‘Na jee paaoge, na jaa paaoge…’
Another year in Mumbai. And boy, has it been another ride. I really did not expect it to be, considering the challenges and experiences I shared in the first blog. But here I am. Writing again. And solely because I want you guys to appreciate the lives of the people from here, people living here, people wanting to live here.
What’s the big deal? Why another post? This isn’t anything like a Sacred Games or a Gully Boy, glorifying and fantasising life in Mumbai. This is just more of the same. Hard facts, engagements in real life. And I guess some of you would be interested in it.
I got comments and suggestions from people like me, who moved in, about how true I was about whatever I was saying. I had people from here tell me, how they had forgotten about these little things in their process of growing. I had people, who wanted to come here, get freaked about the ways of living and surviving in this city.
So, let me go further into narration and tell you a little more about this blackhole of a place. I shall reveal as well why I call it that exactly.
*
AAMCHI MUMBAI!
One year in Mumbai prepared me for a lot of things. Now I got to places early because I became more responsible about time. I planned things better to not land in a soup. Google maps, m-indicator, Uber became of heavy use. So did ICICI, but that’s a separate matter. I knew the basic road map, knew the names of places, got an idea of shortcuts, of alternate routes and even guided newbies around town.
It was an achievement to make rickshaw-walas think of me as a resident. It wasn’t as tough as I had imagined though. I understood that all I had to do was talk like them, know the streets and lingos like them. At least act as if I knew. Bas yahin, 8 number jaane ka hai…
And it’s not just rickshaws and cabs. I learned that if I talk Mumbaiya, things were a lot chiller. A simple example would be to use the word ‘parcel’ instead of ‘pack’ for a take-away order. Or to use ‘maangta hai’ instead of ‘chahiye’. I initiated the use of words like kantaal, magajmaari and sawwaal. Lethargy, complications and no doubt, respectively. Much more to learn here but I’m getting there.
I specifically became a lot more versed with my trade. I learnt, acknowledged and understood more than I ever had, my job and role. And that is the first ‘WHAM’ I’m going to discuss with all of you today.
Mumbai and its professionalism.
**
THE BUSINESS CAPITAL OF THE COUNTRY.
The city doesn’t get this title for nothing. Mumbai is one of the, if not the most, enterprising cities in our country. And anybody would tell you that. The place is known to be a candy bag of opportunities, with many takers. There’s a market for everyone and everything. Everyone here, is out there, to make a mark. And why not? When the city has so much to offer.
I, for one, got the chance to deep dive into my field of work almost instantly and come out with treasures. I got to be on quite a few shoots, in and around town. I got to meet influential people in advertising and the film industry. I got in-depth knowledge and practice of how ads and films were made. Who all were important, what all was needed, why certain things were kept in mind?
It’s not as if I wasn’t involved in such jobs in Delhi. But never did I feel the intensity and power of my job. Soon I was working overtime, on weekends, always on-call, multi-working, feeling a wee bit important among way more important people.
Now, why was that?
In Mumbai, there’s a guy for everything. And these guys are simply splendid at their work. Again, in the field of media, I met and worked with highly talented directors, producers, actors, editors, recording experts, voice over artists, animators, sketch artists, modelers, photographers and the list goes on. And you know what? For certain projects, needed all of them at once. And wait, they were all ready. Wham! Professionalism. And the ad's made, for your TV and YouTube screens.
This is nothing. Take a simple roadside restaurant. Ask them for anything on the menu, it’ll be there. Go to a departmental store and next time onwards, the groceries will reach home. No matter what the time, you find what you’re looking for. And if at all, there’s slack, you will be taken care of. Exceptions are always there. Rickshaw-walas often break the trend.
Work is what people are here for. They can’t be here for sight-seeing or fooling around. It’s a tough city and you have to work hard to get known. Deal with it. Even with the next ‘WHAM’.
***
GANAPATI BAPPA MORYA!
