Undercurrents #3: Mumbaikars at dawn

7am, 3rd April, Marine Drive

Every hour of the day sees this iconic stretch of the city inhabited by a different tribe of people. Each coming for a different purpose, a different activity and each attracting a particular form of snacks or paraphernalia that’s sold alongside. This concrete stretch is constantly evolving its vibe.
As the city awakes, and before the heat of the day shines through, this stretch is populated by a whole assortment of folks, united by just one simple rule. You must be travelling in a straight line, in one direction, heading north, or south.

And so this morning I decided to join the myriad of tribes in the ritual of their early morning promenade: The strollers The joggers The posers The arm wavers The bum wigglers The carers
The observers The cyclists The proper runners The ones with all the kit The dog walkers The socialites The belly rollers The roller skaters
But my favourite tribe has to be those sporting the most utilitarian of uniforms, the ageing Indian gentlemen. You can’t miss them, they’re everywhere. They’ll be wearing a plain (or striped) polo shirt hugging their bellies, loose fitting khaki shorts , sports socks pulled to high up to attention way above the ankles and finished off with robust, yet comfortable trainers. They’re often seen striding towards you in packs of two or three, not batting an eyelid when they’re out paced by the ladies in the saris. Or spotted in groups on the sea wall, legs sprawled out, chortling away. The real exercise is in the socialising and Marine Drive is clearly their preferred territory of choice.

end

_______________________________
Cultural Undercurrents
What might this story tells us about the invisible forces at play in society?

-Light exercise is as much of a social activity and source of connection as it is something done for your own well-being

-There is power in the collective movement. I found myself wanting to be part of the morning flow — so I joined the tribes and cycled alongside. Makes me wonder how can routines or rituals, performed in public, help with the forming of habits and norms.

-You can start to see how sports brands are infiltrating and influencing the morning tribes. There seemed to be a pattern that younger the person — the brighter, more technical and more visible their clothes seemed to be.

If you want more, I took a low quality video of the passers by too.