A day in the life of Mumbai

I look out of my window on a dark and gloomy Friday evening, and it strikes me as amazing, how so suddenly the weather changes right in front of our eyes, and yet we do not notice it.

The evenings, they have always been theatrical, the riot of colors, the blue vistas and the oranges and grays, each competing for our attention, but sadly, none succeeding.
One day, the evening ends at seven, all happy and aglow, and over the next few days, it’s as if they are in a hurry to spread out the blue blankets. Six o’clock suddenly seems like seven used to, and seven, well, seven as always.

The evening walkers, in their daily attire, are amused at the lack of light, but nevertheless, carry on in their mission to cover their daily distances as usual. The kids are unhappy, for their hours of delight are woefully cut down, and for no fault of theirs too. The rains, as is usual during such days, bring with it a faint smell of melancholic sadness, as if nature herself rues the haziness, but is helpless against it. We all feel it in our bones, that moment when we wish we could all have spent a more profitable today in Switzerland or other places north.

But Mumbai in its inevitable madness never ceases to amaze me either. As has been said a thousand times before me, the city never sleeps. The trains, they rumble on, regardless of the rain and the light, or the lack thereof. The buses continue to hog the road and fight with rickshaws for supremacy, putting countless commuters through their daily grind.
And really, come to think of it, we all feel a bit let down if there is no harassment, no real incident that marks out the Mumbai city life for what it is. What is it with us? No one knows. It’s part of the mystery that is Mumbai. It is part of our existence, part of the mark on our foreheads that tells the devil leave them be, they have already gone through hell.

And when all is said and done, in the evenings, we all travel the same roads that lead to home, after what is a normal day for us, with another battle on our hands.
The roads(At least I assume that’s what they are called these days) continue to win the pockmarks contest hands down, and everybody gets home at the end of another harrowing day, too tired to notice that the weather has changed again.

Words...

all the words in the world,
are not enough when we are sad,
yet,a simple touch may take away
all the grief we ever had...
Some company,compassion, a little love,
are all we ever pine for,
Yet,these very things evade us,and how
it makes us wish for more...
Those little words, every man searches within,
To make peace,with himself,his soul
To find his place in this vast vast world,
To make his life seem whole...
Words that seek to justify his living,
To regale,reveal,reverberate,
With a story,of life,still unfulfilled,promising,
And words,asking him to wait...

Love

i've been in love with you,
every second,minute,hour that i knew
And now i keep lookin for you,
Can you feel it too,My love for you...
Its not so hard, to remember the day,
When your eyes met mine,
All i could ever do was pray,
That you'd be mine,that you'd be mine...
I'd love to see my love reflect in your eyes,
I'd love to hold you tight,to never let go...
I'd love to be with you,when you take to the skies,
I'd love to say i love you,how i'd love to let you know...

From behind a hooded veil,glowing,
Smiles a face, unknown to me,
With eyes,a million miles away, yet knowing,
Of secrets, that I couldn't see...

A silvery glow,so inviting,that veil,
Yet without cure,deathly pale,
I seek a treasure there,left behind,
That never ever was mine to find...

A thousand eyes have set upon that visage,
But now,she hides from sight,
As if to taunt,ridicule my plight,
Like an oasis,a desert mirage...

At last, the stars in my favor,descend upon the night,
Deciding to give me a chance,
To talk to the moon, to end our fight,
To have another moonlight dance...

A trip to Alibaug.....

Well...
Now what do i write? Three days of pure unadulterated fun, frolic and enjoyment... When I agreed to go along to Alibaug to escape the stress and frenzied life in Mumbai, I never knew I would end up having so much fun in the process.
There we were, the six of us, Ajayraj, Ameya, Me, Nikhil, Sandeep and Rohit at the break of dawn on the 1st of May at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, ready to embark on a trip to Alibaug.
Day 1
The fun started in the line to get tickets for the boat to Alibaug. We saw a few trees that reminded us of something I cannot write here... And Ameya's Gym bag opened up a literal Pandora's box for him...Poor Ameya.Little did he know what would await him. Then there was the boat trip itself, with the other guys tripping over themselves to get a good seat (and an even better view...!! of what else...girls!)

