Friday, February 27, 2009

Magic of Mumbai


Mumbai is under much talks since the 26/11 terrorist attacks but a place known for its versatility. I am 2 months old to this place only but i feel so connected to this place already. I stay in Navi Mumbai but i rather love to call it Bombai or Mumbay. Its a mix of old and the new with people from old mumbai and new bees like us. People are moving to Navi Mumbai because, the reason i think is beauty of it lends a scenic aura to home. When my friends call me to ask how do you find Mumbai. i could say Navi Mumbai is just like my home in Delhi.

Mumbai Slums have actually attracted my attention after my visit to Old Bombay and possibly more because of the Oscar Winning Movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' I stay in Harbor Line but as you start to cross Vashi, it brings a sigh in my heart to leave Navi Mumbai but join with the real life of Mumbai. I have people say Dilli dilwalo ka, Mumbai paisewalo ka (translated as : Delhi is of people with a heart and Mumbai with cash). Taking a train was a rare moment for me while i was in Delhi until the Delhi Metro came ( Delhi Metro is the best thing that Delhites ever got..thanks to Sheila Dikhshit) but when i came to Mumbai it was really hard for me to gulp down the fact of traveling in Mumbai trains which is jam packed all through the year, in all seasons. But i got the opportunity to rub shoulders with the local Mumbaikars several times in the local train but i remember the experience i had traveling all alone from Nerul to Andheri. But i made sure i had the following in my purse:

1) Cash - to survive if i am not able to get back home that day
2) My Husband Visiting Card- fear of getting lost in the crowd was haunting me and by any chance if my purse gets lost or stolen and if in case it gets into the hands of angelic person and returns my purse after seeing the address
3) Deodorant- The strongest one
4) Tissues and foundation- Having an oily skin is a curse and on top of that crushed train travel means its the most essential of the lot( i think i should list this first)
5) One dozen of confidence ( to catch the train if its moving) and a Kilo of hope to reach back home safe- I must appreciate the system of having ladies compartment. I feel so proud being a girl. I always take the first class ticket but hella so expensive. I will make my plea to Lalu yadav to reduce the prices of 1st class ticket. I was charged Rs 228 for my travel from Nerul to Andheri. Gosh ..just imagine how many zinger burgers can you have with that ...4 or 5??? wowww....lol!!!



Another thing that initially surprised me, and is a common practice in the 1st class ladies compartment is when the ladies they come in the train, they will in an order ask " Excuse me, Where will you get Down?" and i tell my station but i wonder why did they ask which i later came to know is that these girls make a booking for their seat with the person who gets down next...smart move...but then i started thinking if that passenger gets down then what is the proof you have that you booked that place??? As i was feeling so proud of my question, i got the answer to it, when suddenly at the next station another Girl gets in and started asking the same question. Boiiiiiiii...what crap i thought..will i have to answer these girls till i reach home?? Then this new girl ( we will call her girl A and girl who already booked as Girl B), Girl A stopped at the lady who gets down next and makes a booking with her. Girl B suddenly crashes in between Girl A and the Lady and says i have already booked this place. That made me clear about the system. Lalu Yadav should take note of this..he can have counters in the compartment for a meager amount for the booking. This gives an equal chance for all the girls to get the seat than some females dominating...haha. And then you must see her face, looks as if a bee bit her face...round as a pani puri..lol..grrrhhhhhhh and both the girls gave that stare into each others eyes for long 5 secs.

But after everything i love Mumbai. A city where anything and everything is possible specially the impossible. I see people have the mindset to help you at any time. They provide you with more info than what you require.

