Mumbai: my homecoming

Back in April, 2013 I had written this personal memo on Delhi and my homecoming. That day for the first time, I had made a flying visit to delhi without staying back even for a single night. And then, passing through those South Delhi roads I realized how much I missed staying there, where I had spent some of the best years of my life.
Running about in the Sirifort sports complex, climbing up the pyramid stairs, hogging on our favourite snacks at the hauz khas pastry shop, spending hours together in Archies, playing badminton or just the late night hour long walks…  Asiad was the place where I had driven for the first time and where Swati and I had really bonded as sisters..
Noida, though is the place where my parents stay, had never been like home to me. None of its roads have that familiarity to it that comes with having run about on them carelessly. I had never realized how attached I was to Asiad, till that day.. It was funny feeling of nostalgia mixed with a feeling of leaving something behind that I just cannot come back to!! Don’t get me wrong here, given an option I don’t want to live in Delhi or NCR because of other reasons. But Asian Games Village (Khelgaon as it was called back then) will always have a special place in my heart.

“Which one do you prefer, Delhi or Mumbai?” people would often ask me and so far my answer had always been, none since both have their pros and cons. I guess, having being brought up on a healthy dose of transfers, I took adapting to a new place and new people as a way of life. My love of travel just exacerbates this feeling so much so that I’d stopped looking at places with a judgmental eye.

Now, having lived out of India for almost 3 years, when I think of home, Its still India and not so surprisingly, its Mumbai that I’m tempted to call home. that’s where Saurabh and I started and created our life together, a bunch of firsts and the same familiarity that I once had with Asiad. Traffic of lower parel, Siddhi Vinayak Aarti, late night poker, lots of friends and some family, Dahi handi, Prithvi ke plays, Kala Ghoda ka art, Magai paan from Muchhad, Marine Drive ki leisurely walk, Matunga ki idli, ITC Kebabs and Curries ke dinners, late night drives in South Mumbai, everything with a Jain option, Soam ka navratri menu, Theobroma ke brownies, Kala Khatta gola, Ganesh Chaturthi ke pandaal, monsoon rains.. and I can go on and on. I miss you, Mumbai meri jaan!