Mumbai Salsa

"Mumbai Salsa", the blog has been named so because what follows is a result of my trip to Mumbai and salsa because the trip was one to savour, had varied ingredients and added a spicy flavour to the two months of my life, the same as the origin of the word.

It began on 20th of May,2007, perhaps the most eventful day of my life. I was flying for the first time and that too to a city I had dreamt of for long. The first twist to the trip came when I met Shaan on board! Yes, this spelt more of fun and glitter to my upcoming trip. And there it all began, the two most beautiful and exciting months of my life.

Mumbai, it turned out to be a lot more than I could ever imagine. This was also my first face to face meeting with the vast sea and this is one feature that I miss the most; the sea waves rolling out to you, sometimes roaring, sometimes sighing, all ready to mingle with you and take you along. The beaches (though typically dirty) show you all colours of life, people from all ages, all walks, forgetting all barriers and here only to be lost in the maddening crowd and the lights. The winds embrace you and speak a thousand languages that enchant.

Well I moved ahead, only to discover the city beyond my imaginations. The roads are always over crowded but cannot deter people from their path. Yes people struggle, they actually do, walking past all risks and hazards and busy with their way of living. People find the city busy, where none has time for the other, but I always saw it as a boon, atleast noone will stop and stare at you or try to hinder your work, life in that metro moves on, the race is never ending and the best part, every entity is ready to be a part of that race, survival of the fittest theory quite fits therein!

The city no doubt is glamorous, very rightly called the "maya nagri". It has all that it takes to mesmerise! From roads to high rise buildings, enough for a mortal like me to be overtaken on the very first drive. The serenity of marine drive, the elegance of the Gateway of India proudly confronting the grand Taj, the evening walks at hanging garden, the bhelpuri at chaupati, the sophisticated lokhandwala, insane bargaining at fashion street, the colourful accessories at colaba causeway to a wide variety of foreigners at mondegar and leopold, happy meals at Mac D, vada pav at jumbo,the aarti at Siddhivinayak, the amazingly pleasant and heavy rains are nothing less than pure magic!

But there was another aspect of the city that could move anybody. Travelling by local trains was fun to a visitor like me, but ask those thousands of masses who undertake this travel everyday, counting on each second, running, howling, resorting to all means just to make a small place in the train; the scene doesn't end here, as you move in you'll be surrounded by poor children who have been forced to beg to in order to manage a square meal a day, these kids sure must not be lured by the exquisite cuisines that the city offers. Wait for a bus in the dark hours and see the kids gambling on streets and you sure will forget the casinos and discs. The rains that seemed pleasant to me also happen to ruin lives every year. Women in the city have tough times as well making a living, the scenes are apalling. We can't forget that the city that houses the likes of Mukesh Ambani also owns Dharavi, Asia's biggest slum.
Life in Mumbai is colourful for many but only black and white for the lesser fortunate. You get to see all shades of life in the city.
A million dreams are granted here one at a time...only to step out into another, more familiar world of rough and tumble-where dreams have a way of playing hide and seek.
My journey came to an end on the 15th of July leaving me a bundle of varied memories and experiences.
Goodbye Mumbai, hope to see you again!