Mumbai Meri Jaan
It has been 4 months since we moved out of Mumbai and I thought a reflection of life at Mumbai is a fair thing.
We moved to Mumbai, as a family of 3, in Sept 1997. The place has lost its charm for sure, but still I guess it is the city I love most.
We started living in 4 bungalows, a nice 2 BHK flat in the second floor of a 7 floor building. De souza's next door were great people and our young family was eagerly accepted. We were floored by the corner flora departmental store, they would home deliver even Rs 10 worth of stuff any time of the day, as long as they were open. This one service factor of Mumbai is something you can never beat. Shop keepers would deliver even the smallest quantity at your door step. This is some thing the emerging retail chains and hypermarkets would never be able to do and one of the reasons why kirana stores will survive.
4 bunglows was one place where every thing was available. You just stepped out of the house and got what you wanted; groceries, vegetables, fish (we don't eat fish, but you had to cross it), electronics, clothing and a whole lot of auto garages. The place has become maddeningly crowded now, but till 2000, I could travel from 4 bunglows to Wadala in 40 minutes in the morning and less than an hour in the evening. Today it is more like 40 mins to the western express highway.
We moved out in 2000, as we had a burglary, when my family was away. By then I had climbed up the ladder a bit and we could afford a house in Juhu. we had a very beautiful sea facing flat at Neha apartment Juhu. Our family, which had become 4 by now, was thrilled to be having a home with a private entrance to the beach and stiff breeze through out, that excluded the need for an AC (though the salt water laden breeze ruined all electronic equipment in 3 years). People were even more warm, though we could never catch up with them economically. For an year Anu Malik was our neighbour. We learnt respect for people and ability rather than position and power, for that was what we got.
From there we moved to Santacruz in late 2002, to a company flat. This was an even larger spacious flat. We were also now in the air take off path. We learnt to sleep with palm covering the ears; now we were also on the main road through which Ganpathi processions go. The din that is created is un imaginable. We bought our AC to protect our ear drums rather than the weather. This was the place we stayed the shortest duration, for in 2003, I quit my job at Castrol and had to move out of the place.
One of the most horrifying experience in Mumbai is the house hunting process. We had done it once at Castrol. But then castrol had an excellent housing scheme and it so it was easy, made more so by my excellent set of friends in HR. When we started hunting house after we decided to leave Castrol, we came to the first roadblock, the huge deposits that are demanded. We found a nice place but the lease got derailed at the 11th hour, I had 8 days to find a new home. That is when we decided to buy our home and move to Hiranandani Thane. All of you out there wanting to move to Mumbai, make sure that your employer gets you the house of choice.
Thane was a wonderful place to live. The first night at our new home, my son could not sleep, he was hearing crickets while he was used to aircraft take offs. Also all of us were falling sick regularly in the first 3 months, we attributed that to the cleaner, pollution free environment.
We also got the pleasure of living in a township. Children could walk down to school, they could see flowers, trees, birds and reptiles. My son was excited on seeing a squirell. We then realized what children in cities miss out on.
Hiranandani estate also meant that we were part of a great society. September to March was a series of social events. We had 3 to 4 days of Ganpathi festival, when all children got to give performances at the Ganapathi mandal. This was followed by Garba for Navarathri with some great music. Then we subsequently had durga puja celebrations lead by the Bengali community, Iyyappa puja by the Tamil and Kerala community and a grand new year party. Most societies had their annual day subsequently and the entire celebrations would close with Holi.
Monsoon meant that entire hills surrounding Thane was lush green and mist covered. We have small hillock behind our house; a favorite pass time being seeing the waterfalls grow as the monsoon progresses.
Anyway all of that ended earlier this year, May 2006, when we moved to Chennai. But we miss Mumbai badly. If it were not for the poor infrastructure and consequent hours on the road, Mumbai would be the greatest place to live. It has the most warmest of people (Readers digest can stuff their survey, you know where), the most disciplined Indians (though Mumbai is catching up with the rest) and the most professional work environment.
