Day 41-2011 : Time Out

It is an interesting fact, but it is true.  In the five and a half years that I lived in Chennai, I did not even once go to the Marina Beach, supposedly the world's second longest beach!  I must have gone to the famous shopping area of T-Nagar maybe a couple of times in that time.  I did not ever go to the Vandalur zoo.  Actually, I lived in Adyar for a couple of those years and in spite of wanting to, never visited the either the Theosophical Society or Kalakshetra!  And by the way, in the almost two years that I lived in Bengaluru, the city of gardens, I did not find the time to visit Lal Baug!  In fact, I could possibly come up with some places in my home town, Ahmedabad, as well, where I haven't been in my lifetime.

I am reminded of all of this because of a chance visit to the Chowpatty in Mumbai recently.  Yes, you probably guessed it right.  I did not go to Chowpatty specifically; I just happened to be in its vicinity.  However a strong urge to stop the car and to go and have a look overtook me.  And there I was, at 11 AM in the morning, savouring the bright Mumbai sunshine on Chowpatty beach.  I like the vast expansiveness of the sea; with the South Mumbai and Walkeshwar backdrops, the landscape was even better.  This experience however triggered a curious train of thought in my mind.  Why did I not do those things which I mention above in the first paragraph?  Why, even after more than a year of coming back to Mumbai, I haven't been to the Chowpatty, or the Gateway of India, or closer home, even the Juhu beach?



@Chowpatty after a long time!



I feel like I have lost out on the opportunity to intimately get to know these places by not being more adventurous.  Yes, driving in our cities these days is adventurous!  I can think of many reasons though, for not having explored these cities more.  And I am sure, I am probably not the only one who feels this way.

First and foremost, I think is the antipathy to crowded public places.  I hate crowds.  I guess T-Nagar is explained now.  Second, and it is related to the first one, is the lack of convenient public transport and the lack of available parking spaces.  I hate to be driving in circles trying to find a parking space.  If I do find one, the need to squeeze the vehicle into a buttonhole turns me off.  If I do indeed get there, the constant fear of a traffic policeman with a greasy palm makes me a nervous wreck!  Third, is time; or the lack of it!  I haven't had the time to think about visiting all these places in the last few years.  Even if I did think about it, I could never get down to actually doing it.  Modern urban life keeps one busy at work and even at home!  On the weekdays, you are trying to get things done at work.  In the weekends, you are trying to get things done at home!  Work, home, spouse, kids, friends (and yes, social networking sites too now) occupy all our available hours. 

Come to think of it, I haven't had a proper vacation since 2006, when myself and Priya went to Goa for our babymoon.  Even that trip came about because we had to attend a friend's wedding there!

However, now that I think I have missed out on these things all these years, I am determined to correct it.  I am going explore some of the interesting public places in the city in the next few months.  And I am definitely determined to plan a family vacation (or maybe even two!) this year!

Take care.

Day 170 - Bengaluru Beckons

This past week was spent preparing for the Bengaluru visit and then travelling to the city of gardens.  The purpose of the visit to Bengaluru was to attend a cousin's (Shivakumar) wedding.

It was great fun because we went as a group to Bengaluru after assembling in Mumbai as the base.  My parents, brother and sister-in-law arrived just before we departed to Bengaluru on Saturday.  We were also joined by other cousins and their families.  The flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru was pretty much uneventful, except for the pranks of both my little ones at the airport. When we arrived in Bengaluru, the weather was heavenly.  It was cool and pleasant unlike Mumbai's humidity. It was also raining sporadically.  The drive to the city from the airport was full of greenery.  Incidentally, I met Adwait at the Bengaluru airport and he looked fresh and sporty.  Looks like he is enjoying his time at JPMC.

Now, Bengaluru is a city where I have spent close to 2 years of my life.  It is also special, as Priya doesn't forget to remind me, because we started our married life in this city.  Hence, there are a lot of memories attached to the city.  The fact, however, is that , this city has undergone a massive change in the six years since we left Bengaluru for Chennai.  Some of the roads and places are completely unrecognisable.

