Myths & Truths – Bombay – 1

Bombay has enveloped itself into so many myths that it took me a year to finally break them free. Often I would reprimand myself for not believing them. These myths & tales are not written anywhere, web implant they are perpetrated and spread by people living here, or those who would have visited the city sometime in its past.

Today, these are my observations:

a) Myth No 1 – Bombay’s autowallahs are sans nakhras – Nothing can be more far-fetched from truth. I had heard so much about these ‘good hardworking samaritans’ that the first time an auto-driver refused to go a short-distance, I was nearly heartbroken and extremely aghast.

Agreed they are a shade better than their Delhi counterparts. But to say they are symbols of hard-working virtue, is a folly. I have often stood helplessly (sometimes in rain) trying to convince rude and uncouth rickshaw-wallahs to cross the east to west side of supposedly the same area. On an average it took at least five-six rejections before one of them would obligingly relent.

Sorry, but as I experienced it, Bombay’s autowallahs are discourteous & disrepectful (and equally bad drivers).

b) Myth No 2 – Traffic moves in a straight line – Probably true to a small extent on the ‘town side’ (which to the uninitiated is the tip of the island city, starting from south of Bandra upto the sea). Elsewhere, the situation is no better than that of, say, Delhi. Worse, the tight roads(& lack of alternative routes) make the matters more unfavorable.

c) Myth No 3 – Bombay travels in trains – Again, partially true. The days when a CEO would prefer a public train to a private transport are long gone. I hate to sound condescending (or as Mumbai Mirror mentioned in an interesting article ‘class perceptions & snobbery in trains’) but fact is, there is a shift in demographics of those who travel by train. More and more people are switching over to their own vehicles. In my office, I am sure that after a certain heirarichal barrier, employees are avoiding train-travel.

Perhaps, that is also the reason for the increased choking of the traffic – which (given the habit to labelize and generalize here), the Bombayiites with casual grandness mention as ‘The Legendary Bombay Traffic’ – which, by the way, sadly is no myth!

d) Myth No 4 – Petty crimes like house-breaking & car-robbing don’t happen here – Oh yeah! I believed this till the time my house was burglared. Thankfully, I didn’t have much to lose (and it would surely have been a wasted day for the thief). But the incident forever shattered my image of ‘safe and secure Bombay’.

These were on top of mind recall. More will follow as and when I remember them.

Disclaimer – I have kept the post on a back-burner for sometime, lest someone feels I am being unduly picky about the city. No, it’s not that.

In fact, I quite love Bombay and chose to work here on my own accord. It wasn’t a compulsive official shift by any stretch of imagination. I came here by choice.

Also, I don’t really want to start of a Delhi vs Bombay debate, which often comes up. And frankly, both cities have their own plus points. It’s where you live the longest, you start appreciating the finer points, and also some amount of habit seeps in.

For those who know me, would appreciate I love discovering new cities, their nooks and corners; their quirks and idiosyncracies; their charms and attractiveness. So, this post is by no means a run-down of Bombay.

13 Responses to “Myths & Truths – Bombay – 1”

  1. kaush says:

    All I have to say is, I am so jealous!!!

    And you didnt know about petty burgalaries??? I thought they happened everywhere there wasnt a gated building.

  2. kaush says:

    funny you don’t say mumbai 🙂

    Here in the US everytime I say Bombay, people correct me.

  3. Born n brought up in Bombay says:

    a) Agree with U 100 per cent!!
    b) We had discussed about narrow roads when U bought Ur car. Agree 100 per cent.
    c) Agree 50 per cent. True that they are switching over to two and four wheelers. But largest part of the graph circle travel by train. Esp central lines. Those who stay at Ambernath, Kasara, Karjat, Kalyan, Dombivli HAVE to travel by train. On western line also those reside beyond Bhayander i.e. Vasai, Virar have no other alternative. And even if they had road option they wont take it coz of distance factor.
    d) As I told U once that my parents house is located very much in south bombay and on one of the reputed roads of bombay but still robberies keep happening in their building!

    In reference to the last para, I very well know :). Remember I had appreciated once how U adapt to new cities and blend with local culture which is rarely found these days. Ab toh Bombay ke hi ho gaye aap.:D

    I am sure those who are born n brought up here, who love Bombay and who are not a part of any political party like to say ‘Bombay’ and not ‘Mumbai’. I am one of those 😀

  4. Ekta says:

    Hi DJ,

    I grew up in Bombay….13 yrs…love the city!

    update more often.

  5. Kaushi – Gold is yours 🙂 (Remember how we used to fight for it once upon a time, not so long ago :P)

    I have deliberately used Bombay throughout this post 😀

    Born and Brought up in Bombay – Ab kya kahuun…we have discussed it all 😀

    Ekta – Hey how hv you been? Long time no see 🙂 I wish i cud update more often…but itna toh chalta hi rahega…so keep coming in…

  6. Ekta says:

    I’m fine….arrey comment nahin kara….but am always here to chk for new posts. ab kuch movie/music related posts bhi ho jaaye.

  7. ramya says:

    Hmmn nice post, abt the autowalas, I think Bangalore has the worst kind of them. You feel totally helpless, u have to beg , dhamkafy and finally oblige to travel where they want to go! 🙂

  8. gaurav says:

    Mate..you should come and see Pune’s Autowalas.

    the other day i went to an auto and asked the driver ‘Bhaiya, —-chaloge” and saw me with an expression that said ” tum zameen pe rengne wale keede, tumhaari ye himmat ki mere auto main baithne ka sapna dekho”!!

    PS: Yes, i am back in India/Pune

  9. gaurav says:

    @Kaush

    even i call it bombay till date..Somehow i fell connected to Bombay and not to Mumbai!!

  10. anks says:

    Ah… Bombay… 🙁 you jogged up memories of horrific train and road travel…. and I loved that time… no matter how much i cribbed about it, i still love it!!! 🙂

  11. Ekta – ohki…par kabhi kabhi comment kar diya karo, accha lagta hai…

    Ramya – Thanks…havnt been to B’lore ever as yet…

    Gaurav – I know Pune well now, keep coming there, sent u a mail too…jawab nahi aaya 🙁

    Anks – 🙂 🙂

  12. priyangini says:

    hey,

    Now this is a post I enjoyed a lot. Autowallas, quite true but better than most other cities I have gone to. At least unlike some other cities, they don’t do an imaginery strip tease on women. Once after getting refusals from 5-6 taxiwallas, I asked the next one, “Bhaiya aap ko kaha jaana hai?”

  13. Priyangani – Aha, I was waiting for your comment on this one 🙂

    Ha ha ha , ‘ imaginary strip tease ‘ … Now now, which exact city did you mean there? :p

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