When we shifted to Bombay more than a decade ago, sight of couples getting cozy on Marine drive used to make me giggle ....I would wonder how could they get so intimate in public and the sight made me feel awkwardly repulsed! Over the years, the city unfolded layer by layer, unhurriedly, making me realize harsh realities that were much beyond comprehension from my softly padded world.
We often admire realistic depiction of life that is romanticized in movies but when one observes reality with real proximity, it is a different experience all together! Taking a walk on Marine drive and many other beaches in the city can open your eyes to interesting worlds that perhaps go unnoticed in our routinely frazzled lives too tired/disinterested to notice anything/anybody other than what/who matters to us. There are layers and layers to these "invisible" different worlds, swirling into myriad patterns of juxtaposing and coexisting in this effervescent city that exudes such aura of power and wealth!
Solitude and seclusion are words reserved for the rich in this city of vertical sprawl. Most young couples can’t afford homes of their own given the space crunch hence lovers are shaken down in parks by pesky cops and regressive politicians and moral police frown upon the Cupid.
Driven out of homes (if they are married) by compulsions, the city’s lovers constantly hunt for their own spaces of seclusion, where for a few brief moments they can build a world of their own by turning their backs to the world and rendering themselves invisible. Listening to their conversation can be hilariously entertaining!
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For once, if we stop judging them and scratch beneath the surface we would find that some of these people and families are together mostly because they are forced by circumstances to huddle in miserable mass or to cling to each other for survival as life has cheated them of dignity and respect. Sometimes, the interactions are devoid of any sentiments and they are mere complicit in their misery and dissatisfaction.
Once in a while you might come across a pleasant sight where a young couple is deliberately left behind by elders in the family to grant them their moments of privacy or a couple with young child who is encouraged to play alone and is bought every possible toy as bribe in exchange of some privacy to clear out misunderstanding between the words that were said and the words left unsaid....
With myriad tales of life and their varied hues, this city never ceases to fascinate me...