What Diwali is to Delhi, Ganesh Chathurthi is to Mumbai. A massive 11-day rally, streaming out of petite lanes of the city, flushing out into the town, filling everybody with energy. These fantastical tableaus, headlined by wondrous Ganapati idols, are seen across the streets of Mumbai. The drums and horns fill the air with vigour. This is a moment of absolute happiness.
Meanwhile, on the highway, a certain number of people are stuck in a traffic jam for 4 hours and more. Nobody complains though. In another car, you can see fingers tapping the steering wheel, shoulders bobbing to the dhol in some other. There is nothing they can do but submerge themselves in the spirit of the festival.
For me, Diwali was the reason for such happiness and excitement. The pretty lights that engulf the city, the cosy card parties, the bonfire drinking scenes. Now, what I heard, and saw was loud DJ sounds and dancing on the streets. Vibrant and in-your-face decorations outside houses and complexes. Huge, I mean, humongous Ganapati idols carried by a bunch of people from a particular society. Then, an even bigger one by another society, right behind it.
When I found out more, I got to know, people competed here as well. I kid you not, people have built 30-ft high Ganapati idols. Amazing, just.
I am still fascinated. How such a corporate, business-minded, money-driven city instantly stops operations and switches to a pure Maharashtrian town to celebrate their pride.
Maybe that’s what keeping this city together.
****
Talking about traditions and cultures, Mumbai has a wide variety of them in different pockets. They come from places near and around Mumbai and each one has their own distinct feature.
In Maharashtra, I had the fortune of meeting Mumbai’s sober cousin, Pune. This peaceful, yet constructive city, is just a 3-4 hour drive from here. Mostly, Pune attracts to itself a young crowd of IT, engineering and MBA aspirants. Then there are outstretched families and relatives from Mumbai, settling in for a simple life. And then, there are some that love the place so much, they do not fear travelling to and back, everyday from Mumbai. Chill, it's really nothing more than a Dadar to Andheri jam.
A lot of places around this Mumbai-Pune stretch have become picnic spots and weekend getaways. Karjat, Neral, Matheran are known tourist spots and offer a pleasant view to the visitors. Again, for my Delhi friends, they are nothing compared to the mountain stations in Himachal and Uttarakhand, but they aren’t that bad for a short trip.
Ok, something very Mumbaiya is somehow, Gujju. What I mean to say here is that Mumbai is nothing without the Gujarati touch of magnificence.
We all know how the Gujarati folk have made a name for themselves in various businesses, and these names are seen and heard all around. May it be a big telecom provider, a huge construction company, a transport vendor, a sweet shop franchise or a massive political party. Ahem. Gujarat and Mumbai work like business partners and the growth is quite evident. One provides the capital and the investment, the other gives ample of resources and infrastructure. Too bad, the forests of Aarey don’t have much say here.
The final place of interest, not very close to Mumbai, but its heart, is Goa.
I got a chance very recently to make a trip from here. Not that I haven’t been there before. But to make a trip to Goa on a weekend from Mumbai, that too between heavy working weeks is quite a thrill.
Just picture a silent, non-caring beach, cheap and chirpy alcohol, folks that are as lost as you and a horizon that lets you forget all your troubles.
But I won’t go too much into Goa, as that’s a very different topic of conversation and admiration.
It’s time to head back to Mumbai and end this blabber.
*****
AYE DIL HAI MUSHKIL JEENA YAHAN…
‘Bhai, yeh Mumbai hai. Yaha na jee paaoge, na yahan se jaa paaoge…’
When one of the production guys uttered these words, I did not pay much heed to it. Just sipped my coffee and gave out a soft chuckle. But eventually, understood what he really meant.
That particular guy has been working here for more than 15 years now. He isn’t originally from Mumbai. He is from a rather slow moving, easy going city. Yet, he is here for fifteen years, still trying to make a name for himself.
Why? And is ‘why’ the real question?
