A Stronger City

Always: A city that never sleeps. The City of Dreams. The city that famously braves floods or even attacks one day and still steps out to go to work the next day. The Maximum City- with maximum opportunities.

The year 2020: Hotspot for pandemic. Local Trains stop. Empty roads in the morning rush hour. Financial Capital wears a deserted look.

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I had read somewhere- "Each person's memories are his or her private literature". True!
So, if I have to describe Mumbai, I need to choose from my memories-

• Pav Bhaji on Juhu Beach with family
• Ragi Dosa at Madras Cafe with friends
• Two years of MBA spent mostly by strolling around fancy Hiranandani Powai
• Three months of sales training in Malvani slums of Malad
• Morning walks in crammed roads to office
• Evening walks on the Worli Seaface
• Seeing the Lower Parel skyline driving through Dadar flower market
• Avoiding chawls while searching for apartments to rent in SoBo
• Waiting 17 hours for mom who got stuck in a train near Nala Sopara during monsoon 
• Being happily stuck in lines for darshan at Lalbaug and Siddhivinayak
• First time my parents tasted Naturals' ice-creams
• Next time when my parents visited and insisted on having Natural's ice-cream
• Watching plays at Prithvi theater, St. Andrews and NCPA with friends and colleagues
• Managing with expensive and cramped limited housing options with unfriendly flatmates
• Spending 2-3 hours on Western Expressway in the infamous traffic on Fridays
• Enjoying next 2 days of weekend with my uncle, aunt and cousin

The Maximum city has provided me with maximum experiences- both good and bad. And through these, I have grown up. Like me, millions of others have lived in and loved Mumbai and become stronger through their individual experiences. 

And although the city now is facing the worst, it too will grow up through these tough times to be better place. There may not get a magical, radical makeover of the city after the lockdown, but it definitely will build some immunity for future. I don't know about the changes in processes and policies, but its people will evolve to stronger ways of life. And with that, Mumbai will be 'a stronger city'.

Mahabharat-Twitter Edition

15 tweets capturing my take and take-a-ways from the epic

Time Travel

The world now-a-days feels like Time Travel. Not just the fact that pandemics apparently occur every 100 years or so. The many changes in our lives are now mirroring big episodes from the past. 

"First passenger train runs today..."- is this from a few hours ago; or from the year 1853?

While in 2020 I am Youtube-ing "how to bake a cake without oven"; my mom was doing just that in a pressure cooker back in 1970s. 

Twice-a-day Ramayan and Mahabharat episodes have clearly transported an entire nation to the 1987-1990 Doordarshan era.

Study on weekdays and Games on weekends. I have done this in the early 2000s. I am doing it since late March of 2020 as well. 

[Back then study was like Math, English, Hindi and Social Studies, now it is learning Spanish Language and Culture😎]

[Back then the Games were cards, scrabble, carrom and Tambola. Now, same! 😄]

Speaking of Tambola: 

Have heard on numerous occasions how mom-dad, uncles-aunts and their respective families would all know each other and spend moments together to cherish. Have also heard my parents saying that our generation doesn't have these kind of bonds; all we have is WhatsApp! 

Well, in this world of social distancing, my world is social again. Proof: for last 5 weekends , every Saturday night is spent playing Tambola, on WhatsApp, with-

1. My mom and all her siblings
2. All their children
3. My aunt's cousin
4. My cousins' in-laws
5. My sister-in-law and her siblings

Don't know what Einstein was looking for from his time machine, I got my time travel alright!!