My Bombay

I was born in a city then called Bombay, few years after India got its independence from Britain. I lived in my parent’s home through high school and college. It was not common for adult children especially girls to move out and live on their own for cultural and financial reasons.

Bombay was a happening city even then. Bombayites were considered sophisticated, modern and less traditional than in other parts of India. Girls from Bombay preferred to marry only man from Bombay. Marrying to someone from other cities most definitely would mean less freedom for them in their in-laws house.

Both my parents were educated and had come to Bombay for jobs from a near by town called Dahanu. They were able to rent a 900 sq.ft flat in Bombay on my father’s salary as an insurance salesman. Over the years our middle class family was able to acquire a phone, a refrigerator, a car and television which arrived in India in the early 70s. Even though there were many people around us who could afford a lot more than we did, we never felt unhappy or wanted more. My two siblings and I grew up surrounded by lot of love from grand parents, uncles, and aunts.

Now my parents are gone and so is our parental home. Even then the feeling of home sickness is strong as I roam my old haunts on this visit.

The city has changed. Many tall buildings crowd the skyline. There is buzz of construction every where with underground subway project and Coastal Road that would go in the ocean to connect south of the city to the north part and ease the heavily congested roads. The air is polluted, traffic horrendous. It is difficult to walk anywhere.

Despite these challenges of navigating the city there are enough old buildings, shops, restaurants as well as some people from my past like tailor and shopkeepers that help me go down the memory lane.

Beyond the physical attributes there is some thing deeper that connects me to this city. It is the people, friends and extended family members that live here. They are ever so warm and welcoming despite the physical distance that separates us. People have busy lives but they go out of their way to entertain us, feed us and make us comfortable in their homes. Staying in a hotel is out of the question. They come to pick us up at the airport in the middle of the night even though we can take an Uber. They make sure to give us coffee even though tea is what they prefer. They feed us the most delicious food. They rearrange their work schedule to spend time with us.

Indians are known for their hospitality. It is one of the core values of Indian culture. The Sanskrit phrase is “Athithi devobhav”, it means “Guests are like god”. The comfort of the guests should be paramount in any household. One can see this practiced throughout India. Even people of lesser means will share their meager meal for guests. What a wonderful value that allows people to connect to each other and build a stronger community.

My feeling for Mumbai is a love hate relationship. I still love the city but don’t seem to have the tolerance for its pollution and congested roads. As I am leaving today I feel that I will once again return to see the beautified, less congested Mumbai in couple of years.

Meera 19 January 2019