Monday, April 11, 2016

Goodbye Bombay!

Bombay is not a city. It is a spirit, something of a cult status, perhaps even an extremely personal feeling that has grown from deep within due to the inimitable sights and sounds of a very unique being; a world that cannot exist in parallel. It is not home to people, but to countless dreams that oscillate with fervour and passion in the minds of its beholders prompting them to relentlessly engage in an enduring pursuit called life. It is, perhaps, the single largest importer of dreams, which it permits to be endlessly bartered with the most powerful currency that exists, the currency of hope! But, it may not be a destination as many choose to see it, for it has its bias, like any other - between building and breaking, as often as it will. Of which side it has its tilt towards, one can never actually tell.

The sea that almost surrounds it is not merely an expansive body of water. It can metaphorically be likened to the mind that is constantly engulfed in waves, rattling a person between perpetually definitive states of action and lifeless inertia. While it is regarded as an incomparable beacon of life, it is also mercilessly adept in taking away the living breath, startling its subjects, never offering even so much as a requiem for the departed. Bombay is in many ways synonymous to time, to life itself.

To many, it tenders spectacular offerings of transformation, with promises that are eclectic, irreversible and soaring, not unlike the innumerable skyscrapers that imposingly tower into the skies, seemingly blurring the distance between earth and the heavens. Several others aren't so fortunate. They find themselves in constant trepidation, inundated by woes and demands of life, fallen dreams and squalor of sorts. But, it is home nevertheless. Feeding and sheltering, in varied ways, its dwellers, among which are the bipedal, four-legged, legless and many more vastly and differently constituted.

They say Bombay has only two kinds of people; Those who visit, certain to leave and the others who arrive to remain for generations. So, by that account, i would regard myself to be a traveller who was swept by time with a prearranged interlude of passage. And, in that pause, this tutor extraordinaire would have left in me deep and indelible marks of a life so unique, promises so divine, possibilities so real, people so distinct and experiences so full. And then, it was time to move on.

I shall forever be thankful to it for the wonderful times, brilliant friendships, endless treats to history, and soulful memories that have made life worth celebrating. From the quaint streets of Colaba, to the bustling seaside of Bandra, the resplendent Fort and the iconic Marine Drive, and the stretches from Juhu to Borivali, some reminiscences are eternal.

So as i bid adieu to this mighty megapolis, a place where everything matters, and yet nothing does, a place which was home for what seemed eternity and yet only for an instant, hues of many scintillating moments are now etched deep within.

And, i will forever remember its most valuable teaching - that survival is not an option; it is life itself!

Footnotes:

Written in aftermath

20 comments:

  1. Marvelous tribute! Wish we could have met up during your stint in Mumbai!
    Good to see you back blogging!!

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    1. Thank you, Sir! Yes, i do hope we could have met. Perhaps there is another time. I'm happy to be back

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  2. I m speechless on your tribute to ammchi Mumbai, wishing you all luck for your next destination.

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    1. Thank you very much, Jigna. Truly appreciate your kind and thoughtful wishes

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  3. akin to that much needed cup of tea..gratifying,,stimulating. arare blend of prose passion.. a fitting tribute.. felt an outpouring of the soul.. must read all your writings..

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    1. Thank you very much, ChandiniEchi. So glad that you liked it

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  4. so happy to read a new update from you! best wishes for the next big step in your journey... :))

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    1. Thank you ever so much, BC. Truly appreciate your kind and thoughtful wishes. And, i'm so happy to be back

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  5. Initially, I read it as 'expenses so full', and then went back to find 'experiences so full' :) Nice to see you blog after so many months. Hope you'll find the time to blog in your new city.

    Destination Infinity

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    1. The mind can play it's own word games, isn't it? ;-)
      I'm so glad to be back! And, i certainly hope to find time to write

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  6. Bombay is a dream place.
    Right now I am in his city for a weeks work.

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  7. Well written Mr. V! SO glad that you finally found inspiration to come up with a much awaited new post and quite a fitting one at that...Hope this is a start to many more to come...
    Keep experiencing and Keep writing!
    Cheers!

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    1. Thank you very much, Mr. G! It is such a pleasure to be able to write, to find voice in a passion. Truly appreciate your kind and thoughtful wishes

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  8. First I am so surprise and happy to see u blog again, and great reading your profound and full of life post. Not everyone get the chance to experience cities while staying over there and expose to multiple aspects of a city. What I perceive from this post is not about the place but the people and way of life/living, which teaches us, is immense.

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    1. I'm so happy to be, Jeevan! You have always been such a wonderful source of support and encouragement. And, as you very rightly said, places and people teach us some of the best things in life. Well, such is life

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  9. I wish you good luck on a new journey Rak. I'm sure the feeling is bitter sweet. Looking forward to more lines from you. Godspeed.

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    1. Thank you so much, Siraj. Truly appreciate your kind and thoughtful wishes. I always cherish and treasure you being such a source of encouragement and i value it endlessly

      Yes, the feeling of getting out of Bombay was bitter sweet, indeed. However, such are the ways of life!

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  10. Places speak to you, don't they? Every place has a unique character of its own, and this write-up beautifully captures the essence of this city of dreams. To me, places have always been analogous to people. I would always see them in the backdrop, sometimes smiling, sometimes applauding, sometimes melancholic. Sometimes they are all that remain of beautiful moments that have transpired! Loved reading this!

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    1. Such lovely evocative thoughts! So true that places are analogous to people. Places, after all, are what we make of them. So glad you liked it and thank you very much for your comments.

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