All the infrastructure projects have been completed.  Grade separators are functional at Dairy Circle, Silk Board and Jayadeva Hospital!  These were just starting to be built when I last saw these places.  Malls have sprung up everywhere.  New residential complexes which did not exist before have suddenly surfaced.  Bengaluru, being a city of bungalows, looks strange with these new age skyscrapers.

I also like the city because of its meticulous cleanliness.  Generally, I have found the southern cities to be more cleaner compared to the north.  It would, of course, be a joke to even compare Mumbai with Bengaluru or Chennai on this aspect.  The other thing that I liked about Bengaluru, and which is completely absent in Mumbai, is the attention to details in the construction of roadways.  You see sign-boards at each junction / traffic signal, clearly telling you the directions to various places.  The roads, dividers, etc. are properly painted / adorned with reflective material.  You see attention to detail everywhere.

On the flip side, like in all other cities in India, the traffic has exploded.  The number of private cars on the roads must have increased 5 folds in the last 6 years!  And given Bengaluru's narrow roads, this causes endless traffic jams.  Again, not as bad as Mumbai, but still a lot worse than it was 6 years ago.  The other pathetic aspect of the city, and for that matter any other city in the south, is the complete absence of a service culture.  You go to any shop, restaurant, hotels, cinema halls, etc. etc. and the people there will treat you like dirt and as if they are doing you a favour by allowing you to be there.  Drives me nuts all the time, as I myself work in the service industry and expect better standards.

The trip, otherwise, was very enjoyable.  I met up with some relatives after a long time, and some for the first time!  By the time we started for Mumbai on the Wednesday, rains had hit Mumbai too. Various rumours about air traffic being diverted from Mumbai due to bad weather were floating around.  However, we landed in Mumbai with only a 30 minute delay to normal weather.

I am at home for one more week and thus, look forward to the rains in Mumbai. 

Take care.

Day 154 - Famiraderie

The last week, or the last days of last week, were spent with family.  In fact for most part of this month, I have been seeing a lot of my family. 

To start with, my parents came to stay with me for a couple of days.  We celebrated my mom's birthday on the day they arrived.  The next 2 days were full of meeting a lot of other family members based in Mumbai.  Uncles, aunts and cousins!  My mother-in-law also came to visit at the same time.  It was like we were having an impromptu family conclave.

As soon as my parents left for Ahmedabad, followed by my mother-in-law going back to Pune, my cousin from Chennai announced that she needs a break and hence she and the kids are coming over to Mumbai!  After getting Rampyaari back from the workshop I picked my cousin up on Saturday evening.  Sunday was spent visiting other cousins in the city and shopping.  I took an off on Monday to be able to take the kids out to Esselworld!  It was a long drive, but it was worth it.  Everyone had a great time and of course, spinning heads.

The common thread around all of these events is that I felt great to be around family.  This is sometimes the case with very good friends as well.  You just love these people being around you.  Family and friends.  I wonder why?  Is blood really thicker than water?  But that doesn't apply to friends, right?  Could there be a scientific reason behind the joy that one experiences from being with family and friends?  Is there a special happiness hormone secreted in our bodies when we are with close friends and family members?  Maybe.  One of the reasons could be the sense of security that one experiences while being with people close / related to us. We can just be ourselves, without pretending to be anything. That is probably the cause of the joy.

By the way, my brother was in town for a day.  I however, could not meet him, due to our respective packed schedules.  And I felt really bad about it.

My parents will be back next week, as will be a couple of cousins and uncles.  We shall all travel together to Bengaluru to my cousin's wedding.  This being one of the last weddings of my generation, I am sure a lot of people in the family would be keen to attend.  I am definitely looking forward to it.

Looking forward to some more moments of joy and happiness.  The joy of togetherness. 

Take care.