Landing at Mumbai for any person from the west is always an experience even if you are a frequent traveler. The air smells different, a blend of heat, sweat and spice, and plenty of hustle bustle, and somehow casual rush of traffic hooting, people, walkers, hawkers, rikshas, and poor, trim,’street’, and slow, bigger, wincing, wealthier, people…mostly women….I beg forgiveness in advance!
This was a trip to attend Vishal’s wedding in Mumbai and Dhanrajs wedding in Ahmedabad. This meant shopping with the ladies for saris, and bits and bobs for me, all of which to me is quite daunting. There seems to be the S gene in the genetic code, that make women so ‘gu-gu-ga-ga’ about shopping, and discussing triviality. I suppose I will have to get used
Meena can spend hours getting saris opened in a boutique, agree on everything, and buy nothing, I sometimes feel story for those poor sods who open everything, sadness for zero purchases and relieved at the savings. A frequent behaviour I notice about these men is that they have a distant vacant look whilst serving you…has anybody noticed that! A consolation was the tiniest glass cup of strong masala tea which may have a stimulant to open the pupils of the eyes to make those sari colours even more dazzling.
So the first day was at Sun and Sand in Juhu, with a shared room with Kavita! She was very good as she appeared to be unhappy with the quality…she really wanted to stay at the JW Marriott, but that would purely be a western experience. She referred to bed as the slab, a single bed made of two planks and a mattress. Better than the ‘ghoriu’ she has in her study in Flood Street, for guests.
We were jet lagged and tiredness overcomes even the hardest of beds and slept in till about 3m and went across the road from the Marriott and had Pau Bhaji and Club sandwich and Pizza for about 650 rupees, or £7, at a local air-conditioned restaurant call Sukh Sagar…and ‘dharai gia’!
Was I dopey or did Kavita buy a Sari, and some earrings from one of the boutiques..the sales people are so patient and good, and because you pay so many rupees you feel robbed? That is not strictly true, as the £ is has appreciated by 25 per cent against the rupee.
Oh I forgot about Prakash Bhai, a tailor who came to visit us in the room, and apparently had two wives…we have agreed to Bhuleshvar with him tomorrow on the train to do some shopping. Jitubhai Karia ( mummy’s son) works there with his son, Sundip. He was at home, and I hope we can make it! But I need somebody’s advice. So we phoned Harshit Bhai ( a pharmaceutical businessman and trades with Lexon) and Seema Ben who has the knowledge and wherewithal in this hectic place! They will take us more local tomorrow.
Kavita and myself had a great discussion on the merits of vegetarianism, or not. The need of meat is personal, and perhaps about the ethics, faith, and the survival of the animal ( I know of no living being wanting to be willingly wanting to be killed). I hope my personal struggle to stay off meat lasts, it is so liberating, but I will not judge anybody on my personal quest, although would pray that all would reflect on this matter! She felt she was becoming non-materialistic, registering a either a damaged s gene in my mind or a transient dream.
We then took a rickshaw for 25p and 25p tip and went to the Hare Krisha Mandir….I love the place and could spend hours there…my dad was a life member. These places are clean, peaceful, and humbling, and a lot to learn about simplicity, and one Self. I always buy one of their texts.
So at the end of the day we sat watching a wedding at the Hotel and discussing the nuances, and the takes of all the ones which we intend to attend this year….my God I have been happily married for 3O years and banter has been the key ingredient. Off to an early slumber, after some aloo parrothas, and dhahi, and the traditional Bisleri ……cold ho!