Mumbai Celebrates Me

I remember coming to Mumbai — or Bombay as I call it — roughly some six months back with mixed emotions. One, I was elated to be finally moving out of Delhi to work. Two, I was nervous since it was a new city and I was quite an introvert then having almost no friends in this vast place. For the first one week, I was under house arrest fearting to step out even to the nearest kirana store. I would often look out from the window and admire the skyline and wish if I could just fly out of it and wrap the night around me.

A week later was my first day at job and I was nervous — honestly, a lot nervous — I didn’t know anyone too well, except one or two acquaintances and here I was among new people, new faces most of whom seem like being intimidated by my presence around. I politely interacted with a few people, had lunch with few others and left home with few more. That was one hilarious day and today seems like a different era, altogether!

This city, in no time, engulfed me and even before I could realise the radical changes in me — I knew I had a friend like no other — Bombay. This city has grown in me, helping me to be a certain someone I always wanted to be. The shyness to talk to people, the hesitance to explore a place alone, situations where I needed to keep my calm but could not — eventually building a me that has progressed to be far more sociable, sharp witted and alive than I can ever recall to be. A year back I was of the view that more than a handful of people in one’s life only create cacophony hence keeping away from crowded places or loud noise. That is only a truth of the past I laugh at now!

There aren’t a lot of things to this city that can sadden me and even if it did — I would be up and dancing around hours later. I confess to having come across people here who are cold, manipulative, selfish and mistrustful but I have learnt to forgive them and still be nice to them, taking them as experiences and learning lessons. It is like breathing a newer life with every passing day with the sole motive that no matter what I can’t led that smile on my face or those around me fade. There have been times when I’d go out for breakfast alone or sit by Marine Drive for hours in silence — and it livened my spirit.

I consciously remember the first friend I made here and the first movie I went to watch with him at 10.45 pm and so nervous was I to step out of home that late, that I ended up calling my mom to ask if she would allow me to go. To this he reverted back saying, “woman, why would you do that? Get a life! This is not your Delhi. Mumbai never sleeps.”

He was right — may be this city never sleeps or may be this city never lets you sleep — either ways it is a jovial feeling! The hustle bustle of day-to-day life often ends me zoning in my work for hours at stretch not wanting to even look up from my laptop screen but I do realise at the back of mind that all the labour and hard work will be compensated later as I barge to explore the city little by little everyday — sometimes just by being to myself, sometimes being among good friends and more often with company I exceptionally love — there’s so much to gain and nothing much to lose out of it.

I celebrate the people here — they make me happy! They love to talk, love to help, love to interact and they are mostly story tellers.

This city found me elements to life I never had before or did not know how to value them well — friends, happiness, a good life, dreams, motivation, patience, love, above all, myself. I can wake up to see sunrise and feel good about it through the day. I can cry less and smile more — like I am not allowed to be sad anymore. I can forgive sooner and understand that not everyone can be good to you the way you are to them. There’s a strange air in this city that lures me to be good to others and happy at heart.

This city has been adding more of me to me with every passing day and I wait for a new day to come so I can have to ask myself “what is in store for me tomorrow?”

I have learnt to accept flaws, learnt to put a smile even when it didn’t seem like too bright, learnt to keep myself engaged in work and a lot of work, learnt to motivate myself to do great, learnt to be hard working and ambitious, learnt to fear less and dream big, learnt to accept that every person is different from every other, learnt to value relations, learnt to find happiness in others’ happiness, learnt to interact with people, learnt to keep my patience alive in the toughest of situations, learnt to accept heart breaks, and above all, learnt to keep myself happy no matter what — I am still learning but a lot in me has grown from being less stupid, less gloomy, less rigid and less panicky.

I celebrate this city everyday just like it celebrates me with every passing day!