Mumbai!!!

As I don’t have anything to do apart from sitting in bus, looking around for colors outside, coz nothing interesting happening inside [:)], thought of writing (literally WRITING in the empty space of my Vodafone bill) for my next blog. Though I ve announced the topic yesterday, I was observing Mumbai from the moment I landed here and this thought of writing about Mumbai, to be precise how I look at Mumbai, has been running around for some time now. This might be boring to you. Yenna idhula mokka joke edhuvum kediyadhu. Idhukkum mela padicha adhu onga kashtam.. oops onga ishtam. hehe

For lovers of Mumbai, this is my disclaimer!!!. I am from Chennai and my Hindi knowledge can be compared to that of an American Hindi (hehe), and the fact that I have lost my favorite N70 on the day I ve landed here (infact I lost my mobile around 12:30 and I landed here in Mumbai at 11:00), you can be very sure that my views are biased.


Taxis – My mode of commuting

Coming to the point, first of all the most admiring part in Mumbai is Taxi’s & auto’s and persons driving them. Being a Chennai’tian (Che ovvoru officelayum irundhu idhe pazhakkama pochu), I ve always used to hear words like :-
“80 rooba kudu sir, thirumbi varumbothu gaaliya than varanum” and I some times feel that instead of giving 80 rubees its better to spend some time and get them one savaari back [:D]
“petrol vela yeri pochu sir”
“Enna sir meter poda sollra, endha kaalathula irukka”, “Meter odadhu sir”
“Mylapore Tank varaikkumnnu thana sir sonneenga, ippo ulla varanumna 10 rooba pottu kudunga sir” (My house is before Kapali temple, and people from Chennai knows how far is Tank and Temple),
its been an pleasant surprise to see that these taxi drivers doesn’t even utter a single word for petrol, inflation and turn the meter on even for going to the next street etc etc. Its even more surprising to see when they give back even 1 rupee change. As always drivers from Airport will be an exception.

Mumbai Trains / Buses

I have never used to tell time like 9:12, 8:57, 6:54, but that’s the most important part of life for many people. Thanks to Mumbai traffic and trains. I still used to wonder how these people used to travel in train in those peak hours and come out as one piece. You ll find “sorry” crowd in First class compartment and “Ot**” crowd in II class. In cricket they used to tell “Class is permanent and form is temporary”. But here “Crowd is permanent and your life is temporary”.

Bus is another extreme where no one boards bus here. When I ask for ticket from Nariman Point to Mahim, the whole crowd used to look me like an alien. Yaarum bus yera maatraanga. Aana enakku ennamo night bus journey than pudichurukku.

The Cultural Difference

The biggest difference you ll have to encounter in Mumbai is that cultural change. I still cant digest the fact that people here come to restaurant with their family, have their drink with wife & son and in front of their parents. Worst of all I have seen a 70 year old paatti ordered for Vodka with sprite in our next table, where us we have ordered Veg. clear soup.

Another major difference you ll see over here is the number of women used to smoke. Though I ll say Chennai is not a saint city, you will definitely not see girls smoking like this. Call me male chauvinist, or any other name, if women call this as liberalization and I ll prefer it being like 1890. Apporam indha dressing sense of girls. Ellarukkum appdiye veetukku veliyila vandha odane bollywood acrressnnu nenaippu. Appadi make up potta parava illa, andha alavukku than dressE pannaraanga. Ennaye vekka pada vechutaanga. As a good boy naan than kunicha thala nimiraama rottula vara vendiyadha irukku. Kadavule kadavule.

Other things

I ll get a big 2/3 bedroom flat with car parking facility for rent for 15K in Chennai. Aana inga enakku kedichadhu oru room and kitchen than. Idhu than inga nelamai. Kovi’nna namma ooru maadhiri irukkumnnu nenaichu pona thriumbi paakarathukkulla kovil mudinchu podium. Just realizing the legacy of our Cholas and Pandiyas, and how important it is for South India is their ideas of creating large temples for worshipping.

There was a nice cool breeze coming from bus window and there was no more space in my Vodafone bill. As the bus cross the Atriya mall, there were lots of people getting into the bus. Ivvolavu neram chumma okkandhu irundha ramanikku vela vandhuruchu. Andha ponnu onnaya than paakkara ramani. Ippo poi blog ezhudharaya nee uruppadave maatta appdinnu ennoda manasaatchi solludhu. So ippodhaikku indha topicA close pannaren. Aana enna than sollunga,

I MISS CHENNAI.