This is not the place as it used to be. My city once upon a time was really beautiful. There was a quaintness of some kind, something that cant be described..A fast moving city, with people eagerly waiting to finish their job and catch the 6pm local to reach home. They still do, but this city has changed a lot in many ways. I remember, while we used to wait for our school bus, there were few people we used to meet and there used to be always a time to say a Hi or a Hello, even inquire about what is happening, what interests do we have. And sometimes just a smile, or waving of the hand, is enough to show...that we did cross their mind. I remember even my family doctor, used to wave at us while he used to drive back home, such were the relations.
Even the rainfall seemed different, guess life was different then, the innocence of a child, a window through which we saw the world around us. Rains are still the same, still feel good when it rains...the childhood memories are just different.....moving around with friends..crossing the azaad maidan , the quintessential place of the cricket playing lovers, which looked awesome in the rains, the beauty still etched in the mind as if I visited it yesterday...getting fully drenched and then going to the movie hall and feeling extremely cold. I rarely see anyone doing this anymore, its a mad rush to reach somewhere important and not enjoying the moment that is present in the now. The increasing population has given rise to the ever increasing real estate, which now is responsible for changing Bombay's skyline...it doesn't even remind me of what Bombay used to be earlier simple, elegant...having a beauty in it own way.
The entire city has changed....I remember the irani restaurants, where we used to get the famous bun maska with chai.....the ambiance of it all, the chairs, the red checks table cloth used to make this simple eatery joint so special..it had a laid back feel to it. But there are only few left in the city.This now little known eatery seems to be fading out, with the advent of the fast food joint..the Macdonald and The dominoes. It was so much fun to grab a quick bite of this bun maska and get off to work!
Todays Bombay, though fast paced, giving opportunities for everyone who wants to make his/her life, dreams are all possible here. But the city has lost its charm. All we can see are these high rise buildings, innumerable flyovers. Which has made our lives easier, but this has come with a cost. There is no concern for commuters, there are no pavements to walk by. You are be lucky, if you are not hit while walking or tripped by falling into one of our famous potholes, and they are not just on the pavement, they are everywhere. Its only here we are witness to two contrasting world existing together. On one side you have high rise buildings and besides it the ever increasing slums. Its total chaos everywhere, I rarely see any view, that is worth looking at. Too much at stake, the population is out of control...the trains, the buses are too crowded. The metro work is going on...wonder when it would be completed, It will one day. This city has lost its sync. So fast paced, it has no time for anyone anymore, so materialistic.
The Bombay which I knew.....ever welcoming , just this time...no one is taking care anymore...no one is bothered how the city is moving. And yes..I prefer calling it Bombay as it reminds me of those Good old days, the good old charm....and mumbai doesnt even take me anywhere near to that warmness I had felt then.
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