16 October 2021

This week marks exactly a year since I bolted out into the big bad covid ridden world post lockdown, free from the safe abode of my family home at Mumbai. It started with driving down to Nasik, then flying to Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Bangalore, Delhi twice, Goa for almost a month, Pune, Lonavala many times.

I don’t have an ounce of complaint against the lockdown, nothing at all; the six months of being indoor taught me more than I could have learnt in the 6 years before that. Here's a little secret - a few years ago I wished that I could be away from work and other occupying things for just about 6 months so I had the time to just reflect and see life rather than continuously doing things – No, I did not wish a pandemic upon us but Yes, this is the shape it took.

The time space concept

With covid and the resultant lockdown, it wasn't like I was away from work and other occupying things. However, being in the same space for months makes one feel like there's a lot more time than usual - opened my mind up in a way that's indescribable. Not having to rush somewhere as I wake up or after a few hours of waking up was a different experience altogether. All of us have done exactly that since we started pre-school - wake up, morning routine, get ready, leave to get somewhere - school, college, work!

Every situation is an opportunity. I saw freedom in being stuck at home. Being trapped in one place gave me the freedom to travel across time, to pause - travel across the past present future, gave me the freedom to transcend the conscious - go into the subconscious, maybe a slight encounter with the unconscious too.

I finally got out in October 2020. I felt I was a changed person, ready to take on the world in a very different way than earlier. More on that later. Today is about the one-year anniversary celebration. Today I am on a day out... to the ever famous 'town' part of Mumbai.

A day out – South Bombay

Fort as it's famously known has held a very special place in my heart. The head offices of my first two jobs are bang opposite the traditionally known Victoria Terminus station, standing tall in architecture that's a definite head turner. My master’s programme saw me in Churchgate for three years. a significant client whose office is at Nariman point brought me ever so often to this beautiful part of the city in the last few years. Long walks, work lunches, elaborate dinners, late night drives, watching the stars twinkle, the night breeze!

Some experiences can be relived over and over again and reliving it with different people overtime is a complete joy. So, I was up for a day long adventure when a recently found friend and I decided to explore the South of Mumbai.

A morning on foot

We started early in the morning before the October heat could set in. With no concrete plan and loads of energy, we set out on our little expedition. Always up for local cuisine, our very first stop was 'Aram', a Maharashtrian joint right opposite VT station that sees hordes of daily local train travelers and caters to their hungry tummies and taste buds like it did ours.

It was time to shed some of those calories, we set out on foot taking a right from Aram into the lane that is home to Sterling theatre. New Excelsior, Eros, Sterling, Metro and Regal were the destination for cinema goers. We flocked to these cinemas as children during our summer vacations - in the pre multiplex days.

An avid cricket fan, my fellow explorer wanted to see Azad maidan.

We explored Azad, went over to Cross maidan and turned towards Oval maidan with its large expanses of freshly watered green. On the way, we stopped at the clock tower and heard the dong go off at 10.45 am. We decided to walk around and come back to the clock a minute before 11.00 am.

We heard the clock ring 11 times, the sound reverberating in our system while the phone camera's pride knew no bounds at the magnificent picture of the clock tower.

I was once asked to leave a fire temple. I always wait to tell that story as I did today.

Love that the history of Bombay travels from the Portuguese, British and Parsis. Circling back - drinking in the sight of the roadside book stalls and a glass of chilled sugarcane juice (after counting the number of sugarcane juice stalls we had passed), our next step was Kitab Khana.

There is something about this store that I am somehow just unable to put into words - the tradition of an old library, the value for literature, the genuinely welcoming staff, the feeling of getting lost in the pages sitting on a corner sofa - I'm not sure what it is exactly. Kitab Khana is definitely one of the jewels of old Bombay.

I started reading a book whose title fascinated my friend 'the town slowly empties' - a memoir by Manish FB, on life and culture during the lockdown. A few pages in, I was influenced to write and I started penning this article sitting cosily on a corner stool in the midst of the library – ‘writing in a reading corner of the library.’

A lazy afternoon

After a sumptuous breakfast, a long walk, an encounter with the clock tower & the literature halt, we headed to the bike and went towards Navy Nagar. I remember being invited to the Navy holy party a few years ago, it was indeed an experience to remember. Ever since, I've always gone on drives to the far end of Mumbai, to explore the living quarters that represent old Bombay in so many ways - the old buildings, tree bordered lanes, a vegetable vendor offering special rates, quaint bus stops for the in-compound buses to stop and pick up the residents. While the city may develop with its skyscrapers and flyovers, some spots take me back to the 90s, when I grew up here.

We stopped at one of the bus stops and unthinking, took a power nap right there - the warm glow of the October sun, the bus shed protecting us from the heat, a few dried leaves from a tree standing tall adjacent to us, the loud echoing steps of the pigeons on top of the shed made for a perfect afternoon nap. I have no memory of passing out.

Our next stop was Sassoon dock.

The entrepreneur in me is always fascinated by the trade and commerce emerging from the port city. The thriving fisher community and the supply chain that has taken wings over decades, the allied industries, a thriving ecosystem - feeding so many daily wage earners every single day. A late afternoon lunch had to be a Rajasthani and Gujarati thali at Kala Ghoda’s Chetna. I pointed at the David Sassoon library just before entering the restaurant, proud to remember that David’s face was sculpted to the entrance of the library. Alisha Sadikot drew our attention to this during a heritage walk I had been to in pre-covid days.

The approaching twilight and more

The hardest part of a full day out is to stay awake for the sunset post a late afternoon lunch that is a full-fledged thali, especially when you're up since 6.00 am. I dragged myself into a cafe for coffee, clumsy as ever dropped a cutlery, thanked God that we had a ride (and dint have to walk) as we rode to Marine Drive for the sunset.

The sun against the backdrop of Arabian sea's grey waters bordered by what’s known as 'Queen's necklace', the clouds moving at a snail slow pace reflecting my lazy mood of the moment, the warmth of the October breeze and the gushing waves again the marine drive rocks… Silence. While I could hear the breeze, the waves and even the traffic outside, there was complete silence inside. The few times that we experience a thoughtless state - here it was! Bright yellow, turned to orange and then crimson as it faded away, leaving behind a combination of blue, crimson, tangerine and shades of pink in the twilight sky; a cue for the queen's necklace to shine and sparkle with light. A moment lived so many times, yet one that holds boundless beauty.

Back at home - my limbs begged for some rest as I made my way into the bath for a hot shower, washing off the layers of dust and grime while I consciously strengthened my memories of the day by running over them.

I sat down on my comfortable floor cushion, with a large fuchsia colored cushion for backrest, the warm white light with its unimposing vitality posing me a question, 'why am a sitting down to write this piece?'. Because I am urged to share the need to be connected to every experience we encounter. This could be just another weekend outing or it could be a deeply connected experience.

I set pen to paper - populated the page in my dairy with gratitude, without knowing when I dozed off, as the gratefulness for the day moved from conscious to subconscious.