New years' eve is always a big deal and i decided to go back to home grounds and bring in New Year Bombay style. When you live outside your city, you think you can keep in touch with all that is happening and you know every place and person around; i too thought so. I was sadly mistaken; i am half Mumbaikar half Bangalorean now. Mumbai is in my blood, that feeling of safety and security automatically comes to me the minute my plane lands in Mumbai airport. The sounds are soothing, the area - as familiar as the back of my hand yet i am alienated. How big a difference distance makes :( The discrepancies can be seen in daily interactions - i call the rickshaw guy "guru" and not "bhaiyya"; i try to bargain about the fare then suddenly realizing i don't need to do that here and apparently i have the southie twang when i talk.
I wanted to prove that i still belong here; that i have memories here that noone can steal away. So i decided to take a small trip down memory lane and what better place to start it off than our very own Mithibai College :D.. Ahh those days, those classes, the profs and that canteen - where we spent hours on end eating all on their menu, chatting up with all those waiters, those iron benches and more than anything the witch hunts we had to get a place to sit :D This time when we went back the scenario was different. Our old canteen with little lighting was no longer there; instead i see a swanky, upgraded, almost food court style canteen. The old iron benches have given way to high tables and bar stools. Our friendly waiters were no longer there to take our order; actually don't think they needed to take it. They usually knew what each one ate.; the pav bhaji dosa, idli sambar (with sambar alag se), masala pav. The food still tasted good but the charm of that rustic, almost run down canteen with its ancient standing fans was lost.
We left college in 2006 and yes of course we miss those days ( don't tell me you don't). Feels like just yesterday that i walked into college for the first time and knew almost noone. Time has flown naah !!!
