Well…the much touted “Mumbai rains” is definitely not an understated hype.
And this season I experienced its audacity to the helm. I am not an exception
to those zillions of Mumbaikars, who dare to commute for grueling hours to
reach office on time and this daily chore becomes spicy in the company of my
dear friend cum colleague Rakhee.
The ritual begins early morning with hunting for rickshawalas, who dread the name, Saki Naka… Guess why?? Saki Naka is the place where my office is located… It’s one of the saddest places in Mumbai but the irony is, most of the leading organizations have found their niches here. The mere mention of Saki Naka sends chills to the spines of commuters, including me. The narrow lanes dotted with numerous potholes become worse during rainy seasons and to add on to the woes are the chaoses caused by the congested traffic struggling to move at snail’s pace while people walking on the same lanes like a speeding rocket. Don’t be bewildered because we have accepted this challenge and there’s no escapism- we have to reach the final destination by hook or crook. There are days when we deliberately commit the mistake of taking the highway to Saki Naka, just to get absolutely confined in the maze of thousands and thousands of vehicles. The outcome- we sit patiently inside our lofty auto rickshaw for hours, hoping to reach office at least on the same day if not within the stringently scheduled time, 9:15 am.
So every day is an adventurous ride with some or other incidents happening that make us laugh while reminiscing the day after reaching home sweet home.
Rakhee and I are residents of Malad (West), an urbanized place with upbeat and cosmopolitan crowd. Ideally, on a lucky day; well by lucky I mean “traffic free”, it takes 40 minutes to reach Saki Naka through the shortcut road of Arrey Colony. Folks, don’t get confused because there are two routes that we access daily. The first as I said is the Arrey Colony and the second is the highway, en route Andheri East. Usually we commute through Arrey Colony as the traffic is thin which lead us to office on time. Arrey abounds natural beauty and for a moment we can breathe fresh air, relish the charm of those densely planted lush green trees beside the main road and wish secretly to bunk office and stay back there to enjoy the rains. Yes we call it, “Chota Kashmir”… But hold on friends, don’t get jealous that we have the luxury to see the replica of Kashmir every morning…Crossing Arrey is the second challenge we have accepted. Again guess why??? The road has almost vanished in this heavy monsoon and all left behind are king sized cracks and potholes overflowing with muddy water and sewage… We get choked in this ridiculously beautiful “Chota Kashmir”! The not-so comfortable auto rickshaws of Mumbai jump and jerk while crossing this broken and punctured road and we are helplessly agonized with pain in every joint of the body. Arrrghhhh…We console each other, “Dude breathe, relax, think positive- we’ll reach office on time and then no work, no deadlines (a fact! no guesses here). Cummon man, it’s perfectly alright”…
Trust me this works.
They say Mumbai rains are beautiful, but I say Mumbai rains cripple the city…It’s indeed sad… I was astonished, touched and sadly deepened to see an ambulance fighting to make its way through the jam-packed and immobile traffic on the road. It constantly blew its emergency lights and horn without finding any possible way to move ahead. It had to wait for clearance. What can we expect from a city like this? Is it giving life or taking away life? When heavy rainfall wrecks havoc on roads and life in Mumbai, how can it be beautiful? Practically speaking, we don’t have a choice other than accepting those challenges and hurdles of dwelling in this maximum city.
We ponder and then wonder…We think of changes and then go with the flow…We forget and then move on…In the same way Rakhee and I crib and then laugh at our so called “commuting woes”…It goes on…Mumbai is as paradoxical as human beings are. If it’s talking life of two, it’s giving life to four…
Friends, monsoon is in full swing and although Mumbai is seldom kind to us, you can beat the city down…How? Do something different this monsoon…Walk with a colorful umbrella on the highways, wearing your favorite monsoon footwear, don’t curse the passing car that splashes poodles on your squeaky clean dress, instead think it’s a high-end monsoon fashion to sport that “mud-splashed” dress, get drenched on the sea shore and sip garam garam chai…Go on a date, flirt and frolic with your friends under rains. Love the city during high and low tide and enjoy life!
