A Day In The Life Of Mumbai....

The eyes refuse to open. It seems justified, after only a four hour sleep, and at least fourteen hours of work which lies ahead. The odds are stacked against them. However, the stomach is growling with hunger. The stomach wins the battle, and the eyes open. Its still pitch dark outside, but the day starts here. The body carries out the usual chores to be completed after getting up from bed, but the mind is far away. Busy with the day's plan, busy with unfulfilled dreams, every day making the dreamer more and more determined to achieve the dream, achieve the impossible.

The breakfast has the same pattern as the chores. In a bid to silence the growling stomach, the taste, hygiene, quantity and quality is forgotten. Because the mind is still roaming. Busy predicting the day's the problems, busy predicting the train schedules, busy trying to figure out a way to pay the existing debts. At some rare moment, the mind realizes what life the person is living, but its no big deal. The mind is coaxed easily. " Everyone lives the same life. You're no different. " And the mind quietly goes back to its job.

You invariably wander to the nearest railway station. Trains. The lifeline of Mumbai. The heat is unforgiving, The atmosphere is always extreme. Too much heat, too much rains. Unfortunately, there is never too much winter. As you reach the platform, you see about one thousand people on the platform ( sadly its not a hyperbole ). This is where the competition begins. A train designed for one thousand people, on an average carries thrice its capacity. Its the trains, which single- handedly give out the motto and the attitude of the city. " Compete or Perish " is what the unrelenting, yet kind, frustrating, yet rewarding city says in every way that it can.

However, no one is deterred by this attitude. Everyone here has a purpose. Some come with a will to become rich, some with a will to become famous.

As you hang outside the train ( which is much more comforting than sitting in the train, though not even remotely as safe as the former ) the stark irony of the city strikes you. As you move from the suburbs to the posh town area, the irony strikes you. High rises and tall towers, with shambles and slums growing in front of them. Rich people wearing branded clothes and the poor wearing the same clothes everyday sit in the same overloaded compartment. The city is Unforgiving.

You see parks being built on one side, trees being grown on one side, and forests being torn down to accommodate buildings on the other side. But what can you do? The sheer amount of people coming to make their living is too much a burden for any city.

Even with all this, Mumbai is still The City Of Dreams. Even after a day like the one mentioned above, people still dare to dream. The dreams just gets stronger everyday, the resolve gets stronger everyday. You can still go out at 2 AM in the night without a care in the world of getting kidnapped ( women included ), you can still be stuck in the floods, vying for every ounce of energy, just to be greeted by volunteers who don't take advantage of you, rather they offer you tea and glucose biscuits free-of-cost. Even after every draining day, after every fatal punch, the hope is still there.

Mumbai. The City Of  Dreams. The City Of Hope.


P.S- Just tried my hand at this. Am not even half as experienced as any Mumbaikar. Just thought I would try.