Grab a moment, and be fast, will you?

In Goa, on our way to Baga beach from the airport, when I was still haggling with the cabbie over the fare was when he asked it. Or rather remarked “You from Mumbai, right?” I nodded, I had just flown the Mumbai-Goa flight, so I am from Mumbai only, that’s no genius I thought, but he continued “Only someone from Mumbai can be so fast, you bargained with me AND got a few other people to share the fare all in a matter of minutes. Normal people just come and take the prepaid taxis without any ado. And now, despite paying the lowest possible you are still bargaining.” And now he nodded his head as if he was really amused and said “You have to be from Mumbai. You guys grab everything and are really fast in doing that.”

His observation set me thinking. He was not too off target. We do grab everything we can, and as quickly as we can. How else can you explain one and a half hours spent in cooking, ,ten hours of office, four hours of travelling in the trains, blogging, reading, writing, socialising, and going over to your neighbours place with a hot cup of coffee to catch up on what’s happening with everyone around, all this rolled into just 24 hours?

While discussing this with a friend who is in Mumbai for just six months for a project she tells me “When my day finishes, I still would like to have time on my hand and be able to decide if I want to spend it polishing my nails or just plainly staring at a wall, but in Mumbai that’s just not possible, you never have the time if you don’t grab a moment for everything, life just passes you by.”

I have to agree with her, when you are in mumbai you don’t even read the paper at leisure, you read the paper when you can grab a moment, and now you also have to read Hafta magazine, every now and then, so be fast, will you? Please.

***

On 31st May at the very onset of monsoon, the central railway broke down, so I had to wade my way through water to work. I saw a man, completely drenched, standing in knee deep water. He had a dozen umbrellas tied to a rope hanging around his neck. He yelled at the top of his voice: “Jumbo umbrella, only Rs.80!"I realised something. Here you have a broken drown train system, complete chaos on the streets, incessant, relentless driving rain and an utter all prevailing feeling of wretchedness. Yet nothing dampens the spirit that comes with the city. Jumbo Spirit. Only Rs. 80.

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