THE MUMBAI I NEVER WANT TO SEE (PART 1)

Today, I went to Monitor Group. We have received a service tax work at this place, so my boss had asked me to come there. There was I sitting and compiling the data for filing the correct service tax and claiming the correct cenvat. My bosses had left a long while back; the date was 26/11.

I am sitting in the office doing my job, in the lane just behind Marine Drive, I could see the sea from the large windows of the office and I thought it would be so great to see this sight everyday and then I suddenly I came to my senses and I am all alone in the office with only one more employee and he is waiting for me to leave...so reluctantly I started making my way towards Church gate station......it was 9 PM, the attack at Oberoi Hotels, Marine Drive started at 9.30 PM........

I sat in the 9.15PM local and started to make my way towards home i.e. Kadivali (East).As usual the train was all crammed up. As soon as I crossed Dadar I started to get calls from my roommates, but it’s very difficult to hear what the other person is saying, so I disconnected the call.....but the calls never stopped.....hmmm...

I reached home and everyone was standing in the living room and watching a single thing on TV.....NEWS....it is a rare sight.......and then I got a sight of the TV and came to know that CST, The Taj Hotel and the Oberoi hotels are under attack, it is a terrorist attack. The city of Mumbai is under attack and I was so close to where the attack had begin.....the phone started to ring again...relatives started to call from all over the country.....but after hearing my voice and getting the confirmation that I am at home and safe with my friends, all were relaxed. Mind you my mom has not called; because she never watches the news.....she called the next morning.

The next morning the terrorist have taken hostages in both the hotels. The NSG have started to engage with the terrorist and the live footage of all this can be seen on TV, so can the terrorist....dumb....

All my roommates had been informed to stay indoors, so I confirmed from my boss and to everyone’s shock I had to go to office, I was expecting this....ha ha ha......so I started to make my way towards office.....

My office starts at 11 AM, I usually start at 9.30AM to get there........usually it is the peak rush hour in any part of Mumbai....everyone is making their way towards office and it’s a race.....but today it is different....I reached the station very comfortably and got a place to sit in the local for the first time at this time of the day....usually I had to leave one or two locals.......overcrowded and no place to enter...but today was different.....the whole compartment was almost empty.......it is a slow local that I take. We stop at every station and the case was same at every station...EMPTY....only a few commuters.

I got down at Matunga Road and started to make my way towards office...the roads and were also empty....very minimal traffic...so I finally reached office.....it’s a boring day and a day of continuous calls and a lot of lying.....

So, finally I left office at 9.00PM and started to make my way towards Matunga Road Station, no one around just a vast emptiness as if walking in a desert....finally I reached the station.....as I recall not more that 15 people at the station........a rare sight.....I boarded the first local that came and got a place to sit...for the first time. Only three people sitting in my compartment.......this is not possible even on a Sunday.....I reached home and had dinner and to bed.......the attack continued for the next three days, but finally all terrorist have been killed and one captured alive “KASAB”.

But the condition remained the same during these three days in the whole of Mumbai........the city had been brought to its knees, but as always, it always gets up so it did......

It is the spirit of the people of Mumbai that make it such a great place.....it is by far the best place to work.......no one can break this city, but the government has to do a lot of work..........

It was the most horrible week of my stay in Mumbai...............

THE ICE BREAKER......

THE ICE BREAKER........

Today was the 13^th day after my grandfather died and we had finished all our ceremonies. I was really tired and was drinking tea and sitting near my bhua and grandmother. Due to some I just couldn’t be there to comfort them, so I suddenly left and came to meet my cousin brothers at my nani’s place. Suyash, Arpit n Tanuj....all younger to me by at least 10 - 15 years.

I was so bored and angry, that I asked to would they like to have pizza and we went to Pizza Time.....Arpit was suffering from severe cold from last night.....I was joking that he should start sneezing there and everyone would leave because of the germs.....hmmm.....not so funny I know.....

I was trying to make them order, but I think because I am older than them, they were feeling shy.......hmmm.....finally I ordered a 12 inch pizza and garlic bread with cheese....it was ok....the garlic bread wasn’t good.....the taste of garlic wan not there.....Arpit didn’t sneeze for a single time there......he failed my plan.....

After the pizza I asked them if they want to go any other place......but again the age barrier was hovering in their heads I think. So, finally I asked me if they wanted to eat ice cream...but Suyash was reluctant for that, mind you Arpit the one with severe cold and the one sneezing continuously was ready for ice cream......but Suyash was not ready, so we dropped the idea.......

I finally gathered courage and the guts to ask them, would you like to try “Hukka”.....I thought my younger brothers were very naive......I think I was very naive when I was of their age......

So we went to Mr. Beans and tried the time tested flavour of Pan Rasana and Red Bull.....it was amazing. We talked for a long time about many things, like cigarettes, alcohol and drugs and their side effect....I want to let you know Arpit didn’t even sneeze for a single time while we were in the Hukka parlour......fail, ek dump fail.....Then we came back home and all smoked out, got dabali for Suruchi.

We had homemade pohe, it was delicious. Then we first spent night deciding which movie we have to see and after wasting half an hour on that, we decided to watch The Prestige. As me and Suyash being a fan of Christopher Nolan, we were very happy. I was watching it for the fourth time.........ha ha ha.

Arpit dozed off very quickly and I was out by the half of the movie was over. But Suyash and Tanuj finished the movie.

This is the first time I spent so much time with my younger cousins........I have missed this thing so much with Raunak and I don’t want to repeat this mistake again......thanks you three for the awesome time spent together.....