08/12/2014
Confession by a mumbai girl:
It didn't happen a long time ago but this experience has the very capacity for getting imbibed its impact in my mind forever and for sure.It was 11:27 pm in the night at Dombivli station and there stood I with helplessness,frustrated with myself for catching the wrong local train by mistake.As I was new to Mumbai,I did not know much about the suburbs here and had missed my slow local of Thane and instead reached Dombivli station(5 stations ahead of Thane).With absolute minute knowledge of Mumbai,no battery left in my phone and little of money in my pocket;I had nothing but disappointment and restlessness left in me.The helpless feeling of being able to do nothing made tears rolling out of my eyes.
A man,actually a tea vendor maybe in his late 50s approached me for my help.At first,I did not respond out of my suspicious tendency but with the feeling of having no option left with me,I informed him about my condition.He smiled,calmed me down,asked me about my destination and gracefully took me to a taxi driver(who was supposedly his friend) overlooking the fear instilled in my eyes.When I repeatedly insisted of repaying his money,he gave me his contact no. and asked me to pay for the taxi-fare later on whenever I felt like.
I only breathed a sigh of relief when I reached my place.The incident still reminds me of the golden hearted,ever helping,co-operative citizens of Mumbai.This itself made me fall in love with the city.I continue to live in Bombay even today and keep narrating this incident to my colleagues,relatives for-I have chosen Mumbai as my city to get settled forever.
Long live Mumbai,long live Mumbaikars.
