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.