me, monsoons & mumbai
Bearer of good news, a lens for the city’s beauty, a reminder of some childhood stories, hot vada pav, the gloomy 26th July, the rough yet calm marine drive and more recently the Nisarga cyclone, there’s just a special connection Mumbai has with monsoons
The cyclone passed away without much harm but the showers have yet another impact to make in the lives of Mumbaikars who are now amidst a fierce battle with a virus. In the newborn abundant ‘me-time’, I was sitting beside my window hearing those loud thunders with raindrops as they formed puddles in the artificial garden below. And somehow I just started going through every page of the almost 22-year-old monsoon diary…
Free holidays in school
If you went to a school in Mumbai, there is a high chance you have experienced this. In the middle of the day and the incessant pattering of rain against classroom windows, you get an announcement that the school is shutting down for the day because of extreme floods in the city. Back then, that was the epitome of good news (in addition to a PE class or a free period). I remember how some parents used to pick their kids from school while the others used the school bus. In the meantime, we used to eat from our warm tiffin boxes. And there were days when the city would be on high alert and an official holiday would be declared, giving me another reason to cling on to the warm and cosy blankets next morning.
The garam chai and vada pav
Monsoons are the time when street food is supposed to be unhygienic and we’re all advised to stay away from it. But it is equally difficult to resist that vada pav with spicy chutney or the special cutting chai sold at those tapris. Bhajji pav, omelette pav, pakoras, momos — don’t they just seem to be made for this weather?
Green beauty
Mumbai is not a concrete jungle (yet) as you would imagine a ‘developed city’ to be. That’s one of the best things I love about it. Back when I was in primary school my dad used to take me to a nearby park called Yogi hills during weekends. I later realized that this was a part of a huge patch of green land and a national park, what we know as SGNP. The area is home to 3 beautiful lakes, a Buddhist cave, few temples and leopards among various other animals. This immediately brings back those morning treks, photo-walks and trespassing memories I have had in college, other than a few at parks like the Hanging Garden, Priyadarshini Park and Shivaji Park.
Nuisance
I cannot get through my nostalgia diary without remembering this part. It happens that the city fails to manage excess downpour almost every year. The floods on 26th July 2005 was when Mumbai came to a standstill as thousands of lives were lost. Low lying areas and slums are evidently the most affected at this time.
What was fun in school becomes a big inconvenience. You have to reach your office but the local trains are snailing and the metro construction on roads just adds to the headache. It also gets windy while you walk so that umbrella gets pretty useless now. Don’t get me started about the sweat.
The sea
Some people ask me if I am a beach person or a mountain person. And like most of my answers, this one starts with — ‘it depends’. Beach for summers and monsoons, mountains when it’s cold and snowy. Some call me a seasonal diplomat (yes, that some is just me)
For me, the sea gives a sort of calming, freeing yet settling vibe. In the course of time, littering and overpopulation have destroyed a lot of those feelings felt at beaches such as Juhu. But Marine Drive undoubtedly still lies on the top for many people because of the winds, still rocks, a necklace made of street lights and a bustling city behind you, as you sit there going through pages of your monsoon diary…
Do you also have a nostalgia diary for monsoons or any other season? This could be the best time to ponder. Feel free to share!
