A Tale of 2 Cities ... Part 1

I love Bombay; Bombay has taught me far more than any other city
There are 3 stages to Bombay
Stage 1 when you are in complete awe of the city ... its glitz, it aura, its pace, its madness, it efficiecny
Stage 2 when you come face to face with abject poverty; people who would work for a few Rs a day and kill for that amt as well (a friend told me "supari" is as cheap as Rs45/person!!)
Stage 3 when you just Thank God above for making you who you are and live on and come to terms with the above to factors and thats what makes Bonbay THE city to live in India

I have seen Bombay thru 3 major calamaties; 2 blasts and 1 monsoon problemWhen blasts happened; the first one was not that bad; it was just 2 blasts; the 2nd one was the series of blasts across Bombay's lifeline ie the local channel; now no one knows this not even my family;
I was supposed to be on the train in the SAME compartment that blew up in Dadar; somehow I met a friend in ton and got delayed; I have carried ppl when they were drenched in blood
During the flooding I have had some 15 ppl staying at a friend's place because no one had anywhere else to go; and then town side was cut from supplies like food and drinkable water; but you know what? People moved and they moved like it was another day and thats what Bombay is all about; Attitude!
I have read columnist write about the insolence and the indifference of a Mumbaikar; I show BOTH my middle fingers to them and raise them as high as the sky because when it mattered these socialites flew off and came back when all was well; I have seen it; have come back home to see my house in a bloody mess my music system rotten out; my TV refusing to work all because the skies above pored way more than needed; but you know what I didnt complain because my neighbours and I took it all and a bottle of vodka to clean it up

Thats Bombay; Fun in Calamity!
And I love her for it

It seriously have been the best of times and the worst of times (how the tale starts in A Tale of 2 Cities) and I have lived Bombay thru both (best and worst) 3 times over and I know I am what I am because Bombay has taught me one thing which I will relish all my life ... resiliance.
I could have written about all the partying I have done; about drinking on my rooftop with a childhood friend till we could not climb down; to all hte pickups I have had and have missed; to all the friends' babies I have held in my hand and felt at peace to all the bustling and moving ppl to the problems one faces during Ganesh Chaturthi; but hey who wants to talk about all that when only 3 events have made me what I am today!

Bombay is one city that I can go back to anytime; I have had a chat with my boss and he knows if he needs someone in India it is ME
I more readily got to Bombay than Delhi (where my family is - and ppl who know me know I love my faimily); but its just that Bombay is what has taught me about life and living it to the fullest; about being tull till 3am and being at work at 7am because it has to be done; about how to manage water during monsoons, abt singing arbit old Hindi songs in the local just because you have heard your dad and mom sing them, to calling friends at 4 am and tell them you love them and expect them to feed you (and they will!)

That's Bombay
Living EVERY moment and making it seem so casual about it.

Next up HK!