In Mumbai, a common man goes through demotivation, aggression, pain, frustration, fear and rejection all in a single day. Yet he gets up again next morning to go through it again.
It’s because here the common man can someday become an un-common man. A known man. A successful man. Someday. And it could be any day. So, he needs to keep slogging.
For, when he gets it, he is made. With a house in Bandra?
Another fun fact. People here work, get money, clear their debts and live miserably. Then they work harder, get rich. They clear their debts, but eventually get into more debts to still live miserably. The cycle keeps running and they keep getting richer while staying poorer. Before they know it, they have worked here for about 10 to 15 years and then, can’t deal with the world outside.
I’m sure you’ve seen the movie, The Shawshank Redemption. Remember the term, ‘institutionalised’? Well, that is what happened to that producer guy. Even though he moved back to his hometown later, he seldom liked working there. Soon, he was back in Mumbai, doing what he knew, the way he knew it.
Now is all this a bad thing? That, is the real question.
I come back to the term ‘blackhole’ I used in the first segment of this post. And by the scientific understanding of the term, a blackhole is a region of spacetime exhibiting gravitational acceleration so strong that nothing, no particles or even electromagnetic radiation such as light, can escape from it.
For me, that’s Mumbai. An electro-magnet with the force of modernism and perpetual-ism, that drives the public mad. It’s infectious. It’s fascinating.
And yeah, that’s that. 2 years and I'm still getting fascinated.
I’m lost in the transition. Will I transition from being a common man to a known man?
Who knows? Let’s see where ‘Whambay’ takes me.
And oh.
There were many other topics people told me to stress on. The local trains, the weather, the roads and the travel, the night life. But I guess other than what I’ve already said, these things are better experienced in real.
Imagine, I haven’t yet opened the box titled ‘showbiz’…
…kya? Neeche Shahrukh shoot kar raha hai…!?
*****
Another year in Mumbai. And boy, has it been another ride. I really did not expect it to be, considering the challenges and experiences I shared in the first blog. But here I am. Writing again. And solely because I want you guys to appreciate the lives of the people from here, people living here, people wanting to live here.
What’s the big deal? Why another post? This isn’t anything like a Sacred Games or a Gully Boy, glorifying and fantasising life in Mumbai. This is just more of the same. Hard facts, engagements in real life. And I guess some of you would be interested in it.
I got comments and suggestions from people like me, who moved in, about how true I was about whatever I was saying. I had people from here tell me, how they had forgotten about these little things in their process of growing. I had people, who wanted to come here, get freaked about the ways of living and surviving in this city.
So, let me go further into narration and tell you a little more about this blackhole of a place. I shall reveal as well why I call it that exactly.
*
AAMCHI MUMBAI!
One year in Mumbai prepared me for a lot of things. Now I got to places early because I became more responsible about time. I planned things better to not land in a soup. Google maps, m-indicator, Uber became of heavy use. So did ICICI, but that’s a separate matter. I knew the basic road map, knew the names of places, got an idea of shortcuts, of alternate routes and even guided newbies around town.
It was an achievement to make rickshaw-walas think of me as a resident. It wasn’t as tough as I had imagined though. I understood that all I had to do was talk like them, know the streets and lingos like them. At least act as if I knew. Bas yahin, 8 number jaane ka hai…
And it’s not just rickshaws and cabs. I learned that if I talk Mumbaiya, things were a lot chiller. A simple example would be to use the word ‘parcel’ instead of ‘pack’ for a take-away order. Or to use ‘maangta hai’ instead of ‘chahiye’. I initiated the use of words like kantaal, magajmaari and sawwaal. Lethargy, complications and no doubt, respectively. Much more to learn here but I’m getting there.
I specifically became a lot more versed with my trade. I learnt, acknowledged and understood more than I ever had, my job and role. And that is the first ‘WHAM’ I’m going to discuss with all of you today.
Mumbai and its professionalism.
