Its been 3 years to the day today. 16^th June 2007 at 11.30 pm my flight landed after hovering over the skies for well over 40 minutes. I wondered to myself – What sort of place is this? Even the flights have to take turns for landing. Overcrowded? Not that I hadn’t heard about it. The Bombay (Mumbai to most) that I had heard of was a bustling metropolis. But nothing had prepared me for the real thing. I did know that around 1 in 52 Indian lived in this huge city, but that was just a figure until I came face-to-face with the crowds. The crowds – its everywhere. As also the stink. The stink of sea. The stink of garbage coming from clogged creeks which got converted into drains. The stink from 20 million living humans.

I was a young, naïve MBA who decided to land up in Bombay to make a living out of selling insurance. Everyone around told that the city has opportunities to grow. Talking just about the figures from my chosen profession, Bombay invests some INR 7000 crores in Life Insurance premium as compared to Delhi which does some thousand odd crores. Put in perspective, Bombay must be having 7 times the scope for growth.

So those were the days when I hated it – crowds, stink, roads, traffic and the locals. The only place that I liked in Bombay from the very beginning were Marine Drive and the Juhu chowpatty. That too at a time when it wasn’t really crowded. Home sickness was at its peak and whenever I felt like having home cooked food I used to rent a cab and head to Stadium Restaurant at Churchgate. The chapati and dal served there came closest to the home food.

The trick to adapt to Bombay is just to stick around. And that’s what I did. I had the option to switch locations but decided against it. And how I thank myself for that wise decision today! Work was such that it took me around Bombay – selling to people at Nariman Point, Bhendi Bazar, Ambernath, Boisar, Nagothane(I’ll bet not many people can point that place on a map), and that holy grail – Dharavi. I just recollect a funny incident – Once during Oct 2008 when rumors about ***** Bank going under were at its peak, I went on a sales call to a broker whose office was at Charni Road. I pitched a pension plan to him and he listened to me for the entire duration with a bemused look. After I was done, he took out his card and gave it to me and said – I know for a fact that your bank is going down under in the next 3 months. But I like your confidence. So here is the card. Give me a call when you lose your job and I will hire you. I gave a curt smile and came out. At that moment I was seething with anger. But now when I look back I feel good about it. At least I managed to impress him with my confidence! And yeah…I still have that card with me.

I loved traveling – locals were the preferred mode. It’s cheap and super efficient and the time saved is precious and you get to see the “real” city. And then there are lessons when traveling – the day I was almost crushed by a BEST bus at Ghatkopar, the day I almost fell from the Virar Fast between Andheri and Parla. You learn from each one of them. Avoid those mistakes and it shouldn’t be a real problem.

When the times get tough, I had plentiful of such occasions, you have places to seek hope and redeem your faith. I made many a visits to Haji Ali, sat on the rocks at Versova Beach talking just to myself and dragging my feet at the warm sands of Manori.

It is said that when God has some plans for you He parks you in Bombay. I really don’t know what’s in store but I can say for sure that this is going to be a life long affair. I came to Bombay as a naïve, impressionable chap. As someone who really knows me told me recently that I am no longer the same. I am now a “ruthless, emotionless, money minded man”. Well, I would not dispute any of those. Bombay...well done! I am now a part of you and I have no regrets at all.

PS: The pic clicked from my phone features the sunset at the Juhu Beach on some June 07 evening!