Member-only story
You Cannot Step into the Same River Twice
(Essay)
Has civilization progressed at the cost of our humanity?
I was well ensconced in Mumbai. My medical practice was well established, life was comfortable, and I had spent nearly forty-five years making the city my home. Yet, one day, I decided to call it a day. My children had moved to the USA, and I felt it was time to turn a new page in life. I wanted to devote more time to writing, something I had always wanted to pursue more seriously.
And then there was Nagpur.
Nagpur was my alma mater city, the place where I had spent my formative years, learned to face the world, and studied Medicine. I had left it nearly forty-five years ago, carrying with me memories that had remained remarkably fresh. Mumbai had its attractions, of course, but the smell of my roots was calling me back.
My decision to move to Bombay, as Mumbai was called then, had its own story. I had harboured dreams of pursuing postgraduate studies there, a dream that never materialised. Looking back, I sometimes wonder whether it was less a carefully considered career decision and more an instinctive, perhaps even hormonal, attraction towards the big city.
Whatever the reason, Mumbai gave me a great deal. I built my practice, made friends and lived a fulfilling professional life. But the city has its peculiar contradictions. It is a place teeming with people, yet one can feel profoundly lonely in the…
