Gorai Beach

As a west coast boy, I always wondered what it would be like to witness sunrise at a sea. I was always ready to compromise my morning sleep, but I just didn't get the chance to travel to the eastern coast of the country. Lately, I found this beautiful beach in Mumbai and since then it has been a routine to spend every Saturday evening there. 

One can't forget this symbolic golden dome like structure that comes enroute to the beach. It was erected by the Essel World authorities to make a mark on Mumbai's map. And yes, you have to take a ferry from Borivali to cross a hundred meters or so patch of creek. Else, next available option is to travel all the way 30 kms by roadway. Auto-rickshaws and buses are available from the ferry point to get to the beach.

The best thing about Gorai beach is that the water is really shallow and calm. And when people are aimlessly walking on the beach, it creates illusion of walking on the water. Another thing is, people with not so brave hearts can also enjoy the sea. (Most of my friends would fall under this category.) During low tides, you could actually walk and touch those little fishing boats resting on the shore.

It seems to be just the perfect place to go footloose. Most of the people bring their vehicles to the beach for a nice run and ultimately end up getting stuck in the sand. It's been a number of times, me and my friends have helped the drivers to get their cars out of the mud. But I guess it's worth it. May be, even I would like to do that stupidity when I get a car on my own.

Most people would enjoy the sea from a distance without getting themselves wet. I have no respect for those kind of people. (This is my argument when my friends laugh out loud, at me whenever I can't resist my urge to take a swim in the oceans.)

Apart from all these jokes, the beach gets its real beauty in night. Believe me when I say, I even swam in those shallow waters, under the moonlight. Drifting like a wooden log, facing that dark grey sky, on those lazy waves covered in a shiny white blanket of moonlight. Indeed, an experience of a lifetime!

Way By The Sea

Marine drive may be the first place that pops up in most people's minds when they talk about Mumbai. May be that's how we are fed images of the place through Bollywood cinemas. A beautiful curve, blinding lights, tall buildings, classical horse-buggies and a Gucci showroom that boasts of its royalty. I hate those skyscrapers, they make me feel how small I am. But it's good in a way, you know that you have new heights to climb. Motivational stuff!

For most Mumbaikars, it's the sea that lures them. I am no exception. We used to spend hours watching that calm, sleepy sea at warm nights. I won't exaggerate it to level of a spiritual gateway, but all of a sudden, you have all the time in the world to yourself. The world starts moving in slow motion. You achieve what they call it as solitude! It gets really buggy when you are deep in your thoughts about life and other such heavy matters and then a Chaiwala comes and tries to sell you some tea  and cigarettes. Or the eunuchs disturbing a 'busy' couple, trying to earn a buck. Or a rare roar of a distant mighty motorcycle. 

This road is just the perfect place for some burn down. If you are lucky enough, you might even get to witness a street race. It all can be associated with the glamour in the city.

Those rock there always reminded me of my chemistry teacher. She once taught us what a CH4 molecule looks like and its resemblance these rocks. 

On a completely different note of memory, I used to laugh my ass off seeing those helpless tiny crabs walking on and falling from those rock structures. Never felt pity for them, but she did. Told me. Life is full of struggle. In the city. Of blinding lights. 

07:12 ST Fast

     When you spend more than three hours everyday in a local train (that way, 7 years of an average Mumbaikar's life), commuting from home to work and back, it becomes your second home and the fellow passengers your friends. Some read a book, some solve crossword in the newspapers, some do office work, some keep looking outside the window for hours and some decide to just kill time by looking at those cheap adverts on the walls or enjoying a heavy breeze in the doorway. Or just inspecting an item the street vendor is trying to sell. All in all, if you exclude the pathetic crowd in the trains, all of my commutes have been extremely enjoyable.

     Talking of local trains, you might have seen the Bhajanwalas in early morning trains. Those are just ordinary men, like you and me, trying to devote some time for the higher powers through religious, Marathi songs, most of them dedicated to Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur. Some people see it as an irritating thing; but for me it was purely amazing to see the entire bogie joining in on rhythms of tabla.

     The single craziest thing I have seen in the local trains is probably the water boy. A water boy brings water bottles for the commuters with absolutely no motive behind it. He circulates the bottles amongst the fellow commuters and collects back once they have consumed water. And he does it everyday, year after year. There couldn't be more selfless act than this. Although I have been travelling in local trains for more than six years now, I have never seen the water boy people more than twice. And if you ask why this - May be those people don't find time for doing some good things in their life. The part of punya as defined by the Hindu mythology.

     I was going to CST the other morning when I took the 07:12 train to ST and I felt like I have crashed in a wrong party. Every damn passenger in that bogie seem to know each other and I was the odd man out in their gossip and jokes. It almost felt like a get-together in that train. They probably sent off each other saying, 'See you tomorrow, same  train, same coach!'

     It leaves me confusing every time when I think why do local trains symbolize only Mumbai city? Why not Chennai or Delhi for that matter. They have EMUs too. Who knows? May be these cities and its people haven't accepted the local trains as much as Mumbai has.

What's With the Ship?

     It's not everyday you see such a large vessel parked so elegantly on a beach. You must have seen this beauty making it to evening news for a past couple of days. For those without a clue, it's an abandoned Srilankan ship, named MV Wisdom, drifted to Juhu beach while being towed away to some scrap yard in Gujarat.  I don't understand why's everybody making such a big fizz about it. Authorities burning down cash to move the bloody thing. They don't freaking understand: It has become as unmoving as the sea itself. 

     People have doubts: Where did it come from, where's it going, why isn't that moving, is it broke? But the big question to me is why do they want to move that thing? It ain't eating nobody. And how many beaches in the world have such a vessel parked at? None! It really looks awesome this way. The beach has witnessed more tourist than ever. People pouring from all side to have a glimpse of this thing. My friends had been talking about it and today I couldn't control the urge to see it myself. It is nice to know how amazing things can happen in India. They should let people enjoy it for a while. May be, they should use it for something like a hotel, museum or just open it for public to see from inside. I am sure people would be ready spare few bucks to see it. I would pay. If they still want to move it, there are two possibilities. First, the authorities don't want people to be happy. Second, they are fools. 

The ship at Juhu beach