I prefer Bombay, plain and simple. No politics here and I affirm I have no particular aversion, none at all, to the alternative. Lest I light up that parochial keg of gunpowder, keenly awaiting the fleeting touch of a matchstick! And I am quite impartial; it is still Madras for me. I kept addressing letters and packages to Bombay and Madras till recently, when a very observant India Post employee in Bangalore helpfully warned me that the stuff may not get delivered, should some passionate local avers that my bovine insistence with the `old' names deserves punitive action and unceremoniously dumps it into a stinking cesspool of sewage. Deservedly, in his opinion. But, I digress.
Bombay, the city, is one of those things which one cannot be indifferent to - one either has a life-long love affair with it or burns with a gut-wrenching hatred for it even when coerced to do time there for `economic' reasons. A shining example of the former tribe is my wife (she represents many of our friends who still call Bombay their home), who pines for the city, even though Bangalore has most of the `attractions' Bombay has to offer - milling crowds in cramped spaces, stifling traffic, seemingly cosmopolitan residents, foul smelling localities, to mention a few. A very close friend of mine holds a fervent torch for the `nay' group. Some 15 years back, during a chat he animatedly vowed to me that he would desert Bombay the day he ceases to have a job there. This, despite having grown up in the city as a youngster! Recently he retired and moved to, guess what, Bangalore! He planned everything so meticulously that by the evening of the last day of his employment, he had flown the coop, a relieved man in a celebratory mood. His antipathy to the city was so visceral that he did not mind migrating to a place where he knew just one individual well!! Now, both these souls are very normal human beings from somewhat similar backgrounds with similar lifestyles, but responded to Bombay in diametrically opposite ways. One would not comprehend why, unless one has lived in the city for at least a couple of years. It is because Bombay is not just a city; it is a way of life and each one looks at it from a different perspective!
One well defined group which completely and passionately identifies itself with Bombay, very obviously, comprises the sons and daughters of the soil - those who consciously grow a bit of Bombay inside their body and soul and probably are not desirous of any change. This may be true of other cities too, but more remarkably characteristic of Bombay. Someone from this group would have possibly moved from one `housing society' to another within Andheri while growing up and buy an apartment with `modern amenities' in Malad or Kandivili after marriage. Even this massive relocation, which entails travelling along the same train line through two additional stations, would have been avoided, had the incoming bride not made it a pre-condition for the marriage. Shifting from the central railway line to the suburbs lying on the eastern railway line would be an unthinkable anathema for many, for sure. How this group is completely aligned and integrated with `amchi Bombay' is demonstrated by a true story. In the 90s, we had senior level vacancies in Madras and Calcutta in our organization and we chose to offer these to two guys from Bombay. The panel explained the job, the salary (much higher), perks (car, house and a few others - all extra), good schools for children etc etc, over 20 minutes. The first guy waited till we finished with the details and politely declined. Our entreaty that he discussed with his family before deciding did not make him yield an inch. He smiled and told us he was happy with the recognition but could not dream of moving out of Bombay, ever. With the second guy, we had even lesser luck - half way through our recitation, he rejected outright, almost rudely. That they preferred to live in a tiny single-bed apartment in far-off Virar and Nallasopara, suffering the long ordeal of the daily commute in stiflingly congested local trains and sacrificed all the financial benefits the higher position offered in the other cities, could be brain-numbing, only if one had not comprehended the psyche of the quintessential Bombaywallah. For him, deserting jhakaas Bombay is akin to sin! On that day, I marvelled at the adhesive-like attachment these people developed with their city and I still do, having lived in eight different cities in thirty years.
One group of Bombay residents who probably just about tolerate the city only because it provides them with livelihood is the migrant labour from other parts of India, primarily from the north. Let us leave them out of this discussion because they would gladly be back in their own towns, if only they could secure three square meals for their families there. So, they stick around despite all the insults heaped on them by some local politicians who repeatedly make it clear that they are unwelcome; not out of love for Bombay but out of economic compulsions.
