MUMBAI: THE LEARNING CURVE

Days have changed, Lives have changed and so have increased the distances. But the most painful thing which has happened is the nostalgia which increases every day, every hour, every second.

It’s awesome to be back in Kolkata, my home town after spans of hardships in Bangalore and in the obscure town of Vijayawada. Mumbai has also given me immense pain, some desired and wanted, some thrashed upon. But the experience has left such a thumping impression in this mind…simply unforgettable.

I don’t know whether it’s the charm of the city or the first-time experience of a student life outside the homely boundaries, but the memories of every nook and corner of the city and those small but gifted memories moisten my eyes every time I think of those.

The vada pao stall in front of NM, the effervescent crowd in front of Chandan every Friday, the long chat sessions at Cooper, the long waiting crowd at Pop Tates, the always-welcome Auntie at Chinese Corner, the paan wala at 7 Bungalows, the smell of freshly cooked Tandoori at Just Punjab, the midnight train from Vile Parle, that walk with the loved one at Marine Drive..the list is endless and so are the memories…

One thing which must be mentioned and which was the crux of all these nostalgia: NMIMS. Initial days of fun at DIV D, late night parties, watching World Cup matches with the entire hostel in tow, followed by extreme humiliation some invited and some forced upon, spending nights at college, sleeping in library floors, the stay at Mira Road, that marked chair and long hours at Library, taunts and laughter from my batch mates and even from juniors, that lonely phase where I had very few people by my side….everything, simply everything pierced me, cut me into pieces but taught me a lot and changed my attitude towards life forever.

And for these reasons, people like:
Deven (I consider him as a part of my life…Miss U Brother)
Shruti (Though many people say many things about her, I respect her for the trust she had in me)
Poo (Though we had our differences, I always knew that she was always with me and will be. I still remember the tears we shared in our farewell party, which, to me, proved that we share a far bigger relationship than being just a friend…Love u SIS)

Laboni, Kapil, Aurelie, Caroline, Smita, Deepti…I love u all

Cheers

TG