**
THE BUSINESS CAPITAL OF THE COUNTRY.
The city doesn’t get this title for nothing. Mumbai is one of the, if not the most, enterprising cities in our country. And anybody would tell you that. The place is known to be a candy bag of opportunities, with many takers. There’s a market for everyone and everything. Everyone here, is out there, to make a mark. And why not? When the city has so much to offer.
I, for one, got the chance to deep dive into my field of work almost instantly and come out with treasures. I got to be on quite a few shoots, in and around town. I got to meet influential people in advertising and the film industry. I got in-depth knowledge and practice of how ads and films were made. Who all were important, what all was needed, why certain things were kept in mind?
It’s not as if I wasn’t involved in such jobs in Delhi. But never did I feel the intensity and power of my job. Soon I was working overtime, on weekends, always on-call, multi-working, feeling a wee bit important among way more important people.
Now, why was that?
In Mumbai, there’s a guy for everything. And these guys are simply splendid at their work. Again, in the field of media, I met and worked with highly talented directors, producers, actors, editors, recording experts, voice over artists, animators, sketch artists, modelers, photographers and the list goes on. And you know what? For certain projects, needed all of them at once. And wait, they were all ready. Wham! Professionalism. And the ad's made, for your TV and YouTube screens.
This is nothing. Take a simple roadside restaurant. Ask them for anything on the menu, it’ll be there. Go to a departmental store and next time onwards, the groceries will reach home. No matter what the time, you find what you’re looking for. And if at all, there’s slack, you will be taken care of. Exceptions are always there. Rickshaw-walas often break the trend.
Work is what people are here for. They can’t be here for sight-seeing or fooling around. It’s a tough city and you have to work hard to get known. Deal with it. Even with the next ‘WHAM’.
***
GANAPATI BAPPA MORYA!
What Diwali is to Delhi, Ganesh Chathurthi is to Mumbai. A massive 11-day rally, streaming out of petite lanes of the city, flushing out into the town, filling everybody with energy. These fantastical tableaus, headlined by wondrous Ganapati idols, are seen across the streets of Mumbai. The drums and horns fill the air with vigour. This is a moment of absolute happiness.
Meanwhile, on the highway, a certain number of people are stuck in a traffic jam for 4 hours and more. Nobody complains though. In another car, you can see fingers tapping the steering wheel, shoulders bobbing to the dhol in some other. There is nothing they can do but submerge themselves in the spirit of the festival.
For me, Diwali was the reason for such happiness and excitement. The pretty lights that engulf the city, the cosy card parties, the bonfire drinking scenes. Now, what I heard, and saw was loud DJ sounds and dancing on the streets. Vibrant and in-your-face decorations outside houses and complexes. Huge, I mean, humongous Ganapati idols carried by a bunch of people from a particular society. Then, an even bigger one by another society, right behind it.
When I found out more, I got to know, people competed here as well. I kid you not, people have built 30-ft high Ganapati idols. Amazing, just.
I am still fascinated. How such a corporate, business-minded, money-driven city instantly stops operations and switches to a pure Maharashtrian town to celebrate their pride.
Maybe that’s what keeping this city together.
****
Talking about traditions and cultures, Mumbai has a wide variety of them in different pockets. They come from places near and around Mumbai and each one has their own distinct feature.
In Maharashtra, I had the fortune of meeting Mumbai’s sober cousin, Pune. This peaceful, yet constructive city, is just a 3-4 hour drive from here. Mostly, Pune attracts to itself a young crowd of IT, engineering and MBA aspirants. Then there are outstretched families and relatives from Mumbai, settling in for a simple life. And then, there are some that love the place so much, they do not fear travelling to and back, everyday from Mumbai. Chill, it's really nothing more than a Dadar to Andheri jam.
