A Moving Pause
Living in Mumbai is no easy business, even the most mundane days are full of adventures when it comes to the city that never sleeps; leaping on the local train at peak hours is like bungee jumping in the lake full of people when the only leash protecting you from falling are your hands, it is easier to catch a cold than catch a rickshaw here and walking on the falling footpaths in monsoon is like taking the Takeshi’s Castle’s skipping stones challenge. A Mumbaikar is always chasing one goal or the other — the week is full of work and the weekend’s full of laundry and other chores. Amidst constant quotidian hassles it seems as though a Mumbaikar can hardly afford time and space to breathe or reflect.
Mumbai is a city that is constantly in a flux and full of surprises. There is something about Mumbai that doesn’t move on as fast as its people — its oceanic shore. The uncertain times of the Corona virus have shown us how much we enjoy certainties and the sea precisely serves this purpose for the city; it is there when you want to see the ocean swallow the sun every evening, there when you want you get away from the suffocating concrete jungle, there when you want to hang out with friends — it is some place to go when there is nowhere to go. Although the sea fills you with a congenial sense of calm no matter which periphery of this once seven island city you’re on, each has its own idiosyncratic speciality.
Mahim Beach
The beach is my favorite leisurely spot. On weekends you find a group of boys playing cricket and football till sunset and on weekdays you can sit on the painted rocks and wait till the sun goes down to spot the evening star venus shining brightly on the city. The sea not only reflects the pink blue, lilac, yellow, grey sky but also the myriad thoughts on my mind while the wind teleports them for a brief moment. I remember enjoying long summer vacations on Mahim Beach trying to build sand-castles and sometimes even carrying the sand home in my beach bucket to bring a part of the ocean at home. Apart from being an integral part of my childhood it also has been an essential part of the history of the city. Mahim was one of the seven islands ruled by the Portuguese in the 16th Century, and has a rich history. The island was given to Catherine of Braganza as dowry in her marriage with Charles II in 1662, after this the island belonged to the English. The Mahim fort which was built even before the Portuguese is now in a complete state of disarray.
The reclamation of land in 1885 shifted the map of the city and linked Mahim to Bandra and Worli. The flow of drainage from the Mithi river has immensely polluted the beach for the past few years but a group of enthusiastic local citizens under the name of ‘Mahim Beach Clean Up’ have taken the task of beautifying the beach in their hands. They are also working along with the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) on solving the Mithi River issue. The small steps taken by this local group has made the beach cleaner and a pleasant hang-out space.
Carter Road
On my visits to Carter Road, I’ve often noticed that the evening tide is low, which allows people to walk through rocks and find a comfortable spot between the sea and land. The sunsets here are calmer than any other place in Bombay because the sea is more secluded from the hustle-bustle of the city. Staring at the horizon for a few moments it gives you the feeling of almost reaching the end of the world but every five minutes you see a flight heading beyond the edge and finally disappearing. It makes me wonder about all the places you’ve been and all the places you will be. It is surreal to see so many flights heading in different directions like fairies in children’s films.
Marine Drive
It is undoubtedly one of the most famous shores of the city. It is one of the must visit places if you want to have a full Mumbai experience. Sunsets behind the silhouette of the city’s skyline make a perfect postcard picture. Around twilight hours it is a thrill to watch the streetlights switch on from one end of the queen’s necklace to the Safie Hospital. The sitting path separates two contrasting worlds of Bombay: the fast paced, man-made city and the wild waves of the sea. Sitting at Marine Drive promenade you get to experience the city in its different forms: the noise of cars, the crawling crabs on tripods, the crowd of people around you, the vendors selling Bhel and Kachi Kairi and the sea air that makes your hair sticky and the continuous clashing of the waves.
The waves of the Arabian sea almost mirror the ups and downs of life in Mumbai; the people of Mumbai always looking forward to the next train, the next station, the next delivery, the next challenge as days dwindle into each other like a wave fizzling out on the shore while the other begins a new journey. The ever moving yet, ever constant ocean not only gives Mumbaikars an opportunity to look at the bigger picture of their lives and the city but also helps them reflect on the currents of change in their lives.
