Lets start about Mumbai. At first sight you will not love this place, moreover if you are from a small town, chances are more that you will dislike mumbai. Too much crowded, local train and the feeling that somebody will come, rob you and you will not be able to do anything, somebody will steal your luggage or the auto rickshaw guy will keep rotating you in big circles and will ask too much money from you. At least this is how I thought. I traveled to many countries in the world but never felt so insecure. Finally after all my good luck and by gods grace I got a job in Mumbai. And I am here since last 8 months and totally in love with this place. Most probably the perfect place to live in India. Vada paav, samosa paav, local train, auto rickshaw, marine drive, gate way of India, alibagh, elephanta caves, aksa beach, Tata Memorial Hospital, IIT Mumbai, siddhi vinayak mandir, haaji ali, amitabh bachchan, juhu beach and chowpaati, Bandra band stand, countless wonderful restaurants, hawain shanks(disque), Hard rock café, juhu on toes, Tian, aare colony. So much to do here. So much to live with. Full of life and the pace. National anthem before a movie starts. 9 out of ten times the auto rickshaw bill will be same if you are commuting from one place to other. Like in my case as I commute from office to home. Auto rickshaw guy will even give you one rupee back and will never try to exploit you. You can have a good meal in 25 Rs and sometimes even 2500 Rs will not be enough. You can go to juhu beach at midnight and sit there for hours without anybody disturbing you. Buy a T-shirt and wear it round the year because no winter here. Want to live in with your girlfriend this is the place. Nobody mind anybody. There is always enough space in the local train to accommodate you. People living in one room welcome their relatives and friends from outside with unexpected warmth. Nobody will tell you a wrong address. People are generally helpful and ground to earth. Cosmopolitan at its best. People from all over the country live here in harmony. I think the only place in India where theater is still alive. Plays and live concerts and all by finest of artists. Girls are safe here. Live alone, travel alone even late in the night, no problems. This is what Mumbai is. Perfect.
Since the time the series of bomb blasts started almost everybody expected that one day or the other this will happen in Mumbai too. I think terrorists also love Mumbai as we do. They want to make it big here and they did. They made it so big that all of us are shocked to the core of mind and heart. Everything seems to be little unsafe again. All the joy of going to places and enjoying moments is converting into helplessness. You are not safe in the office, nor in the home and nor on the road. They can come at any place and shoot a bullet at you. Life has suddenly became a warfront and I the victim. That is what I have become. A victim of the terror and shock. The love for Mumbai made it too sweet to be sour. Perfectly Imperfect.
But as I always believe in
हर रात की एक सुबह होती है,
जिंदगी के बाद एक और जिंदगी होती है.
I will not let this shock wave drown me. And so the people everywhere in Mumbai are thinking. Life will come to a normal again and this place will continue to be the most vibrant city in India.
