There is nothing left. No aura, no aspirations, no soul. Nor does harmony exist anymore within the chaos we live in anymore. In – numerable novels, both fiction and non – fiction, articles and write – ups have been written, read and recited about the topic, it being the cityscape of Bombay (Mumbai – I hate the name, I hate everything that’s got to do with the name ‘MUMBAI’ . I want ‘BOMBAY’ back.). Apparently the dream making land of the east. Ha! (I AM being sarcastic here.)
Approximately a decade ago, I had stepped into my twilight years, everything was new the world was coming alive, I was turning 15. My cousins used to take me around town, show me places I had never seen and a face of the city I had never witnessed. It was different, from my books, my school bag, my college admissions, my whole life (up until then that is). It was a free and a wild time, with discovering the city rolled into a perfect joint. Roaming around the city on foot in the wee hours of night up until early hours of the next day. No I had better things to do like sleeping, but what better than given a chance to go around, explore (originally - what
humans were (are) meant to do) and discover the land where you live. From Bade- Miah (Pronounced as ‘Ba-deh Mee-aahs’) to Burgee Pav’s; been everywhere, with almost every joint open through the night hit. It was completely astonishing, after the routines and the grime and the noise and the humidity and the pushing and the struggling and the homework and the screams, finally the city would be shrouded in a mist of silence, this spirit, would engulf almost every one. The city would be at peace, a completely different shade of a stroke from what it used to be during the working hours in the day. A time when mondie’s still served all types of alcohol and would be open much after the 1:30am deadlines. A time when organizing and carrying out a project called ‘flash mobs’ wasn’t illegal, because a group of more than 5 people could visit together any public place. I used to love this city. It was home. It was inviting, pushing, struggling, peace and comfort giving land.
But as they say, things never remain constant, since we are living in the times of change.
I too started to change my point of view, with having a love-hate relationship with this city. I started seeing another stroke of the city. It was not only inviting, pushing, struggling, peace and comfort giving land but it was also a land riddled with downfalls, faults, traps and false expectations (one can also always argue, all expectations are false expectations). The streets being a window to despair, grief, and life. Every corner of this city has a contradicting contrast.
Everyone here wants to make it big. Most of the people coming from all around India to Bombay are living on the streets. I always wonder, did they make the right decision for a few more bucks? Did they ever foresee the consequences? They sure did take a chance, to make a difference in their life, but will it ever pay off? Does it ever pay off? A city where our own police has a masters degree in Botany, Zoology, etc. does it really matter anymore? Does anything really matter anymore? I assume that, thats what they say growing up really is.
I can go on and on about how the city has changed and the city is lost. But I won’t, you can read that in the books. I guess if anyone is to be blamed, it would be me first. I never voted and when I did I just did it for the black ink spot on my finger. I will also blame my attitude towards the site and smells around me. It has become in-different and the trend is just catching up. I really really wonder will I be ever ever be able to make a change,any change, will anyone hear me, when they can turn deaf when they hear screams of in-humanity all around. Gee I really really just keep wondering a lot, don’t I?
I would also blame me for creating a politburo out of our state government. The biggest deaf ear you could find in the city is the mantralaya. The biggest blind eyes you will ever find are the courts. And the bluntest killing knife you will find are the streets. Democracy is lost, bureaucracy has replaced it and nobody wants to look for it.
Today, I look around I am overcome with feeling of utter hate for this city. I despair and loathe a spirit that has been lost, maybe forever. A charisma of bringing people from all walks of life together lost, turned into charcoal. A museum of beauty turned to boxing ring of politics and manipulators. With people around you, who don’t trust you and you can’t trust or depend on. Well life is all about changes, isn’t it? And I cannot just carry on as if this change hasn’t effected and affected me, it has. And it took 6 local trains to be blown up at the same time to revive a spirit lost for just a couple of days. I wonder again what it would take to bring the same spirit back forever. Certainly not this article, not this write, it will be read by blind eyes.
Take a look around, it is dead. Lost. Everything.
Approximately a decade ago, I had stepped into my twilight years, everything was new the world was coming alive, I was turning 15. My cousins used to take me around town, show me places I had never seen and a face of the city I had never witnessed. It was different, from my books, my school bag, my college admissions, my whole life (up until then that is). It was a free and a wild time, with discovering the city rolled into a perfect joint. Roaming around the city on foot in the wee hours of night up until early hours of the next day. No I had better things to do like sleeping, but what better than given a chance to go around, explore (originally - what
humans were (are) meant to do) and discover the land where you live. From Bade- Miah (Pronounced as ‘Ba-deh Mee-aahs’) to Burgee Pav’s; been everywhere, with almost every joint open through the night hit. It was completely astonishing, after the routines and the grime and the noise and the humidity and the pushing and the struggling and the homework and the screams, finally the city would be shrouded in a mist of silence, this spirit, would engulf almost every one. The city would be at peace, a completely different shade of a stroke from what it used to be during the working hours in the day. A time when mondie’s still served all types of alcohol and would be open much after the 1:30am deadlines. A time when organizing and carrying out a project called ‘flash mobs’ wasn’t illegal, because a group of more than 5 people could visit together any public place. I used to love this city. It was home. It was inviting, pushing, struggling, peace and comfort giving land.But as they say, things never remain constant, since we are living in the times of change.
I too started to change my point of view, with having a love-hate relationship with this city. I started seeing another stroke of the city. It was not only inviting, pushing, struggling, peace and comfort giving land but it was also a land riddled with downfalls, faults, traps and false expectations (one can also always argue, all expectations are false expectations). The streets being a window to despair, grief, and life. Every corner of this city has a contradicting contrast.
Everyone here wants to make it big. Most of the people coming from all around India to Bombay are living on the streets. I always wonder, did they make the right decision for a few more bucks? Did they ever foresee the consequences? They sure did take a chance, to make a difference in their life, but will it ever pay off? Does it ever pay off? A city where our own police has a masters degree in Botany, Zoology, etc. does it really matter anymore? Does anything really matter anymore? I assume that, thats what they say growing up really is.
I can go on and on about how the city has changed and the city is lost. But I won’t, you can read that in the books. I guess if anyone is to be blamed, it would be me first. I never voted and when I did I just did it for the black ink spot on my finger. I will also blame my attitude towards the site and smells around me. It has become in-different and the trend is just catching up. I really really wonder will I be ever ever be able to make a change,any change, will anyone hear me, when they can turn deaf when they hear screams of in-humanity all around. Gee I really really just keep wondering a lot, don’t I?
I would also blame me for creating a politburo out of our state government. The biggest deaf ear you could find in the city is the mantralaya. The biggest blind eyes you will ever find are the courts. And the bluntest killing knife you will find are the streets. Democracy is lost, bureaucracy has replaced it and nobody wants to look for it.
Today, I look around I am overcome with feeling of utter hate for this city. I despair and loathe a spirit that has been lost, maybe forever. A charisma of bringing people from all walks of life together lost, turned into charcoal. A museum of beauty turned to boxing ring of politics and manipulators. With people around you, who don’t trust you and you can’t trust or depend on. Well life is all about changes, isn’t it? And I cannot just carry on as if this change hasn’t effected and affected me, it has. And it took 6 local trains to be blown up at the same time to revive a spirit lost for just a couple of days. I wonder again what it would take to bring the same spirit back forever. Certainly not this article, not this write, it will be read by blind eyes.
Take a look around, it is dead. Lost. Everything.
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