Friday, April 21, 2006

once was Bombay

The long weekend made me realise how it would feel to be wasted once again......and how I still relish being wasted.

Bawi, gave me 2 books to read and took back one under the pretext of her upcoming MCom exams. So I was left with, 'Once was Bombay' - by Priti Virani.

The books talks about this great city, and the innumerable problems it now faces. No economically inclined talks here, No check on the profanity either....
.... just a mention of the people who truly capture the hues that this city has been painted in.

22 years spent in this city, has made me oblivious to its problems.
Mumbai or Bombay is still where the heart lies, notwithstanding the 50000 odd villages and its villagers from the north who have migrated here (and are still migrating), thanks to a gentleman named Kripashankar and his likes.

Well, coming back to the book, it's as blunt and straightforward as the mutton knife I use.
The author has covered in great details the smaller aspects of this megapolis, and the beginning of its, not so distant, end.
The accomplished underworld, the remorseless police force, the insatiable politicians, the riots, the Page 3 cliques, bollywood, sex, drugs, violence, everyone has been dedicated with a chapter here.

Interviews with the first don of Mumbai, Karim Lala and his rivalry with the then upcoming star, a certain "Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar" is a slap on the face of people who thought, "underworld doesnt function this way".

The author has spared none of the hypocrites, and the subtle references to our socialites, just warns us how deep the abyss really goes, in this glamour hungry city.

A good read, though it might sound a bit sectarian at times.
The book will bowl you over with a piece on the city's resilient nature, and at the very next instance, warn us about the inevitable demise that awaits us.

Would make a true hardcore Mumbaite realise, that this aint the golden city it used to be.

9 comments:

heretoscrewyourday said...

1. if u wanted to get wasted, y did u decide to read???!!
2. u sure its not titled 'Once was Bombay n now its Bomgay"??
3. Priti Virani -- a chick ahahah ..
4.when ppl from here want to go abroad then some one has to take their place naa ..
5. so u make food hunn?? umm
6.is there a chapter called "what am i still doin here?"
7. now that u've read it, where are u headed -- london??
to sum it all up .. plz dont use words that are difficult to pronounce and understand .. and yeah njoi ur weekends .. ITS JUST BLOODY 2 FREEKIN DAYS IN A WEEK!!

Chamki said...

hey you didnt write about your ancestors? and why are we trying to be nice to all the people in this post? Why are we being poilte to Shobha De! She is silly socialite we dont like. Say it Aneesh how difficult is it? haan?
hee hee joking.

heretoscrewyourday said...

and btw, that movie was "Company" and not "Satya" .. get ur facts clear!! y cant u read/see/listen the whole thing??

aneesshh said...

Company was about the Rajan/Dawood rivalry

styleguy said...

hmmmm...Mumbai surely has changed..atleast from what I had seen of it...some 6-7 years ago.

And my recent visits to Mumbai were marred by the nuisance called `local trains'...though I'm happy my tirade with the mumbai local trains translated into 3 posts for mah blog. ;-)

heretoscrewyourday said...

ahahhaha ... so u changed it!!

Shweta Aroskar said...

good one:-)

Anonymous said...

hi...nice blog...umm are you sure tht writer's called priti virani and not pinki virani?

aneesshh said...

hmm..maybe...dont recollect the author now....but u do sound confident, so i takeit u must be right...and in my defence...blame in on the K serials....not that i ever ssaw themm....