Yeh hai Bombay meri Jaan

Next is Diwali...the lighteous festival known for bringing happiness & joy in the hearts of people.
All 'outsiders' rush to home to spend the glamorous festive moment with loved ones.
I didnt have the chance for the 8th consecutive year now to light the diyas at home with my loved ones... I was there during Dusshera at home...& now I have to be here in Mumbai.
And I have my own company for myself - my roomates are away to their hometowns. I think this will be the first time I will be celebrating (or rather spending) Diwali all alone. Lets see how it goes.
Ok, talking about Mumbai (I still like calling Bombay), it would require a great deal of real adventure to bring out the real enthusiasm in spirit. I mean you just cant describe things based on unexperienced facts. You need exposure to get the feeling & the reeling. Described in some respects in one old song by Rafi (yeh bombay meri jaan...), the firts line indicates it is indeed really tough to lead a life here. The song brings out all the anomalies & the peculiarities specific to this mahacity. Another refernce of the place is also made in one of the finest song by Kishore (ee hai bombay nagariya tu dekh babua...) wherby it is described as the place of millionaires. Again it brings out similar comprehensions about the city - from peculiarity to the greatness. Same is applicable to 'insiders' residing in mumbai. No doubt, over the years, the place as well as its residents have come out with prosperity in diversified fields. It is said that the average Mumbaikar is a nice chap & there are very few offenders of law. Well, rightly so. Otherwise I guess it would have been very tough for a huge population to survive in this city. Yes the number in figure is brainstorming & you step out of home & meet more people. Be it anytime of the day, a chap is always engaged in something out there for you to notice.
My goodness, I really do respect the people here, when they show a compromised zesture of arranging themselves in a line for a queue at any place (right from waiting on the street for an autorickshaw, buying subarban rail/road/movie tickets, or arranging themselves in line whenever the count is more than one person).
Its like the inhabitant here has developed an understood mindset to be decent enough & do the favour to others as well himself to arrange himself in a queue, moment he sees any other person standing sideby. While the queue at railway ticket counter in understable, sometimes when the line extends upto the middle of the road, the newcomes gaze in wonder whats happening out there. Sometimes there is even a queue people just get themselves into, without much info, only to realize later, that it never existed- caused just because of sheer ignorant crowd. Its nice as well amusing to watch people standing right out there. You feel contemplated & will have bound to have mixed reactions. I just wonder should I respect the perspirating man standing in the line for quite sometime in the mid-day sun, or should I pity for them, those unlucky chaps, vowing to chose only the tiresome path, but never ever realizing to find the alternate route.
This is the story of a common Mumbaikar.
Cheers
A Bombaikar.