The road which is crowded, noisy and filthy during the day looked free and beautiful in a dim light of street lamps, lit by our government. When we reached Santacruz in the dark, sky was bright with the aircraft light. I guess it was a massive Boeing of Lufthansa and was carrying hundreds of affluent people out of our country. At sight and noise of that giant flying machine in the dark sky, blood rushed to my feet with strange excitement. Further walking down the road, we stopped for a dose of tea, coffee and sutta and emptied the bladder at unisex toilets available at petrol pumps.
We all walked and simultaneously discussed not a movie, not a food, party or some affair, but a god damn “summer project” and obviously, I had nothing much to talk about. So, I didn’t have to talk and I could see more of street, street life at night! Poor labourers cooking food in aluminium vessels late night by the foot path, water contained in colourful plastic containers. In Bandra and Mahim area we come close to slums and smell of breeze turns pungent. Sagar informed us that we were near a red-light area. But, to my disappointment I could only encounter half asleep roadside dogs, beggars sleeping outside a closed shutter of shops and billboard of Rakhi Sawant on old Irani restaurant. No late night working social workers.
That’s how we reached Dadar after a long walk at around 5 o clock and many people were up already, doing their routine walk and yoga, in the Shivaji Park. I was feeling sleepy and tired and could not comprehend how people inspired themselves to get up so early in the morning every day just to inhale some fresh air of dawn.
Well, it was around 5.45 am when we reached the temple premises. The first prayer had already started and there was long queue waiting to get in. The rhythm of ganesh aarti, bells, and synchronized claps reaches deep through the ears. It definitely felt nice and pleasant. I saw many youngsters wearing ring in ear and colour in hair doing shashtang namashkar. Contradiction or a mixed culture! I must not forget to mention the pinch of Prasad tastes incomparable after walking down for hours in the night and when you are famished.
It was around 7.00 a.m. in the morning and the sun had acquired the full sky. The sun is a king of limitless sky, and it behaves like a disciplined ruler. But in the night when sun is gone, moon sooths the sky with light heartedness and joyfulness. In the night romance of moon and sky fills in the air and the sight can clam a troubled soul. Cliché! Well, in the yellowish sunshine, every hue of the wet petals I could see at wholesale flower mandi near Dadar station. Somehow after brewing morning tea at “Kamath”, I had a strong feeling in my bones that I didn't want to go back home.
I thought the journey is incomplete if I didn't go to Nariman Point and Marin drive. I wanted to go and I said it, Chandan accompanied me without any convincing. We got into train, headed towards south Bombay while rest of the gang went back home. In the train I wondered about how great it would have been if I had camcorder to capture this moments and sight, which are rare to me. Nevertheless, I did without it.
We got down at Marine lines, walked up to Marin drive and chattered on absolutely arbitrary topics, from floods of Mumbai to political parties, from our native places to real estate prices in Bombay and then everything between the horizon! Near AirIndia Building, we stopped to see the Arabian sea and feeling was inexplicable. I love the place, just that. Everybody loves it! Nariman Point tells something of modern architecture and prosperity of Mumbai. Mumbai, like an affluent but generous lady has held its head high with a classy attitude. Then we decided to walk down to Flora fountain to go for treasure hunt, I mean to find some old books from those street side book vendors. But they don’t open so early in the morning. So, we decided to walk some more and walked past entire long fashion street to reach Metro theatre. Meanwhile, Chandu explained me intricacies of “Derivative and the game” and was totally astounded to know the idea behind mechanism. Simply put, it is intelligent kind of gambling in a structured way.
Then we saw Xavier’s college and nearby area of GT Hospital. This is the area where I worked for a year with HDFC Bank. I could not resist nostalgia and as a result we went on walking and sweating. It was a tour to my recent past. We toured Princess street (books- perfumes, bulk drugs hub), Kalbadevi Road, Mangaldas market (textile cluster), Lohar Chawl (electrical items hub), Abdul Rehman Street (stationary market), Null bazaar (steel an pipes and fittings, ball bearing cluster),Mohmad ali road, Crawford market, Masjid bunder, Zaveri bazaar and few more
We were tired then and took a cab straight to flora fountain. Unluckily, I couldn’t find any interesting book, because the book vendors were starting to arrange the dump of books. We were drooping by then, hence, simply bought tickets back home and caught a fast train. I got down half asleep at Andheri. After reaching home I don’t remember what I did after removing my shoes. But my parents told me that I was dead asleep.
It was approximately 20-25 km straight that we walked altogether with minimum food. But, Chandubaba is simply outstanding; he went home after walking down at least 35km and was studying some book on derivative. Crazy he is! But, the whole thing was pure JOY, pure. It was unplanned and nothing less than superb to call it an experience. My legs are still aching….
