Salaam Bombay!

So my very first trip to the bollywood city kickstarted with a two hour drive from airport to the Sea Green hotel that accomodated us musicians. The most of Bombay I saw was in these drives. So any judgement passed in these posts, well would very much reflect my ignorance.

Its cleaner than madras. I did see a lot of slum whilst we landed but did not exactly see the congestion that I've heard of. Everyone had warned me about the traffic. Thankfully the time I was there, we always had moving traffic. Did not get stuck any place, so I have a very pleasant experience to racount. On the way to Nariman point (It really had a nice ring to it, this place), we passed the Haji Ali Mosque. Quite charming when you hear about the high tide story.

So we touched the sea, and drove by her only to find that our hotel faced her. I fell in love with the Marine Drive at first glance. We reached the hotel exactly at sunset, and so caught a beautiful moment while the city immersed itself in dusky orange and the queen's necklace lit up. The rooms were tidy and we had a breathtaking view of the city so no complaints there. Went to dinner with a friend, only to wait for thirty minutes to get a table in a restaurant that too at about 11.30p.m.! And there was a queue waiting after us! The same thing happened the next night when I went to Mocha with another person to find it hip n happening even at 1p.m. a steady crowd filling the place. Something that really amazed me.. Madras seemed a bit, hmm.. backwards? (though I'm glad its just the way it is.)

The next day, 9th june, started with sound checks and rehearsals and what not at the NCPA from 8 in the morning till 4.30 and we were allowed an hour to get dressed for concert taht was supposed to start at 7. The Tata theatre had good acoustics, could find the difference when my voice bounced back, could hear myself in such clarity as inside the sound studio.

The concert happened. We had a receptive audience and hence was a huge success. (Kaapi raagam actually came out well this time :) Thanks to my cousin and Punya, the veena player.) After the concert there was a small party outside with DJ Fazia playing beautiful fusions, met people, made a lot of contacts..

Returned quite late to the hotel and crashed, cos we had a morning flight to catch. Took a taxi early in the morning cos I thought I needed to see something of Bombay. So visited the Gateway of India. After seeing it n number of times in the movies (Got reminded of the Nayakan scene), the pictures that we pasted in our project scrap books in school and in history books, I was still not disappointed at the structure with hundreds of pigeons resting and flying by.

My friend who lived there was saying how the people there, are always in a rush all the time and everything happens with such speed that anywhere else, would feel that work is too damn slow. One more thing I felt was, everybody looked too dressed up for even simple coffee shop outings.. The taxi guys also take advantage if you do not know the rates and the place.

Anyway, it was a lovely experiece this time, musicwise. Couldn't acknowledge the fact that I was in Bombay cos it took two hours of flight to get there and pretty much spent most of the time in our own company, so did not exactly interact with any mumbaites. Would love to go back and explore the city again, considering the fact that Bollywood happens there. Most of the newspaper that I read through in the airport had celebrity news and more celebrity news. With lot of colourful pictures and gossips. Actullay missed The Hindu there.

Would love to take a walk down Marine drive if and when I get back there one day..