Rewind: Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan

Mumbai is the city of opposites - where poverty and opulence live next to each other, where happiness and sorrow can both be found, where kindness and cold indifference live harmoniously. Mumbai is the city of fulfilled dreams as well as shattered hopes. It is the city where the sweet scent of flowers and the aroma of home-made cooking intermingles with the stench of garbage and vehicular emissions to give the distinctive smell of this city. Ramshackle zhopadpattis share walls with new age skyscrapers. Chauffeur driven cars whizz past bullock carts.
You will find that Mumbai represents our entire country. South Indian idli-dosa stalls, Maharashtrian fisherwomen selling fresh fish, Bengali and Sindhi sweet shops, Punjabi dairy-farms.....the list goes on. You can find building watchmen enjoying a talk in Bhojpuri, domestic servants gossiping in Marathi, corporate big shots clinching deals in English and Hindi.Take a stroll in Matunga and you might overhear some of Rajnikant's latest movies being discussed in Tamil.
Agonisingly slow traffic jams are a daily affair here. Many have taken the 'Horn Ok Please' on the back of trucks very seriously and gladly oblige. If on a certain day you are miraculously blessed with a clear road.....the uneven and bumpy roads do not fail to give you a ride reminiscent of Essel World. If you prefer Water Kingdom, just come down to Mumbai during the monsoons and a walk on the road can give you your favourite aqua splash as cars zoom across over puddles. Flood prone areas can be used freely to prune one's swimming skills. And those who are hoping to apply to the Indian Army....the entire city is an big obstacle course. Cows have claimed many roads as their own and amble freely even in the wake of incoming traffic. There goes no day in the life of Mumbai when no road is dug.......newly tarred roads are dug up to lay telephone lines and later re-dug to put gas pipelines. So to avoid problems the MMRDA nowadays has stopped putting up temporary signs of "work in progress" - they have decided to cement it into the ground permanently.
I am not joking but literacy is a big problem in this city. Many people consider "Yahan par thookna sakth mana hai" to be an irresistable invitation to spit. A "stick no bills" sign cannot be seen due to the posters stuck over them. A "Do not throw garbage here" sign is inundated with a huge pile of garbage right there.
Optimism in times of great distress is one of the best qualities of Mumbaikars. I was once travelling by a packed Churchgate train. The stifling air inside made breathing also difficult and moving our arms in that sea of limbs was awarded by glowering stares and angry mutters. In the midst of all this there was a guy trying to lighten up the mood by playing a Himmesh song on his cellphone loudspeaker. Although the song was useless (obvio!!) people smiled despite their duress.
Despite all the bad stuff in this city.......the pain, the suffering, the stress, the crowds, the poverty.....Mumbai rocks!! And so do all its people.....and that is something I am sorely going to miss when I am at Kanpur. I had taken this city for granted and as I am about to leave I realise what an important place it has in my heart (sorry for becoming all senti n all but can't help it). So although I shall be in Kanpur for the better part of the next few years.....my heart shall always reside here in the city that I love so much.........kyunki "Yeh hai Mumbai meri Jaan!!"