What can a person do if he/she is home sick, while being thousands
of miles away from the humble paradise? While the obvious answer is to get to
that home sweet home as soon as possible, there are other quick-fix choices in
today’s world. For a generation that relies on hacks and innovative ideas to
get their work done, there are many alternative options to achieve what one
desires. Hence as an answer to the question, one can visit a nearest city that
is exactly twin to one’s own. Though this was not the primary reason to plan
our trip to New York, we were glad that the output erased away any traces of
home-sickness from our system completely!
With a desire to
visit our home city’s twin, as we set for our mini-vacation to New York, the experience
was extremely fantastic and worth enough to make its way into my mug-list.
Close to Mumbai in several ways than I had imagined, New York can be rightly
termed as its twin-sister. A city that never sleeps, New York is happening,
busy, lively and energetic that refuses to halt for any reason. It oozes
enthusiasm and energy in every mile of its radius, making it a center of
attraction. Diverse cultures, languages, religions, occupations, lifestyle,
cuisines combine into this melting pot. It has something for everyone that keeps
each one occupied.
This city refuses
to discriminate among its folks. Whether you are rich or poor, salaried employee
or businessman, student or retired, simple or fashionable, it will accept you
for what you are. The inclination of holding every resident together brought
back memories of Mumbai, as it welcomes everyone with open arms.
With dreams in
eyes and energy in body as people head to this city, there is nothing that can
hold one back. The rule of both these cities is very simple- if you are ready
to work hard and make a name for yourself, it will set the perfect stage with
spotlights and allow you to perform. But if you choose to laze around and just demand
goodies, it shall scare you out with its fast pace. As everyone is running
around to stay on their schedule, the energetic ambiance is amazing in its own
way.
Non-judgmental
approach and open-mindedness are two aspects of New York that made me realize
this twin relationship is absolutely true. As long as you are engrossed in your
own project and happy with what you do, there is nothing to stop you. No one
has the time to wait and analyze or judge and comment, making it a fair open
platform for all. You do not need money, assets, power or name to prove your worth.
Merit and skills alone shall keep you alive. Though this aspect is true for any
city, village or town, there is something in both these cities that spells out ‘opportunities’.
As we walked on
the busy streets of New York as tourists, we could not help but notice the
similarities with our own sweet home. Every passing moment, we were tempted to
compare it with Mumbai, increasing our affection towards it. Every single
individual is busy in their own unique world, yet united under the sky of the
city.
Narrow lanes, crowded streets, parallel car parking, tall skyscrapers, numerous
taxis, strong public transport, street food carts, exotic restaurants and many commercial
spots were some of the aspects that unite these two cities. Experience of
traveling in local train was the perfect ‘aha’ moment that confirmed my correlation
between the two. Only after you travel in crowded trains with so many people –divided
by purpose but united by the goal to just get there, you realize that it is actually
Mumbai-in-disguise!
People often
complain about the hostile nature and unfriendly ambiance of these two places. As
everyone is busy in their own sphere, there is no time for small talk, neighborly
affection or friendly concerns. Though it is true to certain extent, there is
friendliness among people when the need arises. People may appear drowned in
their own pool, but they shall definitely swim to rescue if one calls for help.
Switching between public and private domain through just one button is
something that makes New York and Mumbai folks what they are today.
With this, let me
share those significant moments that gave way to the title of this article:
We knew we had reached Mumbai's twin when:
1.
We heard stories about expensive rent and
housing in the city, hence people are forced to reside in suburbs and travel to
their offices by public transport.
2.
We saw men and women in perfect formal attire
sharing seat with casually dressed students in trains and sub-ways.
3.
There were options of tasty street food and
exotic restaurants both along the same lane. One could spend anything from $1
to $100 for a single lunch, yet find satisfying options depending on choice.
4.
The time-table of trains and buses make the
final call about one’s schedule.
5.
We experienced that the setup of city was different
on weekends and weekdays. While weekdays were filled with people leading their
way to work, weekends were filled with enthusiastic tourists.
6.
We saw the struggle for finding car parking
spaces on streets.
7.
We heard excessive honking all around the city.
8.
We realized that street smartness is the only way
to survive in this place. Everyone has to make their own way and it is impossible
to wait for others.
9.
We saw almost every building had commercial space
for shops and restaurants on the ground floor.
10.
We observed several redevelopment projects - converting
old buildings into posh towers.
11.
The GPS showed red marks of excessive traffic
all around the city.
12.
We saw many old buildings with preserved
heritage look in downtown.
13.
We observed several businesses share space in
downtown- financial corporations, marketing hubs, tech companies, banking and
retailing etc.
14.
We realized that the city is famous for its
skyline of tall skyscrapers against backdrop of water like the Queen’s necklace
of Mumbai.
15.
We were tempted to say ‘concrete jungle’ quite
often.
16.
The crowded streets make you feel safe even late
in the evening or almost mid-night.
And
finally, when I heard my husband say ‘I belong here’ after almost every half
mile in the city.
Traffic and expensive
rent are two things that apply to any big city around the world. There is nothing to complain or compare, but definitely
fun in making interesting observations. If Mumbai has taught me something, it has to be ‘to each one its own’. Hence I believe every place is different,
unique and amazing in its own way. ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’ and enjoy
every experience with open arms. No wonder I said ‘I belong here’, as I landed
at the airport and entered my humble apartment at the end of our trip.
I can undoubtedly say,
visiting my Mumbai’s twin gave me almost equal amount of happiness, love, energy
and memories. Thus, it was completely justified to be featured in my mug-list. I can now say, when
I was in New York, I was almost home….
P.S: This thought is purely based on my opinion. I do not intend to hurt sentiments of any city or its dwellers. Frequent usage of Mumbai or New York may disinterest some readers, but I have a solution to it. Call me to your city and I shall come over with my blogger lens to write an entire article about it too!
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