Bombay's Diaries, part 2

Part 2 of my Bombay’s Diaries series (Part 1 is here) contains five bloggers experiences of all things Bombay - its people, its places, the names of these places and even a riveting fable (thanks for the tip, Vij!). There’s also a lethal reality check post on local train travel (thanks Anon). Take it away, desi bloggers.

Delhi-ite Zombie lists ten reasons why she loves Bombay. “I have been to Mumbai only once but I know if I ever have to leave Delhi, Mumbai would be the place I would love to move to. I seriously believe I was born to Mumbai...Delhi was an accident called Fate.” For her ten reasons and an A-to-Z of Bambaiya language, click here.

As part of his Bom v/s Del series, here's Dhoomk2’s take on Bombay's people. “The proudest moment of a Bombay person's life is when the taxi-driver delivers exact change, in multiples of Rs. 1. This happens only in Bombay (obviously, they discount the Kolkata bus conductor, who gives out 10 paisa, as the economy there has a different currency altogether). The second proudest moment comes when they travel in well-packed trains at 9:30 am in the morning and get occasional glances of the sea. This experience, however, is more the stuff of legends than reality. Anybody who complains about the fact that they were pushed in by the crowds and therefore couldn't really see (anything, leave alone the sea) is a Delhiite.” Read the rest of his post here.

Vijayeta talks of the five stages of becoming a Bombay convert, which also correspond with the five stages of death. “Bombay. 4 A.M. But then, the city never sleeps, or stops or some such line about Bombay, That Woman couldn’t really be too bothered to recall. It was an early morning shoot for a music video. And there was a minor traffic jam on the Western Express Highway. At 4 AM. That Woman sat in the cab, suddenly surprised at her nonchalance about the traffic jam. This should have unsettled her. But it didn’t! Was THAT happening to her too?...... Bombay is one huge impending deadline and a barrage of new assignments, and if there is anyplace that will make you feel guilty for not getting around to something, it’s Bombay.” For more of her fascinating story, click here.

With a profile that starts with “Born, brought up and bred in Bombay”, I’d have been a fan of Abodh anyways, And he’s also the CEO of WSD India. In this post, that’s almost a walk around these places, Abodh echoes one of my frequent thoughts about this city when he says “Living in Mumbai, we must have always wondered the origin of names of neighborhoods that we reside in or have visited.” And no Abodh, I didn’t know that “Mazgaon : The name was derived from 1) Maza gaon- which means my village in Marathi 2) Maccha Grama – which means a fishing village.” To discover the names of some other places, click here.

A post like this is a good reminder of the shocking indifference of Bombay’s people. Atanu Dey says “Mumbai is what I would call the Triple Point of the World and indicate it as Zero Degrees Human….. Sardine cans have been put to shame when they are compared to Mumbai locals. Those trains are designed to carry about a thousand people. They routinely transport about five thousand people instead. And most of these five thousand make it to their respective destinations.I say most of these make it home because a very small insignificant percentage don’t survive the journey.” For more on how people are disposable, click here.