Mission G'gaon to Goregaon (almost)

Don't want this to sound like Mumbai bashing but after last few weekends in the city when I was trying to find a place to stay my new found liking for the city seemed to be going downhill with the passage of time.

My first impression of the city when I visited it for the first time in Dec 2003 was of a city populated by a million people who were all walking on the roads.. In delhi you do see people walking, but that would just to the nearest car park or bus stand or their morning jog. People would be clustered at various bus stands etc but not swarming through the city. Then there was the realisation that except for a few parts of the city, you would cross vast stretches without seeing too many tress.. all around was concrete. No chirping of birds.. And let me not start on the smell. A million people who needed to go to the AXE academy.

But over the last few years post a zillion trips, I realized that these were superficial things... Yes Delhi had it's Luyten's area and it's Shanti Niketans which had flowers abounding for a good part of the year, but as a friend pointed out Delhi is a beautiful city filled with $%^$&%& people.

Mumbai on the other hand is filled with great people who are professional, friendly, courteous and all those things which we dilli wallahs can never be associated with. But there are so many people.

And what is amazing is that people are willing to spend good money to stay in a space bigger than a cubby hole just for the fun of being able to party at the most happening places in Bandra. Wonder what would Mumbai be without Bandra?

Used to space to relax in away from the pressures of work it was difficult to understand why people in Mumbai would not want to do the same... Why would you not want balconies filled with plants where you can sit with a book and relax on a quiet evening..

But I guess different things drive different cities.

With some trepidation and lots of hopes I move to this city which generates extremely different reactions from different people. Having spent 80% of my life in Delhi (G'gaon is part of Delhi) it seems wierd to be moving out from here. I think more than the fact that i'm moving to mumbai, it's the fact that I'm leaving Delhi which is causing these panic attacks.