Mumbai...?

Paul Theroux once commented, 'Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going.' Returning to Mumbai is like having the same dream all over again. Though these days it's more like a nightmare!

I look forward to my visit and once I land here there's a strict protocol that I adhere to: have a Vada Pav as soon as I hit the Western Express Highway. Then make a few calls informing people about the eagle's landing; crib about the never changing traffic problem. Ask the auto guy what's been happening in the town. Plan to check films out, eat some Keema Pao...

This time around it's been six months since my last visit. Many things have changed and needless to say, the more things change the more they remain the same. My friend's building, that i camp in, has seen a three fold increase in the number of vehicles. This list also includes children's pink colored bicycles. The same traffic problems plague the neighborhood. There was an open drain in front of a new mall that was being constructed the last time I was here. now the drain's covered and the mall's open but business doesn't seem good. It has been raining for the last two days and the situation isn't as bad as TV channels would have made it out (not in my neighborhood at least). Everything else is the same.

So what's the deal with coming to Mumbai? It's only the people you know here who might make it easier for you for everything else is going downhill.

Image Courtesy: www.thehindubusinessline.com