A lot of places around this Mumbai-Pune stretch have become picnic spots and weekend getaways. Karjat, Neral, Matheran are known tourist spots and offer a pleasant view to the visitors. Again, for my Delhi friends, they are nothing compared to the mountain stations in Himachal and Uttarakhand, but they aren’t that bad for a short trip.
Ok, something very Mumbaiya is somehow, Gujju. What I mean to say here is that Mumbai is nothing without the Gujarati touch of magnificence.
We all know how the Gujarati folk have made a name for themselves in various businesses, and these names are seen and heard all around. May it be a big telecom provider, a huge construction company, a transport vendor, a sweet shop franchise or a massive political party. Ahem. Gujarat and Mumbai work like business partners and the growth is quite evident. One provides the capital and the investment, the other gives ample of resources and infrastructure. Too bad, the forests of Aarey don’t have much say here.
The final place of interest, not very close to Mumbai, but its heart, is Goa.
I got a chance very recently to make a trip from here. Not that I haven’t been there before. But to make a trip to Goa on a weekend from Mumbai, that too between heavy working weeks is quite a thrill.
Just picture a silent, non-caring beach, cheap and chirpy alcohol, folks that are as lost as you and a horizon that lets you forget all your troubles.
But I won’t go too much into Goa, as that’s a very different topic of conversation and admiration.
It’s time to head back to Mumbai and end this blabber.
*****
AYE DIL HAI MUSHKIL JEENA YAHAN…
‘Bhai, yeh Mumbai hai. Yaha na jee paaoge, na yahan se jaa paaoge…’
When one of the production guys uttered these words, I did not pay much heed to it. Just sipped my coffee and gave out a soft chuckle. But eventually, understood what he really meant.
That particular guy has been working here for more than 15 years now. He isn’t originally from Mumbai. He is from a rather slow moving, easy going city. Yet, he is here for fifteen years, still trying to make a name for himself.
Why? And is ‘why’ the real question?
In Mumbai, a common man goes through demotivation, aggression, pain, frustration, fear and rejection all in a single day. Yet he gets up again next morning to go through it again.
It’s because here the common man can someday become an un-common man. A known man. A successful man. Someday. And it could be any day. So, he needs to keep slogging.
For, when he gets it, he is made. With a house in Bandra?
Another fun fact. People here work, get money, clear their debts and live miserably. Then they work harder, get rich. They clear their debts, but eventually get into more debts to still live miserably. The cycle keeps running and they keep getting richer while staying poorer. Before they know it, they have worked here for about 10 to 15 years and then, can’t deal with the world outside.
I’m sure you’ve seen the movie, The Shawshank Redemption. Remember the term, ‘institutionalised’? Well, that is what happened to that producer guy. Even though he moved back to his hometown later, he seldom liked working there. Soon, he was back in Mumbai, doing what he knew, the way he knew it.
Now is all this a bad thing? That, is the real question.
I come back to the term ‘blackhole’ I used in the first segment of this post. And by the scientific understanding of the term, a blackhole is a region of spacetime exhibiting gravitational acceleration so strong that nothing, no particles or even electromagnetic radiation such as light, can escape from it.
For me, that’s Mumbai. An electro-magnet with the force of modernism and perpetual-ism, that drives the public mad. It’s infectious. It’s fascinating.
And yeah, that’s that. 2 years and I'm still getting fascinated.
I’m lost in the transition. Will I transition from being a common man to a known man?
Who knows? Let’s see where ‘Whambay’ takes me.
And oh.
There were many other topics people told me to stress on. The local trains, the weather, the roads and the travel, the night life. But I guess other than what I’ve already said, these things are better experienced in real.
Imagine, I haven’t yet opened the box titled ‘showbiz’…
…kya? Neeche Shahrukh shoot kar raha hai…!?
*****
Comments
Reading your blog ...guess what ! With the details in ..I am almost set and ready to get the taste of coming and living in Mumbai ! Kuch to accha lagtha hai ...chahe fight bhi ho !!! Please keep writing ..luv your free style writing ����