Bombay meri jaan

The trip to Bombay was exciting but hectic. Its always a bit strange returning to familiar places for just a short time because you feel like you want to make yourself at home but you are constantly planning for the day of your departure. Coming back to Bombay really made me realize how much that place has now become home to me. I get comfortable in my grandmother’s house, call up old friends and go out in what is now my city.

It’s strange because when you first come to Bombay you are inspired and want to go home and write about it and talk to everyone you know about every little thing that you encountered from the cardboard train tickets to the bottles of milk. Tiny, insignificant things are great enough to write essays on. You would think if you stayed long enough that this would go away. It doesn’t. What does happen is that the feeling gets more subdued, things become more familiar and sensations overwhelm you to the point that you don’t know what to say anymore. You don’t want to seem childish or trivial so you keep your thoughts and words to yourself and then inwardly marvel at everything.

Mom did not let me relax and together we combined our shopping powers and hit up the major Bombay bazaars such as Zaveri bazaar, Mangaldas Market, Mohamed Ali road, Bhendi bazaar, Colaba, and even hit a few shopping malls. Shopping in Bombay is always an adventure as everything is spread out and sold in its particular market rather than a one-stop-shop. Mom and I laughed at the fact that in the US we just go to Target for an hour while in Bombay we schlep all the way to the market on the bus, haggle with vendors, and load up shopping bags with merchandise. Truly, we are champions.

It was also lovely to see my old friends. It will be hard to leave Bombay because of them. I have good friends in America, but Bombay is somehow more like college; plans are fluid and people live close enough by that they can meet up on a weekly or daily basis. One doesn’t have to make plans weeks in advance. (Though this can get frustrating when you do want to plan) People are just more accessible in Bombay which is very comforting. It’s the kind of place that if you go out on Friday night you will probably bump into people you know. However if you are sneaky you can choose places where you a guaranteed not to know anyone. It’s the best of both worlds.

The days in my most favorite and loved of cities ended quickly though and I had to say goodbye to everyone and get on the 3:30 am flight to Colombo. Coming back to the guesthouse, all my lonesome was tough, especially because I had moved rooms and the place was a mess. It was also challenging to get back into the routine of work and haggling with Sinhalese speaking trishaw drivers every morning. I miss my grandmother bringing me my afternoon tea!