Yeh to Bombai shahar hai to dekh babbua...grew up listening to this song and didn't know what it means until i came here. Bombay was always full of mystery and razzmatazz for me , all i knew was the marine drive where i could sit for hours all together watching the sun go down.
It is indeed a mayanagri, hur taraf log hi log hai...bheed mein shayad kuch chere gum bhi jate hain.TIME is one thing which no one has and everyone yearns for.Education level is quite high by education i don't just mean the literacy level i mean the way people conduct themselves and the social mannerism's. Till today you see people standing in a q for bus & auto and i rarely come across anyone trying to break it.Life is fast and difficult too, the power showoff does not work here as it works in North.
People from the financial markets tell me life is tough here, deadlines are strict and at times unrealistic and pressure is the buzz word at times artificially created. It scares me , it really does.
Till now an aloof still figuring out the place , the people, the language, the routes and the food.It will take sometime , one thing i have realized is one has to learn Marathi to be able to survive here,.. as the day to day interactions with the maids, auto wallas, shopkeepers etc is vernacular.
Till now i am neutral to this city and there are many a times when i miss saddi delli ,especially the food .Oh so delicious & mouth watering and i miss my people around.
I am a stranger in this strange city,in between strange people,wandering in strange aisles,in search if strange ambitions,leading a strange life.
It always takes time to adjust to a new place and a new culture. In the Mumbai of the 80's, I never needed to learn Marathi 'coz everyone spoke Hindi but I have enjoyed picking up an understanding of Marathi. Even in Bangalore, I have picked up some Kannada and strive to learn more. I think the beauty in communicating in one's own language opens up different avenues. I wish I had known this earlier and then would have been fluent in Marathi and Gujarati. Anyway, one day Mumbai would be home for you, the same way as Bangalore is home for me now. That is the beauty of Indian culture -- it is warm and all encompassing.
ReplyDeleteI think its just not the language..i will take a long long time to get used to this new city of glamour. Home is where the heart is and my heart is still not with me...guess have left it in some bylane of Fbd.:)
ReplyDeleteNice..you have talent :) And great knowledge !
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