No wonder once a Mumbaikar always a Mumbaikar
It has been 4 months since we moved out of Mumbai and I thought a reflection of life at Mumbai is a fair thing.
We moved to Mumbai, as a family of 3, in Sept 1997. The place has lost its charm for sure, but still I guess it is the city I love most.
We started living in 4 bungalows, a nice 2 BHK flat in the second floor of a 7 floor building. De souza's next door were great people and our young family was eagerly accepted. We were floored by the corner flora departmental store, they would home deliver even Rs 10 worth of stuff any time of the day, as long as they were open. This one service factor of Mumbai is something you can never beat. Shop keepers would deliver even the smallest quantity at your door step. This is some thing the emerging retail chains and hypermarkets would never be able to do and one of the reasons why kirana stores will survive.
4 bunglows was one place where every thing was available. You just stepped out of the house and got what you wanted; groceries, vegetables, fish (we don't eat fish, but you had to cross it), electronics, clothing and a whole lot of auto garages. The place has become maddeningly crowded now, but till 2000, I could travel from 4 bunglows to Wadala in 40 minutes in the morning and less than an hour in the evening. Today it is more like 40 mins to the western express highway.
We moved out in 2000, as we had a burglary, when my family was away. By then I had climbed up the ladder a bit and we could afford a house in Juhu. we had a very beautiful sea facing flat at Neha apartment Juhu. Our family, which had become 4 by now, was thrilled to be having a home with a private entrance to the beach and stiff breeze through out, that excluded the need for an AC (though the salt water laden breeze ruined all electronic equipment in 3 years). People were even more warm, though we could never catch up with them economically. For an year Anu Malik was our neighbour. We learnt respect for people and ability rather than position and power, for that was what we got.
From there we moved to Santacruz in late 2002, to a company flat. This was an even larger spacious flat. We were also now in the air take off path. We learnt to sleep with palm covering the ears; now we were also on the main road through which Ganpathi processions go. The din that is created is un imaginable. We bought our AC to protect our ear drums rather than the weather. This was the place we stayed the shortest duration, for in 2003, I quit my job at Castrol and had to move out of the place.
One of the most horrifying experience in Mumbai is the house hunting process. We had done it once at Castrol. But then castrol had an excellent housing scheme and it so it was easy, made more so by my excellent set of friends in HR. When we started hunting house after we decided to leave Castrol, we came to the first roadblock, the huge deposits that are demanded. We found a nice place but the lease got derailed at the 11th hour, I had 8 days to find a new home. That is when we decided to buy our home and move to Hiranandani Thane. All of you out there wanting to move to Mumbai, make sure that your employer gets you the house of choice.
Thane was a wonderful place to live. The first night at our new home, my son could not sleep, he was hearing crickets while he was used to aircraft take offs. Also all of us were falling sick regularly in the first 3 months, we attributed that to the cleaner, pollution free environment.
We also got the pleasure of living in a township. Children could walk down to school, they could see flowers, trees, birds and reptiles. My son was excited on seeing a squirell. We then realized what children in cities miss out on.
Hiranandani estate also meant that we were part of a great society. September to March was a series of social events. We had 3 to 4 days of Ganpathi festival, when all children got to give performances at the Ganapathi mandal. This was followed by Garba for Navarathri with some great music. Then we subsequently had durga puja celebrations lead by the Bengali community, Iyyappa puja by the Tamil and Kerala community and a grand new year party. Most societies had their annual day subsequently and the entire celebrations would close with Holi.
Monsoon meant that entire hills surrounding Thane was lush green and mist covered. We have small hillock behind our house; a favorite pass time being seeing the waterfalls grow as the monsoon progresses.
Anyway all of that ended earlier this year, May 2006, when we moved to Chennai. But we miss Mumbai badly. If it were not for the poor infrastructure and consequent hours on the road, Mumbai would be the greatest place to live. It has the most warmest of people (Readers digest can stuff their survey, you know where), the most disciplined Indians (though Mumbai is catching up with the rest) and the most professional work environment.
No wonder once a Mumbaikar always a Mumbaikar
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