its idyllic streets in Model Colony, KP... that i cant see much beyond them.
Just in case a thought crossed you mind that if I am from Goa, how come I root for Pune so much and not for Goa, then it would not surprise me. Well, the answer is unfortunately pretty simple. For the kind of work and future I am looking at, Goa just doesnt fit in the scheme of things. There just are no jobs for my profile. Atleast not for someone who is overly ambitious in life.
Hence, it is a point of making a choice.
And Mumbai it was! The first few days were tough. I'd probably spent more time travelling back and forth than in Mumbai or Pune! But, as things began to settle down, I started to get adjusted to the place. I wouldn't say that I started liking the place, 'coz I still haven't begun doing that...and it looks unlikely in the near future.
But, you just couldn't sulk and not venture out. It helped that i had a good set of friends out here. Partying was one thing that I enjoyed in Mumbai! Food was another! Well, actually in the reverse order! In fact these are the two things that have helped me adjust out here. That the work was good wasnt bad either! Lotsa friends and barely any time at my disposal to brood.
Since then, a lot of water and filth has flown from under the Mahim bridge. And lot over the bridge as well.
But as I look back at the 8 odd months that have gone by, I guess that things have not been all that bad!
New place...new friends...old friends...Bade Mian...ABC Farms...Fun Republic..E Square...Koregaon Park...Marine Drive...Colaba...Camp...Bhurjee at Khurshid...Bun Maska at Station...Mastani...Haji Ali...Velvet Lounge...Elysium...
Its been the best of the two worlds! Just an expressway in between...
And I can say...grudgingly...is that I now feel at home. Pune is where the heart is...but its just 3 hours away! :)
I can now finally proclaim...'Mee Mumbaikar'
Gotta go...have to catch the 22:04 local to Churchgate!
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