maximum city

i have only been in mumbai for two weeks and i am utterly exhausted by the seeming endless rat race of daily life. my daily travel time averages about 5 hours (sometimes more) of sweaty, bumpy, intimate-human-contact fun. today i got to the train station (after 40 minutes on a rickshaw) just as the train for downtown was pulling out of the station. i jumped on as it was moving not noticing which car i entered. i looked around at the tiny car and people started shaking crutches and leg stumps at me. i quickly withered my hand and tried to become inconspicuous in the handicapped car. they kicked me off at the next stop. then tonight as i was heading back north, i thought i was safely in the all female car. halfway home a group of drag queens stormed the car and started petting my head as woman showered money on them.
needless to say, mumbai is an incredible and unique city. it is packed with people, from the poor, relentless beggar to the benz driving mogul. finding space is definitely a problem. on the train and when walking, one gets a full body massage. even when i rode a motorcycle, i had the thigh of the guy on the bike next to me pressed on one side and on the other a truck wheel; there were rickshaws knocking my knees at every turn. sometimes there are so many people living under one roof, you practically have to get a time share in your own home. a related problem is the pollution that leaves the residents black-lunged and red-eyed. the ubiquitous banyan tree cannot find anywhere to lay its roots. mumbai puts nyc to shame as the city that never sleeps. at midnight i've seen women in their night gowns, daughters in tow, doing some grocery shopping and men having a late night bath on the side of the road.
mumbai holds remnants of a deep history alongside the most modern phenomena. it's becoming victim to hyper-consumerism with stores lining every street and mega-malls on many corners. the upper class is obsessed with novel ring tones, bollywood stars and brand name snobbery. but it still houses a rich past manifested in religious fervor and superstition, marriage customs and manner of dress. religion is the real heartbeat of the city. with hinduism, islam, jainism, buddhism, christianity and others all at home in bombay, there are religious festivals every day of the year. the bomb blasts and riots in the 90s are still talked about and have largely dictated how the city is divided. when walking down the sidewalk you will invariably run into a pile of shoes in front of either a garishly painted hindu temple or an intricately latticed mosque. it took me some time to get used to the swatikas (originally used in hinduism and buddhism long before it was appropriated by hitler) that are all over the city on trucks, foreheads, shops and jewelry.
i feel that i've learned enough here to fill a novel, but have not even scratched the surface. i cannot say that i will be sad to leave and go find a place with breathable air and space to fling my arms. in mumbai it is nearly impossible to get away from all the chaos and the clamor, to find silence, solitude, and time to become human again.



haj ali dargan