Then there is that group, so well represented by my wife. Such people are superbly supported by corporates; they have large, well-furnished apartments in the heart of the city or in tony suburbs and rub shoulders with Bollywood stars occasionally; they drive some of the nicest cars available and have all material comforts. No doubt, they can indulge in some of the best shopping in India and dine at the swankiest of restaurants/hotels. But these cannot be the reasons for their love for Bombay, because they can have all these in any other city in India, without tolerating some obvious negatives of Bombay. So, why this unalloyed love for that city?
An anecdotal explanation is probably the easiest to offer. When we shifted to Bombay for the first time, we went to inspect our apartment, going through the finishing touches of renovation. That done, we stepped into the lift lobby to see a melee - some seven people jostling for space and our attention, shepherded by the security guard. They identified themselves as grocer, newspaper man, `ironing woman', car-washer, vegetable vendor, domestic helper and milk vendor!! In 15 minutes flat, they had gathered our requirements from the next week and vanished without a trace. Now, which other city would offer that kind of enterprise and logistical support? In any other place, that process would have taken a heart-breaking, head-splitting few days to complete, with maniacal follow-up and a few slip-ups subsequently. Bombay is what it is primarily because it is the most functional city in India, backed up by a fantastic spirit of enterprise. Everything works - well, almost, in relative terms. Why so? People are comparatively more professional and more importantly, know the value of time; they realise that time is money and any time wasted in `phokat' conversation means a lost opportunity. Very material approach to life, but it helps. So, a taxi driver does not waste time haggling with you about a short ride, but takes you without demur and happily moves on quickly to the next short ride. This spirit pervades Bombay and the dynamism so created is what people love, specifically. And the same urge to convert every opportunity to extra money is what drives the Bombaywallah, despite all the attendant constrictions of Bombay life.
However, having given Bombay its due, I do have a beef with the much-hyped `resilience' of Bombay in the aftermath of a tragedy. I dont believe this is anything unique. Every town or city which suffers a severe setback gets up, dusts itself and restores itself to `normalcy' over a period. Bhuj, the Gujarat town, which took a monumental hit during the earthquake, was back in business - in a much spruced up avatar, I believe - a couple of years later and all those tsunami-devastated towns in various countries rejuvenated themselves to cope with tourism and life all over again. The much-vaunted resilience of Bombay actually tragically masks the limp helplessness of the residents in improving infrastructure, security, living conditions at the lower levels etc. The typical dynamism goes for a toss and in the face of sheer apathy of the powers-that-be, the `grin and bear it' approach takes over. If Bombay wants to pride itself on this ability to suffer stoically, so can other places!
Cheers to Bombay!!
Bombay, the city, is one of those things which one cannot be indifferent to - one either has a life-long love affair with it or burns with a gut-wrenching hatred for it even when coerced to do time there for `economic' reasons. A shining example of the former tribe is my wife (she represents many of our friends who still call Bombay their home), who pines for the city, even though Bangalore has most of the `attractions' Bombay has to offer - milling crowds in cramped spaces, stifling traffic, seemingly cosmopolitan residents, foul smelling localities, to mention a few. A very close friend of mine holds a fervent torch for the `nay' group. Some 15 years back, during a chat he animatedly vowed to me that he would desert Bombay the day he ceases to have a job there. This, despite having grown up in the city as a youngster! Recently he retired and moved to, guess what, Bangalore! He planned everything so meticulously that by the evening of the last day of his employment, he had flown the coop, a relieved man in a celebratory mood. His antipathy to the city was so visceral that he did not mind migrating to a place where he knew just one individual well!! Now, both these souls are very normal human beings from somewhat similar backgrounds with similar lifestyles, but responded to Bombay in diametrically opposite ways. One would not comprehend why, unless one has lived in the city for at least a couple of years. It is because Bombay is not just a city; it is a way of life and each one looks at it from a different perspective!
