Could anyone ever make you feel like a white-collared poor? Come to Mumbai. The brokers here with their typical ‘Itna paisa me ittaich milega’ look will make one feel so when one plans to rent a house even if your budget is 3-4 times that of any other metro. In fact, exorbitant rentals are a matter of fact and one is not supposed to even express a surprise over it. And when one observes closely, every 3rd shop here would be that of a real estate broker (exaggerated a bit, every 4th may be). With a gold plated watch, 3-4 gold rings, gold chains, branded shoes, jeans, t-shirts, Honda stunner, office in Colaba, etc. they would have as good or even better standard of living than the to-be-tenants.
I’ve always wondered why Manoj Kumar (Director, Actor of Roti, Kapda & Makaan) has the typical sad look on his face. Probably, even he wonders how the 3 necessities have climbed at linear, cubic and exponential rates and don’t deserve to be used in a single breath anymore as was done in his 1974 blockbuster. So much so that, if he had to remake ‘RK&M’, he would definitely become a real estate broker to solve his family problems.
Cribbing apart, I’ve few observations for this city as I had for Delhi & Kolkata:
1) Everyone is a professional here. Right from the domestic maid to the taxi-auto wala to ticket counter wala and the list goes on and on.
2) Ask any Mumbaikar for some address and multiply the time he suggests by 4 to arrive at the actual time to reach that place.
3) Railway lines should not be crossed is a truth more honored here by its breach than by its observance.
4) Half of Mumbai’s population travels by local everyday and one-third travels by bus, given the amount of time spent traveling and the places where people manage to get a living, even if half of Mumbai shifts out of Mumbai, they'll have a much better standard of living than what they’ve here.
5) Salesmen in Mumbai local are like absurd ads. You won't understand what he/she is trying to say but they surely catch your attention.
6) You’ll feel good in Mumbai only if you’ve returned from Delhi & Kolkata ;)
Delhi, because people in Mumbai can be trusted, even the brokers, trust me.
Kolkata, because only Kolkata has a more ruthlessly humid weather than Mumbai
Frankly, I hardly have any feelings for Mumbai as of now. We (I and Mumbai) don’t share a good past as well. Last time I came here, there was 26th July, typhoid to me. This time, motormen strike the day I landed. Whether we treat each other well in this 2nd innings is yet to be seen now.
