Bombay - The City Of Love
Lat week, when I had asked a wingie for places in Bombay to roam about, he listed out quite a few of them but warned me against going to Bandra sea-faces. "Its a public make-out place" he said and I almost laughed for I couldn't quite imagine such a place.
In my second year, I, along with some 30 other hostel-mates, had gone for a batch treat. We happened to visit Bandra Reclamation to get a whiff of the sea. It so happened that this was at 2 in the morning and, obviously, the place was deserted. (It was another matter altogether that we encountered some policemen there who were only too happy to see us get shooed away without causing any commotion.) Remembering the peace and serenity of the place, I went against my wingie's advice and ended up at the Reclamation. And what a cultural shock it was!!
The time was around 8:00 p.m. The sun had set; the moon was almost up - perfect time for the lovers to come out of hiding. And they all seemed to converge at the Reclamation. Driving by, one would not have to peer closely to notice some 100 odd couples of various age-groups cooing by the shore. When I tried to park my car, the people on which the headlights shone seemed offended; as if I was invading their marked territory. But as soon as the headlights were off, romance filled the air again.
Now I am not against love, nor do I mind couples making out in public (a lot of people would disagree with me on this point, I'm sure) but I had never expected something like this. In Delhi, I do not know a single place where something like this happens. I used to read in the papers about the couples-menace at the monuments but I'm sure even they prefer some kind of privacy; even behind bushes for that matter. Nobody would have had the courage of coochie-cooing in full view of the public. Bandra was a different story altogether.
In my quest for a walk along the sea-face, I must have passed some 450 people - around 200 couples comprising 400 people; 25 were in form of groups of suburban-males whose sole purpose was that of entertainment and 25 consisted of - surprise surpise - families with little children. Kids these days sure must be learning at an alarmingly fast rate!
The above photograph (not by me) does not do justice to this post. But imagine replacing all the people with lovers facing the sea and lost in their own worlds and you would have a pretty good idea of what I'm trying to say.Come to think of it, it must be fun to take an half-an-hour break from office with one's loved one for a visit to Bandra Reclamation; perfect way to relax and take one's mind off the daily hassles of life. Seems very romantic - the sea in front, the breeze ruffling one's hair and the person you desire next to you. Very romantic indeed!! The cultural shock aside, it was nice to notice so much love around. Bombay sure is the city of love.
This entry was posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 11:52 AM.
Sunday, March 19, 2006 7:44:00 PM Posted bylove is blind, and sometimes bold and beautiful!!
Monday, March 20, 2006 3:20:00 AM Posted by
Beautiful post!
As a lifelong Bandra resident, it warms my heart to see all the lovers spending intimate time with each other, not just on the Reclamation promenade but on the Carter Road and Bandstand promenades as well.
The Recllamation sea-wall is the best. As night falls, and the tide is up, the lights from Worli and Dadar reflect on the water, and the fisherboats bob by in the distance. Very romantic.
Also funny is the juxtaposition of retired, Marathi middle-class àjis and àzobàs discussing P.L. Despande and Marathi literature, while 'unseeingly' passing this guy and girl just mashing the bejesus out of each others tonsils a few feet away!
Monday, March 20, 2006 5:51:00 AM Posted by
this is indee nice to hear about. because i remember reading reports at calcutta about how the Shivsena had threatened to marry all couples off if they were seen together on valentine's day.
Monday, March 20, 2006 1:06:00 PM Posted by
next time shivsena issues such a threat, i am gonna believe them. i shall lurk around in the corner, pick a beutiful girl, and as soon as the shivsena guys arrive, wrench her from the other guy and pull her close to me... muhahhaha
this is so MCP.. and sick... and dark.. and so freakin hilarious...
Monday, March 20, 2006 4:00:00 PM Posted by
@passerby: yup :)
@wildreeds: this comment could have been made into a blog posting. :)
btw, u are a bandra resident? i am so jealous!
@medusa: dunno about calcutta...they had issued such a warning at varanasi. i cud not control my fits of laughter on hearing their announcement. =))
@mohit: freaking hilarious indeed =))
Friday, March 24, 2006 9:32:00 PM Posted by
came across this blog from orkut and i really loved this post, though i have never been to mumbai, it showed me evrything.
Friday, March 24, 2006 11:19:00 PM Posted by
@pk: thanks for dropping by...btw do tell me more about urself...always nice to know who reads my words :)
Saturday, March 25, 2006 1:06:00 PM Posted by
Im a graduate student, doing my MS in Electrical Engineering, and the only place i have seen in mumbai is the mumbai airport, which was quite boring, so the Bandra beach scene interested me. keep on writing such good blogs !
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