2013-01-23

Tale of cities on a prowl

Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, life intertwined from one junction of life to another, you don't shift loyalty between opportunities thrust at your feet. At the risk of being labeled a traitor, you gently remind them that you are trapped by your emotions that overlap as you traipse across the globe.
A tale of cities that you visit leave an indelible mark on your existence as a human being as you feel a sudden connect with the soul of the cities which indulges you and make you sizzle. I have a tendency to be emotionally connected to cities and places I visit and make the places my own home. I set up shop in Pune years back and this is where my ongoing romance started as I gyrated to the city's own joy. We laughed, cried and romanced together as the city whom I made my home long time back held sway to my antics and carried me in its womb. The very thought of leaving the city makes me shudder as I thought in disbelief..what would I do if tomorrow, I have to leave Pune for an altogether new place, chasing opportunities and new challenges. Pune is a city that I call home and the people are like family and not once, you feel that you are an outsider. It's the place where you fit in so easily and completely laid back as it is, you can enjoy a morning coffee in the restaurants and socialize with strangers at random. Whenever, you come back, it's always homecoming and the city gently remind you that you have never and can  never leave it. It's called the city of Peshawar and completely romantic in appeal. This is where I started my career and where I truly belong and no force in the world can pull us apart.
Three hours away from Pune comes Maximum city, the city that never sleeps which is a world in itself. Yeah! You got it right, Mumbai..amchi Mumbai where the people irrespective of where they come from, Maharashtra, Gujurat, Jhammu, Goa, Assam or Uttar Pradesh pride in calling themselves Mumbaikar and there is no harm in calling yourself Mee Mumbaiakar not an ode to the late Balasaheb or Raj Thackeray but you have a sense of belonging irrespective of whether your are Maharashtrian born or not. Whether it's the Queen Necklace view at night, strolling at Marine Drive, Chowpatthy, local trains or Colaba, you know that you are right in the soul of the city. As you get down from the train at the iconic Chitrapathi Shivaji Terminus (CST) and find yourself among the seam of crowd, you know you are in Mumbai. Get set to struggle and jostle your way among the berserk and increasingly restless crowd as well as nerve-racking traffic.Like they say, if you can make it in Mumbai, you can make it in any part of the world.
I share a love-and-hate relationship with Mumbai.I mean I used to..When I shifted base to amchi Mumbai, I love everything about the city so much that I became obsessed with Mumbai..even the things that doesn't make a Mumbaikar proud, I used to overlook them..prod me about beggars, filth and water-logging, I would brush it aside and swoosh that it is the soul of the city. In no time, the city was getting on my head and like two lovers who had enough of each other, we started finding fault wi and the complaints as well as constant whining started to unfurl itself..oh! it's too fucking crowded, the people have bad breath, too much rush and why the fuck are they so tense even if they have to catch the movie at the plex..the war-mongering started and the perfect excuse to evade to Pune for weeks and weeks and weeks.
I came back to the city and after a couple of soul-searching days, it was love at first sight again. wow! Yeh Mumbai hai meri jaan! Amazing buildings..Rajabhai Tower, CST, locals-our life line, yellow-and-black cabs and greeting pals with kai re over a cuppa cutting chai. Every time, you are back to the city, you wonder why BMCC don't indulge in elongating the city to make way for more and more migrating pigeons like me....You feel that you need to unlearn and learn the new A-Z of Mumbai. The city keep changing every other alternate day and this is what makes Mumbai so utterly charming. You feel that you are at odds, trapped and swarmed in world pregnant with contradiction and the feeling conveyed to you, Horns Ok, everything strictly allowed if done to the extreme. You fight with yourself coz you know you gotta be back. Mumbai can pour outburst of anger, happiness, joy and sadness..
I had a one night stand with Delhi.it's a case of Harry Met Sally and you are surprised as to how the city' charm fell on you. I was charmed with Delhi and the wonderful monuments, be it Kutub Minar, the stainless Metro and Janpat, Connaught Place and would tell to everyone that matters that I wouldn't mind shifting base to Delhi, a place that I abhorred so much thanks to the advise of friends that I shouldn't be there ever in my life.
I am caught between the devil and the deep blue sea as the love triangle or four angle between me, Pune, Mumbai and New Delhi seems so fluid and fluorescent. I have the knack of being emotionally attached to cities I found myself trapped in. Which city do my loyalty belongs to? It's a case of brand loyalty to all or none. Each city bear its own charms, and of course, beautiful women and soul-stirring appeal. My love for Pune an Mumbai doesn't diminish in the face of newly found love for New Delhi. At the risk of being called a slut vying to bed a new lover every single night and a traitor by my Mumbai frenz who can't stand New Delhi, I wonder where I stand. Though I confess that my love for Pune and Mumbai remains stronger than ever and will not be superseded by the capital city, New Delhi remain a babe to be explored. 

Cities bang bang
Good night
by
city lover

3 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.