Once at Alibaug, we kept all our 'saamaan'(enough for a small army, going by Ajay's standards) in our room, and left for Alibaug beach.
There we began walking thru water right in the middle of the sea towards the Alibaug fort... knee deep and steadily rising.We almost reached there.But alas! it was not to be. A failed attempt but success in that we were able to enjoy ourselves at the beach...
After a few replenishments and lunch at a good restaurant (Mumbai restaurants eat your hearts out!!! IT IS SO DAMN CHEAP), we went to Nagaon. Here poor Rohit and Ameya were being stalked by a lady while they were changing clothes...
We rode the "DUK DUK"s all the way and then went back home to a moderately good dinner.The best part came here... A night at the beach nearby...Moonlight and beautiful scenery..It was amazing!

Day 2
The next day we were off to a bit of history...Murud Janjira-The Impregnable fortress right in the middle of the sea.
2 Hrs in a rickety state transport bus did not dampen our spirits as we were sure we would have some fun here. The only sad part was we had to watch as a beautiful Kashid Beach went past us on our way.

We were amazed at the ability of the people 950 years ago, they took up the challenge of building an impregnable fortress and succeeded to a fair extent.
But, if you take a look at it now, it would rend your heart. Demolished, routed, rubbished and devastated, it looks forlon, forbidding and still holds within it the heart and soul of an era that has passed us by unheeded.

There was a guide who (mis)guided us about the history of the place.(22 Towers, 22 Years, 22 Acres, what rot!).

Rohit's compass decided to play truant at this point.
Well, for hundreds and thousands of years now, East is where the sun rise happens and West is where it sets. But Rohit's compass, for some strange reason unknown to us still, it decided otherwise! We spent quite a bit of time reasoning and arguing, but in the end, decided to stick to the traditional way of life and distrust his compass for the moment until providence proves us wrong.

There was some fantastic scenery on show there..(and for those in onto a little secret, I am not talking about turtles and 'Thigh'land...)

The return trip back home in ST bus was uneventful, followed by a mammoth dinner,(dirt cheap I might add..hey,this keeps coming up). There was some delightful Malai Pista Kulfi(kandi in local terms) to be had for dessert too.

Then comes the night when Sandeep pulled a fast one on Ameya by scaring him with a few ghostly sounds, good enough trick under the circumstances...We were awake till 2:30 am, talking and jibbering. All in all, it was a successful day, well spent.

Day 3

On the last day, everything went like clockwork. We were up and ready to go to Kihim Beach.We traded ghost stories at breakfast,(Ameya was too scared the previous night, thanks to Sandeep). We were lured into trying para-sailing, at 300 Rs a person, it felt like a good deal. Unfortunately, I and Ameya were not allowed to go at first owing to our girth. I think the guy was deranged or had a seriously bad sense of humor. Anyway, we came back later and did go para-sailing.
It was one of the most amazing things. To lift off the ground and look at the world from above is an experience every1 shud try atleast once.It was especially fun to see Ameya drag the jeep up with him as he flew!!

I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within

Ajay,on his way out of the boat back on Mumbai somehow managed to rile an idiotic old man, who for some reason thought that Ajay was trying to molest his wife.(AS IF!!!). The scene that Ajay created was to be seen to be believed, and I think the old man fled fearing for his life, and that of his wife.

And finally, we caught the train back to Bhandup, back to our old lives, back to mundane existence and back to good old Mumbai..

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow

This is the tale of our trip, a story I will remember until there comes a time when I can't remember it anymore.
If there is anything I've left out guys, its purely keeping your interests at heart, and I hope you will remember the juicier bits and reminisce together on our next outing... Adios Amigos...

A bus ride...

Verily a bus ride I try,
To remember,yet still
many many hours fly
In a bus,uncounted I fill...
As I watch,the window shows,
The rest of the world,its ebbs and flows;
These sights and sounds,they parody
A new yet familiar orchestra's melody...
As the wind blows in my face,
I suddenly feel the urge to race,
The exhilaration i feel,as it gobbles up the road,
There's never a moment left to feel bored...
Some old faces,I remember from everyday,
Some new ones i see too,that fade away;
Such is life, You'll find your destination one day,
What matters is the journey along the way...

Insignificance

Insignificance,my friend,Is a grave matter,Of putting your whole life,Out there on a platter.
You shout,you scream,you make yourself hoary.But does anybody listen,Now thats another story...
A second glance,a thought,thats all you vie for, But a snobbish world awaits,tat doesn't care anymore...
Your insignificance,your mind's devil,It burns up your soul
It blackens your heart,like ashes from coal...
Greet not my friend,these silences with tears,
But face them instead,and banish your fears
then within you,you'll find,what was always there,
Then you'll give your true worth, for the whole world to share...