One well defined group which completely and passionately identifies itself with Bombay, very obviously, comprises the sons and daughters of the soil - those who consciously grow a bit of Bombay inside their body and soul and probably are not desirous of any change. This may be true of other cities too, but more remarkably characteristic of Bombay. Someone from this group would have possibly moved from one `housing society' to another within Andheri while growing up and buy an apartment with `modern amenities' in Malad or Kandivili after marriage. Even this massive relocation, which entails travelling along the same train line through two additional stations, would have been avoided, had the incoming bride not made it a pre-condition for the marriage. Shifting from the central railway line to the suburbs lying on the eastern railway line would be an unthinkable anathema for many, for sure. How this group is completely aligned and integrated with `amchi Bombay' is demonstrated by a true story. In the 90s, we had senior level vacancies in Madras and Calcutta in our organization and we chose to offer these to two guys from Bombay. The panel explained the job, the salary (much higher), perks (car, house and a few others - all extra), good schools for children etc etc, over 20 minutes. The first guy waited till we finished with the details and politely declined. Our entreaty that he discussed with his family before deciding did not make him yield an inch. He smiled and told us he was happy with the recognition but could not dream of moving out of Bombay, ever. With the second guy, we had even lesser luck - half way through our recitation, he rejected outright, almost rudely. That they preferred to live in a tiny single-bed apartment in far-off Virar and Nallasopara, suffering the long ordeal of the daily commute in stiflingly congested local trains and sacrificed all the financial benefits the higher position offered in the other cities, could be brain-numbing, only if one had not comprehended the psyche of the quintessential Bombaywallah. For him, deserting jhakaas Bombay is akin to sin! On that day, I marvelled at the adhesive-like attachment these people developed with their city and I still do, having lived in eight different cities in thirty years.
One group of Bombay residents who probably just about tolerate the city only because it provides them with livelihood is the migrant labour from other parts of India, primarily from the north. Let us leave them out of this discussion because they would gladly be back in their own towns, if only they could secure three square meals for their families there. So, they stick around despite all the insults heaped on them by some local politicians who repeatedly make it clear that they are unwelcome; not out of love for Bombay but out of economic compulsions.
Then there is that group, so well represented by my wife. Such people are superbly supported by corporates; they have large, well-furnished apartments in the heart of the city or in tony suburbs and rub shoulders with Bollywood stars occasionally; they drive some of the nicest cars available and have all material comforts. No doubt, they can indulge in some of the best shopping in India and dine at the swankiest of restaurants/hotels. But these cannot be the reasons for their love for Bombay, because they can have all these in any other city in India, without tolerating some obvious negatives of Bombay. So, why this unalloyed love for that city?
An anecdotal explanation is probably the easiest to offer. When we shifted to Bombay for the first time, we went to inspect our apartment, going through the finishing touches of renovation. That done, we stepped into the lift lobby to see a melee - some seven people jostling for space and our attention, shepherded by the security guard. They identified themselves as grocer, newspaper man, `ironing woman', car-washer, vegetable vendor, domestic helper and milk vendor!! In 15 minutes flat, they had gathered our requirements from the next week and vanished without a trace. Now, which other city would offer that kind of enterprise and logistical support? In any other place, that process would have taken a heart-breaking, head-splitting few days to complete, with maniacal follow-up and a few slip-ups subsequently. Bombay is what it is primarily because it is the most functional city in India, backed up by a fantastic spirit of enterprise. Everything works - well, almost, in relative terms. Why so? People are comparatively more professional and more importantly, know the value of time; they realise that time is money and any time wasted in `phokat' conversation means a lost opportunity. Very material approach to life, but it helps. So, a taxi driver does not waste time haggling with you about a short ride, but takes you without demur and happily moves on quickly to the next short ride. This spirit pervades Bombay and the dynamism so created is what people love, specifically. And the same urge to convert every opportunity to extra money is what drives the Bombaywallah, despite all the attendant constrictions of Bombay life.
However, having given Bombay its due, I do have a beef with the much-hyped `resilience' of Bombay in the aftermath of a tragedy. I dont believe this is anything unique. Every town or city which suffers a severe setback gets up, dusts itself and restores itself to `normalcy' over a period. Bhuj, the Gujarat town, which took a monumental hit during the earthquake, was back in business - in a much spruced up avatar, I believe - a couple of years later and all those tsunami-devastated towns in various countries rejuvenated themselves to cope with tourism and life all over again. The much-vaunted resilience of Bombay actually tragically masks the limp helplessness of the residents in improving infrastructure, security, living conditions at the lower levels etc. The typical dynamism goes for a toss and in the face of sheer apathy of the powers-that-be, the `grin and bear it' approach takes over. If Bombay wants to pride itself on this ability to suffer stoically, so can other places!
Cheers to Bombay!!
