Memoirs of Mumbai

When I left home, I was a little sad, about the fact that I was going back to Bangalore. The three-day stay in Mumbai had been a great experience. The unhappy thought of leaving my brother, brought tears into my eyes as I got into the auto and headed towards the airport. My heart was crying on the inside, and it was difficult to the tame the overwhelming tide of emotions. I boarded the flight with a heavy heart and a sleepy head. After a few minutes’ wait, we were ready to take off. The Boeing took its position, all set to speed off. As the plane started racing on the track, I realized that I wasn’t excited at all. Although I’m prone to motion sickness, speed exhilarates me.

As we took off, everything started getting tinier, and all I could see was a window frame filled with buildings, tall and short. And slowly they faded away as the sea arrived. The people on the beach looked like ants scattered on the yellow sand. The sea looked calm, quite opposite to its nature, with a few white dots in between. I couldn’t stop myself from imagining them to be dolphins, merrily diving in and out. The serenity of the sea evoked both, joy and gloominess inside me. I could feel the tears welling up again inside me, yet I was uncertainly happy. Water has the power to evoke many feelings inside people I believe. Feelings that are very strong and passionate. A few ferry boats were spotted in the middle of the sea. It made me wonder how it would feel to be on the deck in the middle of water. The whole scene looked busy, yet calm and nonchalant. And as the Boeing continued its journey, everything faded into a blur of blue and white. Suddenly it felt that time had stopped for a while. There was a tranquility even in the plane’s clamor. It was a divine feeling. It felt like we were moving towards the sun, towards the light and maybe, towards the heaven, if it exists. All I could see through the window was a distinct line separating the blue strip of the sky and the fog which merged into the sea. The waves in the sea made it look like a crushed foil. We crossed the sea and came above the land. The contours looked beautiful. I spotted a gold patch in the water. It looked as if a gold flake had landed into the water, extravagant and exquisite. But it made me wonder if it was an oil spill. Water has an intense effect on me. I find it beautiful in any form, be it clean or dirty. And every time I find such a thing, I realize how in the worst moods, happiness can be found in the smallest of things.