Mumbai

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According to the story in the newspaper the Air India flight scheduled to depart Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai in the early morning of October 25 had already been delayed for 6 hours when the frustrations of the would be passengers finally hit a breaking point. About 100 or so of the delayed fliers decided to take matters into their own hands by preventing passengers trying to board a completely unrelated flight from boarding their aircraft. The thought being, I assume, that airline and airport should be focused on getting their delayed flight in the air before letting any other flights depart.

I couldn’t stop laughing for some time at this story. Of course, I wouldn’t have found it humorous had I been a stranded passenger, a passenger trying to board my flight or just an innocent bystander in the airport that morning. After further thought, this story is the epitome of the attitude of this country. This country and its people find a way to make things happen. From the beggars and street merchants to its middle class and beyond, this country does not take “No” for an answer. That’s a pretty powerful attribute, one that you sometimes wonder is slipping out of the consciousness of America as generations pass. Against all logical explanation and amid all the chaos here, or what I perceive as chaos, this country just finds a way to get things done. (You have not seen a bureaucracy until you experience the Indian rail system.)

This country continues to push forward as hard as they can; the government seemingly telling its citizenry to keep up if you can. A perfect example being India’s recent launching of an unmanned rocket to land on the moon. You look around at all the problems facing this country and can’t help but think that the money should have spent elsewhere, especially when you wonder what more can come from moon exploration. But once again, detached observations can be misleading. For example, I recently read that for every $1 that India spends in satellites and rockets that $2 of economic benefit is derived (compared to the West where it is estimated that the economic benefit derived is less than the cost).

Nowhere is India’s current moment in time more on display than Mumbai. It’s struggles and successes; wealth and poverty; shortcomings and potential are all in equal balance here. There is the skyline dotted with uncountable cranes building new highrises right next to some of the largest slums in the world. There are the five star hotels that have people sleeping on the street just beyond the gates. In an economic sense this is a place of extremes. This city is intriguing. How this city thrives is mind-boggling but it goes back to the mindset of the people. What will Mumbai look like in a couple hundred years? It will be unrecognizable, I am sure. Just as the current incarnation of the city would be inconceivable to those who inhabited one of the 7 islands hundreds of years ago before the land was slowly reclaimed from the sea to create the peninsula that exists today.
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I really wanted to experience a Bollywood film but unfortunately the only movies showing that fit my timetable were Hollywood produced. So for less than $2 and the opportunity to sit in air conditioning for a couple of hours, I decided to watch “Body of Lies”. As is the case with most movies I see, I’ve already forgotten the majority of the details of the flick. I usually only remember if I liked or disliked a film (this one I would classify as “watchable”). Everything else about this movie going experience will be forever emblazoned in my mind, though:

1. The standing and singing of the Indian national anthem before the show began was a nice touch. Why do we only sing the national anthem at sporting events? I guess we drew the line somewhere because the venues are endless if you start singing at every public gathering. If we started doing it at the cinema then we would start doing it at concerts and church and conferences and so on.
2. Half-way though the movie there is a 15 minute intermission. While this is beneficial for those with short attention spans it really kills the momentum of the movie. On top of that, they fill the 15 minutes with advertisements and trailers so that you lose track of where the movie stands.
3. Probably the most memorable and disturbing aspect of the experience occurred right before intermission was over. They put up on the screen steps to take in the event an explosion was to occur. Why did they wait until the film was half way through to give me this information? On top of that, the information was flashed on the screen for all of 5 seconds or so. Either they were trying to downplay the significance or everyone else in the theater was already aware of the protocol. This is a reality in this part of the world with not so much as a mention in my little corner. In fact, a couple of weeks before I arrived in Delhi, a number of explosions rocked the city. It can happen anywhere, though.

One other aspect of this city I will never forget is the traffic situation. Unbelievable. I will never again complain about the occasional traffic jam at home or the condition of the roads. I now appreciate lane markers, emission controls and cross walks. This is offensive driving at its apex. NASCAR drivers and bobsled pilots were do well to spend a few weeks navigating Mumbai’s roads.

Till next time...

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Comments

[Krystal Antao]

So glad you made it to Maharashtra! My mom's side of the family is from that region. Seen any Diwali activity?