The Mumbai Long Rope !

The grass is greener on the other side.

Upside or downside is the question. It took me a while to think of and place what was going in front of our car. Mini-van, mini-truck, tractor..?

After a while it stuck me that it was the good old Premier Padmini resplendent with the colours that make & characterize Mumbai’s roads! At 8.00 AM on the Western Express Highway at Andheri, this was indeed a sight!


I have no clue as to where all the grass is headed. It perhaps is going to some buffalo (or cow or ox or goat for that matter) in the posh confines of Juhu. Or Bandra. (Any notion of a pun is purely coincidental and unintended). But it sure must be a posh buffalo. If it can have its grass come in by taxi, well, you get the idea.

On two other days, I spotted these.

This seemed like a whole lot of rag. To my eyes they did look like rag. But do, notice the rope.

And this definitely a whole lot of box for the boot !

Mumbai amazes in its ability to stretch & accomodate every bulge that is conceivable. And every taxi driver worth his name will have the following.

1. RC book & licence
2. A black squarish box which (which he calls meter) will determine how lighter your wallet will be at the end of the ride

3. Tremendous resilience
4. And most important, a rope. Yes. A rope, to accommodate the extra bulge at the ‘boot-side’ (somehow ‘backside’ seemed very culpable of being mistakenly understood, and thus bringing disrepute to my intentions.) ! So, next time you are take a taxi in Mumbai , check for the rope.

And remember, bulge is ok. The metropolis will stretch & give you a long rope. Sentient. But with a precondition: you better run at its pace.

Have Grass. Have Rags. Have Bags. Whatever. Bulge is ok.
But RUN ! Thatโ€™s a must!.

6 thoughts on “The Mumbai Long Rope !

  1. Anonymous says:

    U always get such stunning pics Kavi.

    -Pria

  2. Swatantra says:

    Kavi!

    You have an amazing eye for many things, it is really appreciable!

    The pictures are damn neat!

  3. super subject sar. hemm…classic photos. ๐Ÿ™‚ the city will stretch, our sentience will too.

  4. Kavi says:

    Pria : I am humbled by that comment from you..Thanks. Will keep my eyes open. I mean..camera with me !

    Swatantra: Thanks for the comment! I hope to continue this journey with this eye !

    GP : I agree..The subject could be an inspiration for a tamil movie..what say !! I never thought of it that way before i read your comment ! Thanks for being there GP !

  5. GuNs says:

    [:)]You make it sound like its a good thing. To me, Mumbai is pretty much an example of everything that is wrong. Too many people, too much chaos, too much struggle, too many fakers, too much disparity and too much sorrow.

    Being “accommodating” is one of the largest reasons of our languishing in the legion of “third-world countries”. I can’t imagine a brilliant country like India with so much natural and demographic resources can still be a third world country. Like Kunal says in Rang De Basanti “Teen logo kii seat pe paanch baithe hain, chattha aata hai aur bolta hai ‘thoda adjust kariyo'”.

    Everyone is willing to “Accommodate” i.e. break rules, bribe people, build illegal extensions to houses, park six feet outside the designated parking space, run a signal ten seconds before it turns green, import electronics without paying duty…

    Its shameful, I say.

    -PeAcE
    –WiTh
    —GuNs

  6. Shiva says:

    ๐Ÿ™‚

    Do you always carry a camera or are these snaps from your cell phone? Not everyone will have such a presence of mind. Amazing snaps!!

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