Alice in Wonderland

A few months ago, we were asked to contribute an article for our intranet. At that time I was new to Mumbai and still adjusting to the city. I hence chose to write about my experience. And I think it was sheer luck that made it win the best article award. I wanted to share the article with whoever manages to accidentally come across this blog, cause, well, I need to re-affirm whether it is any good. So here it goes.

Unlike Alice, I didn’t accidentally fall into the Wonderland of Mumbai; it was by choice that I moved here from Ahmedabad, accepting a position with Netscribes Mumbai. There is a certain perception of this business capital of India in cities outside of Maharashtra, which makes it look like an exotic land of opportunities. Tales of struggling individuals finding everything ranging from a successful career to money to love are related with great penchant to non-Mumbaikars, which makes the city even more attractive to them. It is with these ideas of non-Mumbaikar that I took my first eager steps here, deciding to find a place of my own and live independently despite having relatives here. You can imagine how easy THAT turned out to be! Having lived in spacious, open places all my life, I was unprepared for the tiny apartments, which were available for paying guest accommodations or rent—some of them smaller than my walk-in wardrobe at home! Rent for the ones that I did like, promised to eat up more than half of my salary, which was not a feasible option. A bout with dengue right after I moved here didn’t help matters much. After struggling for a couple of months, I FINALLY landed an apartment I liked, which I could afford. By this point of time, the stars were, predictably, cleared out of my eyes. I realised that life in Mumbai might not be as easy and perfect as it seemed from afar.

A Mad Tea Party

Not many people realise that there is a score of difference between Mumbaikars and outsiders. Locals have the ability to take the utmost difficult situations in their stride. They live a hectic, paced and organised life day in and day out; hours of travelling to workplaces, financial difficulties, family life, leisure, emotions like angst, happiness and anger are all packed in one tight day. Mumbaikars have this unique ability to handle whatever life throws at them without even realising it. It is this ability, which makes the spirit of Mumbai unbreakable. Perhaps this is the reason behind its resilience in the face of terror attacks and the recent financial pandemonium.

As someone who is used to a leisurely lifestyle—ready-made food, a huge, personal bedroom, ironed clothes, zipping to office on a vehicle and reaching in five minutes flat—I initially found life in Mumbai to be like a mad tea party, with life frantic, overwhelming and disconcerting. I struggled hard to adjust to the pace and energy required for a normal day of work, getting back too drained to do any add-on activities I had planned while moving here. In Mumbai, you barely have time to breath, let alone settle in and spend time for leisure. The most difficult task I found in my first month was travelling in crowded buses or trains. Guess who was pushed to the end of every crowded line and managed only to catch the third bus or train every time she travelled? You guessed it right, it was yours truly.

Nonetheless, friends and family helped me settle in and explore the magic the city is so famous for. The night life of Mumbai made me explore, mouth agape, the grandeur, opulence and luxury present here; on my way back from Taj one night, I rubbed shoulders with none other than… a fisherwoman carrying her smelly, empty basket home J It was a humble reminder of the equality Mumbai brings to its people: a VP of a company, earning lakhs per month most likely takes the same train home as the kachrawala who comes to his home pick up garbageJ

A World of Fantasy

Mumbai comes across as a city which runs like a mammoth machine that never stops. It is only in the wee hours of the morning that this city seems to be resting, when it is calm, peaceful and empty. It is only when you cover a distance of five kilometers in 10 minutes—a task which usually takes you an hour—that you realise the impact of the traffic and crowd on everyday life.

In the three months that I have come to call Mumbai home, I have found beauty as well as ugliness; opulence as well as poverty; love as well as hatred; concern as well as apathy. The people here are fat as well as slim; beautiful as well ugly; beggars as well as millionaires; friendly as well as cold. On bad days, I feel alone in a crowd of thousands, whereas sometimes I am happy just walking on the streets, on my way home.

There are millions like me coming to the city each month to realise a dream. Any dream. And this city gives hope to the millions more who aspire to become someone someday and achieve their goals in life. And unless the MNS aka Raj Thackeray manages to change the spirit of the city, they will keep coming. For whereas there is hardship and struggle, there is also something magnetic about Mumbai that makes it an exciting venture for people like me. So the next time you see someone pushed to the back of the line in a bus or train, you can safely assume that that person has just taken his or her first tentative steps in this world of fantasy.