Listen, don't watch. Listen……

Rediscovering Mumbai……

Once you accept your newly found committed status (and that takes time), things start becoming clear. In moments of solitude, like waiting at traffic signals, you get visions or thoughts about how life is going to be soon, what activities you might be doing, whom you will be meeting, how you will be behaving or reacting to situations. Its scary at times and fun at times. Discussing the same with friends, though scarier or funnier, is pretty instructive. Recommended. 

One of the things that i see happening, atleast over the next year or so, is a lot of trips to a lot of locations as outings – shopping, sight seeing, family trip etc etc. In the last few years, i have practically been out of touch with Mumbai in a way. Unlike in Delhi (where i discovered Hauz Khas village last week) or Bangalore or some other city, i do not go out seeking to discover things about the city, cos its my city, i know all about it. Or i thought i did. But if you look at it, the city must have changed. And there are places i haven't been to in ages (Juhu Beach for eg.) but i am pretty sure to going soon. There are things that i havnt done, like standing outside SRK or Amitabh Bacchans house (and i am unlikely to still do that, but you, it wont be just my decision any longer!).

Now, due to the wedding and a wife who has never been to Mumbai, i am going to be seeing all of Mumbai again.All in all, same, familiar places, some memories from the childhood are going to be refreshed. And along the way i might rediscover Mumbai! I intend to keep updating as i rediscover places and things about Mumbai that i had lost touch with over many years in this label. Lets see…..

Coming first up soon – Gandhi Market, Matunga!

A discussion on marriages….

Sherlock Holmes: Annihilation!

Dr. John Watson: Rebirth.

Sherlock Holmes: Restriction!

Dr. John Watson: Structure.

Sherlock Holmes: Answering to a woman!

Dr. John Watson: Being in a relationship. Having a home, the possibility of a family. Who wants to die alone?

Sherlock Holmes: Right, so you'll get married tomorrow, settle down with Mary and I'll... die alone.

Interesting how thinking changes with time. 5 years back i might have agreed with Holmes. Now i am tending to agree with Dr.Watson. Age, i guess.

(I think i need a new label named marriage. I see it will be topic for many posts in the foreseeable future)

The problem with first impressions…..

…. is that they tend to stick! or so we have learned in school.

You all know my dad right? No no, not SCT, he is the biological one. I am talking about the one who signed all the leaves notes for me in engineering, Clinton. (Yes, that same dude who is right now sitting somewhere in the USA and is most unclear as to he will be attending my wedding or not). Well, for years, he thought of me (and probably still does) as a perennial late latif.

Last week, RR had come in from Bangalore and i went to meet her at Chembur. (and believe it or not, i lost my way there!). After our coffee, Panini, pasta and gupshup, i said i’ll drop her home. Despite years of knowing her, it was the first time she had seen me drive. As i entered a main road, slight error in judgement, a bus came too close and she went “you are a very bad driver”. Imagine! didnt matter that the bus guy just kept on coming despite blinker, indicators and horn! And now she will live with that impression all her life! Just like Clinton, who was once kept waiting for 30 mins at BARC because i misjudged the time it will take me to travel from Airoli where i had just shifted to.

Now, anyone who know me well, will agree i am a safe and decent driver who manages to reach everywhere more or less on time! But just illustrates how wrong first impressions can be!

Which brings me to the most important first impressions of my life – marriage. For all practical purposes, me and my fiancée decided to get married to each other based on very little information (assuming some broad criteria are fulfilled) on both sides. A 40-45 minutes conversation, most of which we don't remember,(except for the criminal record query i had) and we said OK to our parents. (Typical arranged marriage?? like in the good old times? hmmmm.) First impressions (from my end, dunno about her)– talkative, aware of the world around her, understands responsibility, family. thats all.

As the illustrations with CC and RR showed, i could have been horribly wrong. Only time will tell how things work out, because people with a courtship period of 1000 years have known to realise they got it wrong later. Its a risk either ways.