Life is easy kya karein

The Uber cab driver knew the road to my house. Whoah! These are the little joys of my life. Fed up of the Uber/Ola fleet drivers who do not know proper driving and have absolutely no sense of Mumbai roads. The other day, my cab had reached Khar, the driver got a call from his next customer. He told the customer that he is in Kharghar. The two places are 35 kilometres apart. It was hilarious watching him talk on the phone. The lost soul had no clue how Bombay hits a newcomer. Not to worry, Dear Cabbie, it is the most welcoming place on this planet. One becomes a Mumbaikar very easily. The city is like a fat Grand Ma with a big bosom, who includes all the kids in her bear hug.  Coming to my current driver Anil, he has been driving a cab since 1998. Anil was wearing a Rakhi with golden tassels like rays of a sun. When I was young, we only got those Rakhis shaped like a sun with bright gold, silver rays around the red or pink cotton like centre piece. In Mumbai, I keep looking fo...

I don't know if I have mentioned this here before that I have an aversion towards long weekends. I do not mean the usual excuses which I have heard from others, about husband being at home or children being demanding or loads of cooking or maids taking leave. I do not like going to hotels and staying for long weekends in Mahableshwar, Matheran, Lonavla, Alibaug type of places. I do not have a bungalow in any of these places and may be that is why I am not inspired to go. I can't imagine the traffic, the hotel rooms having the rainy musty smell and the Bambaiyya tasting sweet food. Basically, I don't want to see the exodus of Mumbai people, when I go on a holiday. I also strongly believe Maharashtra hardly has any good hotels to stay or may be I do not have the exploring streak in me.  This long weekend I chose to go walking to Siddhi Vinayak temple on all three days. Siddhi Vinayak temple is a very auspicious place. Most tourists coming to Mumbai will want to go there f...

Time had no meaning to me when I was a child. There was a time to eat and sleep. Food was always given before we actually asked for it. I don't know how my Mom and Aunt managed cooking meals so fast for six children and four meals a day plus some knick knacks. There were all the projects to be made, needlework, knitting, home work, house work, people coming home and social visits. We always had a string of visitors at home. Actually 'visitors' is such an 'English' term. We had people coming home and each person was connected to us in some way.  Apart from friends and relatives, there were Saints, Swamiji, Gurus, Pandits, Vaidhs coming home. Fresh meals were prepared for them as they had no place to cook or they were travellers. They ate huge quantities of food. Mom and Aunt would have to start the meal from scratch like right from lighting the chulha/ fire. My grandmother Gauri Bai used to talk to them and make them comfortable as the meal was being prepared. ...

I have been thinking that this year the monsoons have lost their magic.  Since the first rains touched us, nothing was exciting enough. The clouds, the heavy downpour, the freshness of the newly washed leaves, the glass of the new high rises getting foggy and the lights twinkling inside beautiful homes, all have left me unmoved. What has changed in the last one year? The only season which I have been gung ho about all my life, has left me feeling limp. All is going reasonably well in all areas of my life. By the grace of God, I cant even say there is a problem and so I am feeling bad or sad. I do want to put a reason to my listlessness. I am happy when I can justify my moods and feelings. It kind of makes my rudeness, bad behaviour or irritation as a fair response to the things around me. This rainy season, try as I might, I am drawing a blank. Blank should be a good place to be but not for me. I like to be solving the problems of the world in my head, all the time. In Mumbai...