To Bombay and Back

Digest 3 – Lull before the storm The lush hotel room and relatively stable life on plastic money (something that I am a staunch opponent of, but a heavy user of) provided me a convenient escapade from my travails that suddenly started looking like a thing of remote past. On the internship front, a honeymoon week was to be followed by a hectic workweek, where much was demanded, but less was conveyed. In between I moved from my plush accommodation to a Churchgate hostel. Immediately thereupon, I lost my mobile somewhere over there. I did get it back in 24 hours (may be because it was not an ideal set to be stolen), but not before I had purchased a new handset with a 5 MP camera, apparently to click some forgettable moments in Mumbai. Nehru Place exhibition, Atria Mall, Marine Drive, Haji Ali Juice Corner, Juhu Beach, Chowpatty, Phoenix Mills, and Gateway of India were some of the locations to which I paid my obeisance during the initial half of my stay. A particular incident related to electricity ……. In May, Bombay went berserk. Scorching sun coupled with seething humidity boiled me in and out. Shirt getting drenched at just the thought of getting out was norm rather than an exception. In such inhospitable circumstances, we managed to visit Elephanta caves; a small island situated almost an hour’s boatride (at 10-15 kph) away from Mumbai. Scaling the rocky terrain along a circuitous tent-covered route behaving more like a green-house furnace, we transformed into anorexics from a bunch of well fed gluttons. At the end of our safari encompassing Caves 1 & 2, and two canons atop the hills (which one of our friends was hell bent in not missing), we stayed put at a Maharashtra-State-Tourism’s restaurant for grabbing a quick bite. The washroom inside the restaurant was kind of what you expect from a government owned enterprise, but so untypical of this age of capitalism – an uncouth yellowness encircling practically everything white and shallow whiteness over everything un-white. A foreign couple along with their kid also stopped by to have a meal at the restaurant. The kid visited the washroom and was so unused to Indian hospitality that after using all his perseverance to control his bursting emotions in the washroom, blurted “Disgusting” as soon as he stepped out, making our group laugh arousing a set of disparate emotions. A trip to fashion street also deserves mention. I purchased a watch from the Street as well as a belt. The belt – procured for Rs. 50 was quite a bargain, and the watch too – for Rs. 100 modeled on Titan Fastrack range was lethal. As I walked a few steps ahead after purchasing the watch, I noticed it was showing wrong time – 1 PM or so at 6 PM in the evening. So, I adjusted the time and again a few steps ahead, I noticed it was now showing 10 PM. “Gorgeous Watch!” I exclaimed. “I am yet to see something that can suddenly creep 4 hours ahead so subtly.” Anyway, we went back to the vendor, got it exchanged for a piece of crap that I never wanted and that anyway became useless after a couple of half-hearted sportings. A trip to Alibaug was privy to some secrets that I do not feel like divulging at this point in time.

To Bombay and Back

Digest 2 – Nightmare Continues With a desire to make the rest of the journey eventless or rather fruitful, (an event more often than not, turns an ordeal for meJ) I climbed on board the 07:00 PM flight and was welcomed by a sari-clad elegant hostess. At close to 09:00 PM, I got out of the Bombay airport (ouch; Mumbai for the purists), and found a rather ominous site of people queuing up to get a taxi. A taxi driver approached me and offered to take me to Worli for a princely sum of Rs. 500 where I had the hotel booking. The taxi was well maintained privately owned Esteem. The AC was kept on for the duration of the journey. After a few hiccups, we reached the E. Moses Road, the location of the Four Seasons Hotel. As I got out of the taxi, I put a --- rupees note in driver’s colleague’s hand., who was sitting on the front row. “Saar, aapne sau ka note diya hai” Translation – Sir, you have given a hundred rupees note “Oh! Sorry” I remarked with lost abandon and pulled out a Rs. 500 note and put it on his palm. “Saar, sau rupees aur de dijiye, kaafi ghoom phir ke ye jagah mili hai” Translation – Sir, please give us Rs, 100 more as we had to follow a circuitous way to here. Before I could give a convincing reply, he took off the car, and I smiled as if I had made him realize his guilt for asking in addition to 500, without saying a word. I entered the hotel. Gate Guard: “Good Evening Sir. You can head left for the reception.” At the reception, a white lady with a heavy Australian accent, “Sir, your room no. is …. You have to pay for a day’s rent in advance. That is Rs. XXXXX” Almost took me by surprise as it exceeded my wildest expectations. “Sir, you get a discount of --- I hope you enjoy your stay o’er here.” I entered the room, took my wallet out and just had a cursory peek at the currency inside, enough to make me realize that a 500 Rs. note is missing from it. And in the flash of a moment I realized what kind of guilt was responsible for the taxi driver to take a flight even before waiting for my reply. “Oh God! Why does it happen only with me. What sort of city is Bombay, full of scoundrels.” I cursed all but me for what was purely my fault.

To Bombay and Back

Digest 1 – Nightmarish Start One fine morning on Saturday, March 29th 2008, I rose from the drunken state to board the Shatabdi Special from Lucknow to Delhi. The scheduled departure was 05:30 AM and I reached the station by 05:00 AM. From Delhi, I was to board the Jet Airways flight to Bombay at 04:30 PM. Definitely a circuitous way to go to Mumbai, when there was a direct flight from Lucknow to Bombay for much less. As I descended on the platform down the expansive stairs, a Shatabdi arrived on the adjacent platform apparently from Delhi. Keeping myself aloof, I asked a vendor “Is Shatabdi scheduled to arrive here?” “Yes, but it has just now arrived from Delhi, must be running late by 5-6 hours.” “What is the normal time of arrival” asked I in a sinking voice. “11:00 in the night.” I waited with bated breath for an announcement with a mighty hope that it must run before 08:00 at least as not more than 3 hours are required for getting it cleaned. If it did start at 08:00 I had more than a fair chance of catching my flight. At 05:35, the announcement did come, just after Gomti express departed from an adjacent platform, “Shatabdi Express to Delhi will be running late by 6 hours and shall depart for Delhi at 10:30 AM. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.” What?? 6 hours for cleaning. What kind of professionalism is this? I left the Railway station with a sunken heart and caught an Auto for IIML. At 06:00 AM, I cancelled my e-ticket, and fired an email to Railway authorities to reimburse me my full ticket as the delayed departure made my trip completely useless (I am yet to get a reply from them). Then I booked a Jetlite ticket for Sunday evening flight to Mumbai.