Saturday, January 26, 2013

Leaving Mumbai

I always thought it was easy to leave or enter a city. One doesn't need a visa! Starting a life or a new beginning should not be dependent on a geographical location.

I have been living in Mumbai for the past 10 years and although it's not a lot of time to have discovered or familiarized with every nook and corner of the this metropolis, I did manage to find zones where I liked to hang out or identify with. I did make few friends with whom to share my moments with. Although the primary reason of living in Mumbai was not any great love for the culture of the city or the thrill of living in one of the fastest growing cities in India, it was merely the job opportunities.

When I wanted to leave this city which had been my home for the last decade, I realized it wasn't as easy to say bye as it was easy to arrive with dreams in ones eyes and a heart full of optimisim. Over the years I had grown roots in the form of doctors whose replacement had to be found, banks which needed letters of transfers, insurance which needed insane amount of paperwork than the time of purchasing, disposal of furniture, packing of knick-knacks that had been accumulated over the years.

How had a city become such an important part of my routine? The ease of commuting, the local watering hole which welcomed me like a long lost friend, the traffic jams which let me catch up with friends on the phone while waiting for the signal to turn green, the convenience of home delivery of a variety of things, to the impromptu UNO matches to the late night movie fests.

Are these activities exclusive to Mumbai only? can they not be done anywhere else? I guess this is what both the city and me have to discover. Will Mumbai retain its charm over me or will I find a new beginning?