Mumbai meri jaan..

The first time I went there was to appear for NSE certification exam which I flunked but saw what the high skiers in Mumbai were. That day I went to BKC-Bandra Kurla complex.

When the abbreviation ended in “complex”, I presumed it to be a building but what I came across was not a building but, an array of buildings! Woo!!!! I became breathless for a while looking at those titanic size concrete beauties. At best I had seen them on screen, either in TV or in movies but this was the first time I saw them –standing in mid of the glaomorous buildings!! Walking down the roads not asphalted but cemented, I reached the venue for the exam- NSE. There is nothing to boast about the exam which I could not get through, but have a lot to talk about the first day in Mumbai.

After the exam was over I made my way out to the station nearby. Nearby the station, I thought it would be better boarding a bus- a double Decker which again I had seen in movies when I was a child. However I dropped the idea when I came to know it would be way round by bus and better a journey by train-local trains! Once again it reminded me the scenes which I would see day in and day out in TV serials and movies…. Thousands rushing in and out, running hurriedly to catch a foothold of the ever moving trains which seemed to stop only for a micro second.

I took my ticket at Mahalaxmi and waited for the local to come. Meanwhile I ordered a tea and by the time I started sipping it, the train arrived and in a rush I had to leave it half and chance a comfort standing inside. I observed that I did not board rather the waves of people who were boarding had put me up in one of the bogies-great! It was not a compartment to sit but a luggage van where in I was accompanied by some fisher men, milk men, local masons,dabba wala’s and some old people talking in Marathi. I decided to stand on the foot hold so that I don’t get lost in the crowd and go Sholapur instead of Pune!

On the way there were tunnels and some wonderful scenic beauties of the hills of Khandala and deep gorges which had a blanket of greenery camouflaging the dangerous depths of the gorges that lay below them.

That was the first hand experience of being in a local train in Mumbai as a management student.

The second time was different.
Now I was no more a student but a relationship manager with a reputed company. I boarded a taxi after getting down some where I don’t recollect and went straight to hotel Rang Sharda where our stay and induction program were to be conducted. The hotel overlooked a very majestic building which till sometime I did not know was the famous “Leelavati hospital”. On the other hand it was the river which gave a wonderful view of the Mumbai on the other side of the waters
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The training started the next day. 20th was the day for all the new joinees to “break the ice”. Some were known faces and the rest needed introduction. In the evening, I went out with our batch mates to Juhu beach, yet another tourist attraction. It was one of the worst beaches I had ever seen. Compared to the beach at Puri in Orissa and the one in Chennai, this one was as if the whole city had its garbage dumping being done here.

Life goes like that-no problem for the couple which was very romantically involved at the backdrop of a setting sun or for the children who were enjoying playing cricket on the beach side. Walking a few steps ahead we all came across the chat, bhel puri, vada pav and Pani Puri centre at Chowpati. Very famous again and mouth watering too.

From there we walked a few miles before we stopped in front of a very big iron gate which seemed to me like the gate of central jail which I see very often in the old Hindi movies. It was the mansion of the Bollywood heart throb Shah Rukh Khan, named Mannat! I and my friend sat on the rocks outside, which overlooked the beach looking at the gates hoping that a car would zoom out and that we could catch a glimpse of him or may be Gauri khan, his better half! Nay!

That street housed many other film stars but none were as appealing as his. Well where was the millionaire of ADAG staying?

The week long induction program was wonderful and on the last day we were all given the details of who we were to report and the locations. I expected it either to be in Mumbai/Pune/Bhubaneshwar but, it was a googly for me-Hyderabad!