The cab driver hadn't called at 11 PM as promised. I called him at 11:03 PM. He picked it up on the second ring and assured me that he had already come to the building.
"Hello? Christopher saab?"
"Haanh saab. Mai idhar hee hoon"
"OK saab. Shukriya. My barah baje ko chodoonga airport ke liye"
"Haanh saab"
After a dozen trips to Mumbai, I was finally finding myself to be at peace with Mumbai. I could stand at a paanwalla, buy a cigarette and smoke it while marveling at the world speeding by. At some level, I could connect back with the Mumbai that I loved a long time ago. It was dirtier, more crowded and flashier than ever. Still, it was hard to not accept the energy that pulsed all around.
I got into the cab sharp at midnight and arrived at the airport in 15 minutes. We drove past crowded cafes and in packed streets. Traffic was still busy past midnight. It wasn't helped by the digging all around for the metro that was going to connect the eastern and western suburbs. We turned into the International Airport drive and as usual the airport drive was packed. The cab driver let me off and I tipped him hundred rupees.
Blocking my way to the entrance were a thousand religious looking muslim men and their burkha clad spouses. I and a few other travelers battled our way to the front of this crowd and the policeman at the door appeared relieved that I was headed to Germany and knew how to get to my counter. Right insided was a big crowded line of bearned muslim men with caps. All of them apparently patiently lined up so they could take their first flight to Saudi Arabia for their once in a lifetime haj visit.
Half an hour later, I was sitting with a bunch of other business folk in the executive lounge, on a WiFi connection and on my cell phone talking to a colleague in California. All of these scenes, the Hajis, the softspoken business people and the loud, profane, slightly drunk guys were all part of Amchi Mumbai.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment