Read all about: Churchgate station!

This station started off my lifelong crush on South Bombay.


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The Trains and the Witches

This is something I didnt want to post on the Bombay Diva blog although I should as it's more relevant there but didnt because it's not Bombay's fault that some people behave like this. The morning rush in the trains - the most efficient transport system in Bombay - makes women, especially, turn into broom-flying witches who glare at and attack anyone who gets in their way.

Yesterday, my husband came home from work with a story. It was after 10 am. There was heavy human traffic on the station platforms where trains stop for a brief 2 minutes before proceeding to their destination and other stations scheduled for a stop. A woman's handbag fell in the gap under the train and the platform and got stuck. My husband's colleague stopped to help her yank the bag out before the train left, blocking the people behind her. Two girls mauled her from behind and left bleeding scratch marks on her wrists and arms. Even after she got in the train and yelled at them, they were "shocked" at her language and asked her what social background she came from. She incredulously retorted with the same question, what social background do you guys belong to that do this to other people and she showed them the visibly bleeding marks.

Once she got into the office she was crying at the agony she had to undergo with the wounds and the mental pain of hearing the two women openly complain about her to each other. She found more scratch marks all along her back. She needed tetanus injections because the doctor told her that pus was forming around those scratches.

I dont know what's become to make people so murderous during the morning rush hour. Even regularly travelling people have to bear the brunt of such attacks: verbal or physical. It used to be a different place a few years ago and now it's come to this. This wasnt even in the Second Class with a whole section of people who might come down to cat fights. The First Class that usually stands aside and gives way to people alighting from trains (not ever seen in the Second class rush where people just stand dumbly in your way not caring that you need to get down at a particular station) had come to such blows.

I can only hope that this was one stray incident and those two women no matter how they were inconvenienced will not choose to retaliate in this way. They could very easily be in the same position and I hope that no one would choose to physically assault them.

Bombay Diva - a new adventure!

I have a million Bombay stories in my head but no space in my personal blog to write them all down. After all, the Idle Devil started writing her blog for want of a web space to call her own to just type what's on her mind; kind of an online journal or diary. Bombay Diva started when I boarded the ferry that looks at the island city from a distance. It took me away from her and something happened: I was speeding away into the ocean and at the same time, felt myself being tugged back by the city I was speeding away from.





I could see Bombay from a distance and could imagine what millions of migrating people might have felt on spying the Gateway of India for the first time.

I inwardly celebrated my good fortune of never having to leave the city for good. Every time I leave the house and travel to the city, I find my mind bursting to hold in a million sights, people, faces, things, stories, facts of Bombay. I need space to write them all down. So, I welcome Bombay Diva - the light that is my city standing tall and mighty on a global platform.

I aced the interview!

Did I tell you about the interview I had submitted for review? The writing workshop had an interview piece that we each had to do - we could select the person to interview. I wanted to interview Abodh Aras, CEO of Welfare of Stray Dogs. Interviewing someone approachable, interesting and passionate about his cause was quite an experience: rewarding in more ways than one. I had a glimpse of the crusade he's on - controlling stray dog population and sterilizing, vaccinating them, giving them first aid - and the effort he puts in every single day for a cause that's one of a kind. It took me more than a day to sit down and condense everything to 10 questions, which was the submission limit. Quite naturally, the questions flowed well and gave an idea of a continuous conversation rather than a disjointed question answer session.

I got a "Well Done" by the reviewer. She also observed that I did my homework well before going for the interview. It put me in a great mood all of Sunday.

It reminded me of that day when I left home at 7:15 am to get the bus that would take me to Churchgate. The office was at Kalaghoda, the art destination of Mumbai. I had to wait an hour before I could go and interview him and not one restaurant was open, there was no place to sit down and read my newspaper. Only juice and sandwich stalls were open, as were newstands. Tea and idli sellers roamed the streets with their stainless steel containers, often parking at a spot where early office goers swarmed like flies to catch a hot cuppa chai or a steaming idli and green coconut chutney before they clocked in. Tiny offices, tucked away in crumblingly old buildings. I climbed treacherously old wooden stairs to reach the office where I waited in the hot, unventilated passage before Abodh came in to unlock the office door.

He swiftly ushered me into the visitors room and sat in a chair and gave me an anticipative look which signalled me to start the interview right there. I didnt know how an hour passed and then a few minutes more before I shut my notebook and thanked him for giving me his time. He noted down my email address and also my blog address which I quite nervously gave; it's quite a personal space. He blogs too:

http://strayingaround.blogspot.com/ (where he writes about Mumbai and strays in general)

I've been hunting around for his stray dog adoption blog but havent found it yet.

I'm now going to hunt for someone who can publish this interview.

Living to the Hilt!

1. Finished reading 'Chocolat'. Loved the book. Cant wait to read The Lollipop Shoes.

2. Went to a book-signing event organised by Crossword. Orhan Pamuk was invited and was right on time, down to the very minute. Wished him luck and just enjoyed being around him and getting a personalized autograph. A Japanese woman ahead of us brought him some food and drink which he graciously accepted.

3. Had no Internet, frequent power cuts and a dead phone line for two days. Read more. Went out more.

4. Visited my old home for an overnight stay. Next day had a biryani lunch at my favourite restaurant. Only sad thing was they ruined Shahi Tukda.

5. Went for P's cousin's kid's fifth birthday party. They threw a bash in a party hall. Had a comedian who was more of an adult party item than a kiddy party item. The birthday girl wailed for a magic show.

6. P and I won a prize for dancing back to back. They had this embarrassing contest between couples and well, relatives were pushed on to the floor first! At least we won a Cadbury's Dairy Milk bar.

7. Lunch was fantastic. We all took huge helpings of a raw jackfruit curry. Yummy!

8. Sunday night dinner was butter chicken and chicken fried rice from Fishland! Of course, we also shared one slice of fried surmai fish.

9. Snoozed well. Woke up early today.

10. No work today! Free to play games and read some more. Am reading Perry Mason right now. What are you reading?