The ritual begins early morning with hunting for rickshawalas, who dread the name, Saki Naka… Guess why?? Saki Naka is the place where my office is located… It’s one of the saddest places in Mumbai but the irony is, most of the leading organizations have found their niches here. The mere mention of Saki Naka sends chills to the spines of commuters, including me. The narrow lanes dotted with numerous potholes become worse during rainy seasons and to add on to the woes are the chaoses caused by the congested traffic struggling to move at snail’s pace while people walking on the same lanes like a speeding rocket. Don’t be bewildered because we have accepted this challenge and there’s no escapism- we have to reach the final destination by hook or crook. There are days when we deliberately commit the mistake of taking the highway to Saki Naka, just to get absolutely confined in the maze of thousands and thousands of vehicles. The outcome- we sit patiently inside our lofty auto rickshaw for hours, hoping to reach office at least on the same day if not within the stringently scheduled time, 9:15 am.
So every day is an adventurous ride with some or other incidents happening that make us laugh while reminiscing the day after reaching home sweet home.
Rakhee and I are residents of Malad (West), an urbanized place with upbeat and cosmopolitan crowd. Ideally, on a lucky day; well by lucky I mean “traffic free”, it takes 40 minutes to reach Saki Naka through the shortcut road of Arrey Colony. Folks, don’t get confused because there are two routes that we access daily. The first as I said is the Arrey Colony and the second is the highway, en route Andheri East. Usually we commute through Arrey Colony as the traffic is thin which lead us to office on time. Arrey abounds natural beauty and for a moment we can breathe fresh air, relish the charm of those densely planted lush green trees beside the main road and wish secretly to bunk office and stay back there to enjoy the rains. Yes we call it, “Chota Kashmir”… But hold on friends, don’t get jealous that we have the luxury to see the replica of Kashmir every morning…Crossing Arrey is the second challenge we have accepted. Again guess why??? The road has almost vanished in this heavy monsoon and all left behind are king sized cracks and potholes overflowing with muddy water and sewage… We get choked in this ridiculously beautiful “Chota Kashmir”! The not-so comfortable auto rickshaws of Mumbai jump and jerk while crossing this broken and punctured road and we are helplessly agonized with pain in every joint of the body. Arrrghhhh…We console each other, “Dude breathe, relax, think positive- we’ll reach office on time and then no work, no deadlines (a fact! no guesses here). Cummon man, it’s perfectly alright”…
They say Mumbai rains are beautiful, but I say Mumbai rains cripple the city…It’s indeed sad… I was astonished, touched and sadly deepened to see an ambulance fighting to make its way through the jam-packed and immobile traffic on the road. It constantly blew its emergency lights and horn without finding any possible way to move ahead. It had to wait for clearance. What can we expect from a city like this? Is it giving life or taking away life? When heavy rainfall wrecks havoc on roads and life in Mumbai, how can it be beautiful? Practically speaking, we don’t have a choice other than accepting those challenges and hurdles of dwelling in this maximum city.
We ponder and then wonder…We think of changes and then go with the flow…We forget and then move on…In the same way Rakhee and I crib and then laugh at our so called “commuting woes”…It goes on…Mumbai is as paradoxical as human beings are. If it’s talking life of two, it’s giving life to four…
Friends, monsoon is in full swing and although Mumbai is seldom kind to us, you can beat the city down…How? Do something different this monsoon…Walk with a colorful umbrella on the highways, wearing your favorite monsoon footwear, don’t curse the passing car that splashes poodles on your squeaky clean dress, instead think it’s a high-end monsoon fashion to sport that “mud-splashed” dress, get drenched on the sea shore and sip garam garam chai…Go on a date, flirt and frolic with your friends under rains. Love the city during high and low tide and enjoy life!
