Mumbai is a dynamic city that pumps up people’s enthusiasm. Working as a Chief Sub-Editor of The Times of India, VT, and traveling late back home to Navi Mumbai brought lots of interesting experiences. I am talking about the late 90s. There was one last train to Vashi at 12.49am. As our office was bang opp VT station, we could reach in a minute by just crossing the road. But on many occasions, me and my desk colleagues, missed the train. The option was to reach Dadar by train and hitchhike to Vashi. Truck, car, share-taxi anything was ok for us to reach dear home. One day we stopped an ambulance. I clearly remember how me and a colleague BM reluctantly entered the vehicle and thanked the driver who reached us home and not the hospital.
At one time, stray dogs were a nightmare. I just came out of Vashi railway station and the road was deserted. I saw a boy walking ahead of me and ran to join him thinking that dogs will spare groups. It was then that I saw him holding his blood-soaked wrist. He had been bitten by a dog. I advised him to rush to the local civic hospital, but he said he would go home and take somebody with him.
A colleague SB was once surrounded by a dozen dogs. Wondering what to do, he started screaming: “Arre bhai, koi hai? Bachaoo.” (anybody there, save me.) With no one to be seen around, he started singing Bollywood songs loudly thinking the dogs would spare him. Thankfully, he managed to reach home unscathed.
A good friend from Economic Times IB was a sincere companion. He used to joke, only 3 Ps are to be seen on the roads at such late hours: Press, Police and Prostitutes.
Hitchhiking experiences were interesting too. Let’s wait for a day or two.
7 comments:
When you said Night Life in Mumbai, I thought you would talk about your jiving experiences with sexy girls :P
As an afterthought, this is one nightlife quite common to the common man.
I love the nights in Mumbai. Keeping aside the dogs too, it's just a matter of breathing in the quite night air to make you feel energized and happy again. I usually come home late from work, in trains that aren't too crowded and just stand at the door admiring the sights and sounds. It's just beautiful.
Hope you miss Mumbai. :)
Very interesting
i do agree with vinisha too....i love the nite life too. in fact i love nite life any where . i remember when ever i use to visit mumbai the late nite shows used to be our fav. haunts.
Sounds interesting. I like the Bollywood singing to scare off a pack of dogs. Funny, I could picture the dogs dancing to Bollywood musical.
Peace.
Nostalgia....The last part of the post made me smile....
Very interesting read.
HI,
Thanks for stopping by. I was away in India for a couple of weeks but I am back armed with a set of resolutions which includes being regular on the blogosphere.
This was a nice post. I too have memories of dogs, car break downs and the 3Ps in the wee hours of the day in Amchi Mumbai
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