Kids Short Story – Mumbai Meri Jaan
Photo credit: giggs from morguefile.com
Mumbai meri jaan………..are the words uttered by a typical Mumbaikar at any given point of time. A city of dreams, stars, night life and just about everything.
Was it any of these that attracted me towards the city like millions of others? Perhaps not. I could barely pronounce the name when I had crowned it as my future. My Destination…My Destiny!!!
Children my age used to ask their parents for toys and chocolates, with no such demands, I was nurturing just one dream………..to visit all the metros (I had learnt the names by then) and finally settle down in Mumbai. Obsessed with it, I finally asked my father to take me to all the metros. The young mind could not understand the distance between the cities and the lack of feasibility due to then available resources.
Giving in to my earnest requests, one fine morning my father finally picked me up in his arms and announced to the family that we were starting our Metro tour. Oh! The golden words…exalted and excited I kissed my Dad and we left for tour de jour.
We went to the station and boarded a train that was to route through Madras, Delhi, Calcutta and most coveted of all…Bombay
Full of joy, I looked around. So many people………..were they all going to My place? So jealous I was, I looked away and out of the window…………I was enjoying every minute of the wait………wait to meet my destiny. The train came to a halt. My Dad lifted me up in his arms and whispered in my tiny ears that we had reached Madras. My happiness knew no bounds, here I was …in one of the Metros.
A quick analysis told me that Madras looked much like my own city with not many differences. Similar people, similar language……….we roamed in the market, bought chocolates and it was time to move on…….to the next metro.
Train, people again and I landed in Delhi to see similar faces and culture but did that ever matter to me. I guess not. Similar markets; and my shopping bag was filled with small gifts. With a wide smile on my face, I was excited for…………Calcutta.
Jostling through the markets and people, we boarded again. It was time for the final stop…….My Mecca…………Bombay.
Moon had lit up the sky but with no sign of tiredness, I was as fresh as dawn…….and we landed in MY CITY. I tried to feel the place, the wind, the people and everything around seemed to welcome me, whispering in my ears, tantalizing me with its mixed aroma.. Exhilarated that I was, we roamed around with my already full shopping bag……… but obviously some space could be made for my Bombay extravaganza.
The day was coming to an end…………not willing to move an inch from the city, I looked towards my Dad with moist pleading eyes and he promised me a second visit. Delighted I whispered it to the air….I will come again.
My return journey was a little different, people were tired and I was wondering why everyone wanted to return from BOMBAY……….leaving them with their poor destinies, I was lost in my dreams once again only to come back to the city.
My mom opened her arms to share the visible joy on my face. From her tight embrace, I managed to steal a thankful glance at my father for helping me realize my dream. I showed off my shopping to my mom, my sis………..and finally tired, I had dinner and retired to my land of dreams with new seeds to sow.
Today when I think what it was that made me fall in love with the city, I have no answer. The then innocent mind did not question her father how a local train would take them to the metros, with his monthly pass…………hardly was she aware of the rules, the distances. The only thing her mind had captured was a name with letters B.O.M.B.A.Y in that manner.
Years later, I got to know about the truth of my metro visit. It was a matter of fun for everyone but I was still thankful to my parents for gifting me the false truth. I kept my words and finally I was here……..in the real city ……to see it, to feel it and to live it……….everything for real this time.
Having spent 5 years in this mayanagri, my love for the city grows stronger day by day, moment by moment. I still do not know why and how it all happened. Shayad isiliye kehte hai………love knows no reason. And truly…….Mumbai Meri Jaan
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