Every time I indulge in a box of Ferrero Rocher, there are a couple
of things that cross my mind. One, the finesse with which it is pre-
pared that makes it melt in my mouth along with the added richness
of nuts in abundance. Two, the cost! If the perennial focus is on the
latter, how would you possibly focus on the former? The constant
perception towards Mumbai is that it is all the above mentioned
things, without a slightest possibility of a deviation in perspective
about the tranquillity that the same place has to offer. The serenity of
the sea or the placidity that the rains bring is a given. Not laying em-
phasis on that, I happened to relate to those people who found calm
in chaos, placidity in being a workaholic and composure in a busy
schedule.
Apart from successfully assisting in the above, Mumbai happened to
be giving me a wake-up call every now and then. There is something
peculiarly unique about this city. It is true that the city never sleeps;
however, did you know that it never lets you sleep too? The Mum-
bai Metro functions from 5 in the morning to 12 at night. And then
comes the maintenance work throughout the night, given that my
apartment used to oversee the tracks. Think of all the poor souls (no
pun intended!) like me, who lived right next to the tracks.
Jokes apart, if you looked a little deeper into the ‘chaos’, you would
find people so engrossed in their routine that it was almost as if they
worshipped it. There was no place for lethargy, no scope for slug-
gishness and no sign of reluctance. On days when I did not feel like
moving an inch, it was the city that drove me to do it. How many
places would do that to you? The days lived outside the city seem
longer, rather drag. Maybe this is what happens when a place hap-
pens, to you. Mumbai is not a city, it is an experience and more than
anything it is the epitome of human capabilities.
UTTARA JAGANATH