Here are some facts that i have noticed of a Mumbaikar

1) You speak in a dialect of Hindi..which is believed to be the clear hindi but named as mumbaiya hindi which only the mumbaikars understand
2) Train Timings will be 7.09, 3.12 etc and you treat as an important part of your life
3) You will need only one paper bag to fit in groceries worth Rs 500
4) You are happy to stay in a one room apartment worth Rs 10,000 and still call it heaven
5) You have a set of people whom you call 'train friends' apart from your college friends, school friends, neighborhood friends
6) Being alone makes you feel nervous
7) You will never find a vada pao stall empty late night also
8) You will find 2 beds, 2 almirah, 1 sofa set, 1 study table, steel suitcases touching the roof, 1 sewing machine, TV in an 8'x 10' room and still manage to sweep the floor easily
9) Your meaning of private space is 'Please dont stand on my toes' and that too has to be requested
10) Your door will surely have more than 3 locks
11) You are a fashion freak.
12) You like calling CST as VT and Sahara or Santacruz airport than Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport
13) You spend more on traveling than at home.
14) You first read the supplement of a newspaper than the main newspaper
15) Since you know mumbai is the 5th most expensive city in the world so you proudly compare it with New York's Manhattan

I am sure there is much more to add but this is out of my experience.

All this reminded me of the famous song;

Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan,
zara hat ke, zara bach ke,
Ye hai Mumbai meri Jaan!!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Pink-Color of my Life




Over the past, i am deluged with the color pink. Everywhere i see the colour pink and anything i see in pink starts to attract my attention. I have started realising lately that my wardrobe is full of pink dresses. Yes you got it right, the color that you get by mixing red and white. The color that every girl has an eye on and every woman will kill for and so do i.

Pink has been accepted as a baby girl color and is still the balloon color of choice for proud parents who want to announce the birth of their baby girl. Though my parents did not do this but my brother pet named me as 'Pinky'. My history of "Pink" is following ever since my birth and to my surprise, as i write this blog, i am wearing a pink pajama...uff this is too much. But i have to confess, i had gone heights when i wore a pink lehenga, pink hairband, pink socks, pink sandals, pink watch in my 2nd grade for a wedding( Gossssshhhhhhh) I get goosebumps thinking of it. Why didnt anyone tell me that i looked like a circus clown. Let me be positive, maybe they found me like a Barbie ..Ahem Ahem...Have you noticed, Barbie mostly come in the shades of pink which resembles feminism. If not the Barbie sometimes, there packing always has a pink to it.Hey by the way...don't miss out on Barbie's Birthday next month-9th March. She turned 50!!! My My..She looks so cherubic still.

Wikipedia says until the 1940s, pink was considered more appropriate for boys because being closely related to red it was the more masculine and decided color, while blue was considered appropriate for girls because it was the more delicate and dainty color. The societal norm apparently inverted in 1940's so that pink became appropriate for girls and blue for boys


I remember my friend singing the song on color. The lyrics were something like this...

Pink is my favorite color,
Pink on the chest of my lover..


We used to laugh our guts out. She used to sing the VIBGYOR as per her mood..( Can someone tell me if that's an album number??)

Since this color is dangling around me all the time, i decided to do more research on it and apparently the first thought that came to my mind was why do we use the term Pink Slip to dismiss an employee from the company...sounded strange. No one exactly knows how this term was coined. Its been said that American Workers, decades back were given Pink Slips where notices were printed on pink paper. but what's bothering me is why PINK in color?? Why not Red, Yellow, green or simply the white one. I think its just symbolic than been literal. This practice is now not followed. All we know for sure is that the Oxford English Dictionary’s oldest citation for the term “pink slip” comes from a 1915 pulp novel about baseball. Beyond that, the origins of “pink slip” are anybody’s guess. (Source= Internet)

While listening to the news on NDTV yesterday i heard about the Pub Bharo( Click the link to join them on Facebook) and Pink Chaddi Campaigns where they ask woman to throw Pink chaddi to the ALF( Alternative Law Forum) to forward to one of the bullying organizations, the Shri Ram Sene, which has threatened to attack couples found celebrating Valentine's Day. (hooligans) I Believe, We should definitely raise our voice against these thugs.

Out of all, for me Pink is the Color of Love. With Valentines Day around the corner..i wish to have lots and lots of Pinks around me in this season of love...

Wish you all a very Happy Valentines Day!!