Letters To Myself
Zara Hatke, Zara Bachke — Ye Hai Bombay Meri Jaan!
Dear Nitsy,
It is Day 6 in Mumbai and I have finally found a place to stay, Yay! Half a bed, one cupboard, shared kitchen and bathroom — all for only ten grand. I made my first maggi in almost a year yesterday for dinner. It was refreshing. The place is close to the airport and hence the sound of the planes landing and taking off have been my wake-up call. Given that it is the long weekend, all that I’ve been doing is hugging my pillow. Hopefully, I don’t need no alarms anymore.
The last 5 days have invoked in me a thousand feelings and a million sneezing fits. Looks like I’m going to take a while adjusting to the weather in the city and the AC in the EdelGive office where I am interning for the next 2 months. Apart from that, I know at least half of Mumbai now, have made friends with the adorable auto wale bhaiyas, downloaded a hundred apps to find accommodation, spoken to 50+ brokers and had a vada pav every single day.
The autos here run by meter and are even cheaper than Ola autos. Not to mention the auto bhaiyas are super helpful, don’t yell at you, have a command over the city routes and are willing to let go of a couple of bucks if you don’t have change. This is heaven compared to Noida where my reaching on time for college depends solely on my willingness to accept the unfair auto fares made by bhaiyas who single handedly control the 1.5 km to my being in integrity.
The most striking feature of this city has been its people. How can they be so nice? So polite? So caring? So sweet? Its like sugar, spice and everything nice was mixed together to make the people in this crazy city of dreams. The conflicting emotion for me has been whether to acknowledge this goodness with unwavering trust or be a little mindful because of the numerous lessons learnt through the harsh experiences in life. Lately, I’ve found myself working on the principle that unless proven otherwise, everyone is kind and has a good heart. And even if they’re not, it is not something I can blame myself for.
Bad things do happen to good people. How else will I learn and grow?
For instance one of the brokers invited me for a cup of coffee even after telling him that I am not interested in the place as it is too far. Now he was extremely helpful in sharing the pictures and address of the house and was even willing to let go of the deposit on my request. I found myself being skeptical of the offer but also feeling guilty for rejecting his request. What should a new girl in the city do? After all, people are so considerate and hospitable here. How do I make this choice? What’s the worst that could happen?
My inner being says I’d have a bad coffee. But my intelligent being says I could be kidnapped. Umm?
Talking about hospitality, I was crashing at Maya’s place until yesterday. She is a classmate from ISDM and a true blue Mumbaikar. Her parents are the most gracious and delightful souls I’ve met in Mumbai yet. They treated me no less than Maya and kept me well fed. Her mom’s dosa and lemon rice are super delicious. I also met her nephew Shlok who has a thing for younger women (or so his grandparents say). He’s the one man who has made me feel a little less blue in this super fast city.
A day before I came to Mumbai, plastic ban was announced in Maharashtra. I was thrilled to see the implementation of the law even in local shops, food delivery vendors, roadside fruit sellers and the local sabzi mandi. One of the shops I purchased groceries from gave me a cloth bag for ten bucks and told me that I can return the bag after use and get my money back. Wow! That’s what my heart exclaimed.
Mumbai doesn’t have space (it is too full) but it certainly provides space to everyone who walks into it. House-hunting was a nightmare given the limited budget I was working with and the far off distances at which they were from office. Finding the present flat where I’m sharing a room with a 22 year old from Himachal feels no less than an accomplishment. Now that I have one thing taken care of, I’ll begin my solo exploration of BumBai. If you’re reading this and know people I should catch up with, who could take me around, suggest places to visit, things to do; I’d be more than grateful.
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I didn’t think I’d say this but I miss you. I miss college, the class, the faculty, the conversations, the sharing of food, Ballu bhaiya’s chai, the terrace, the washing machine, hostel food, the love and care of everyone.
I am looking forward to the next 8 weeks with hopes to finding resolutions to my emotional tensions, eating 578392 vada pavs without gaining weight, learning more about the work in the development sector being done by EdelGive, enjoying a few sunsets at the beach and having memorable conversations with the beautiful people of this city.
Until next time. Love, Nitisha
