Mumbai Montage

Last night, me and my friend decided to go on a long drive on a bike in Mumbai. He came to pick me up at two a.m. and then it began. It was a chilly night and the roads, except for the highway were mostly deserted. If it were a movie, I would say it was all in black and yellow with just a few colours and bokehs sprewn here and there. We reached Bandra, after being searched by the police once for signs of drunken drinking. I realised it was a horrible horrible job. Instead of using breath analysers, a policemen would come near you and smell your breath in the pretense of asking your name. It ought to be included in the list for the “worst jobs around the world.” Then there was the ocean. Owing to low tide, the ocean was a huge and still mass of water. The moon was almost full. And believe me when I say it looked like somebody jad mashed up pieces of glasses and spread the shards on a huge black canvas which shimmered and sparkled in the black of the night. And it was hard to believe that this was Bandra. Then came Haji Ali, the glittering blue lights, the colours I talked about earlier, in the midst of the huge canvas. Slowly the architecture begins to change. There is an oncoming of tall buildings with darkened hollows for windows. The horizon is not at all visible, unlike the seaface earlier. And suddenly we have marine drive. It only gets better. The air gets colder than ever before. The huge body of water looks like an even more beautiful artwork. The moon in all its glory, seemed to be proud of its beauty. Then we came across the beautiful colonial past, the architectural heritage of Mumbai. In the dark of the knight they looked like those ancient black and white pictures that we now find printed on postcards. It was nearly 5 a.m. by this time and the beautiful highcourt decided to tell this to us with its beautiful chiming in the silent of the night. We decided to take a break and have some food with some caramel tea (I named it because of its peculiar taste) at an Irani cafe which was the only one open at the time. And finally after that we made our way back home. It was a beautiful night, a night to remember. And it felt as if everything fell into piece just to make it perfect for us, like those five planets that have aligned in the same line for the first time in decades.

Mehrooni

It’s one of the best short movies I have watched in a very long time. And trust me, it will make you shed a few tears – minimum. The narration – beautiful beyond words, the music – so touching, the story – very natural. This movie will make you regret all those moments when you wasted time being upset with your loved ones.

The love for Bombay, it’s little stories, hidden in every nook and corner, specially in it’s lifeline – comes out through the narration. I looked up the director and there was a quote by him which said “We don’t live in Mumbai, Mumbai lives in us.”

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It’s presentation is what really appealed to me. It really reminds you of the era of Charlie Chaplin, and more recently of the movie ‘The Artist’. It’s good to see Indian movies experimenting with this form. Royal Stag, you are doing some good work. 😛

If you were a book

If you were a book,
I would bookmark
all the good memories.
I would cover you in the finest jackets
And keep you at a place nearest my heart.

Everywhere I went
beaches or mountains
you would be there by my side.
A book that precious
could neither be exchanged nor replaced.

I would mark the first page with my name
and leave little notes on the rest.
Every night before going to sleep
I would look at those notes
under the light of the moon.

My favourite passage would be read
on the day that I die.
And even that wouldn’t be the end
because the sequel would yet remain to be read.

Book Store Visits

If there’s one thing I could spend eternity doing it is this! It is an absolute pleasure for me to roam around in book stores, aimlessly, looking at books, sometimes smelling them. I have obviously lost count of the number of book stores and libraries that I have been to but I remember where and when I bought each book that I possess. After all every book is like a baby.

Let me tell you, not all book store are the same. You can judge a book store solely by one section in the store. For instance, I have been to several ‘Crossword’, ‘Landmark’, etc. book stores and all of them house the exact same books. But there was this one book store in Bandra, a quaint little one, and the owner had handpicked every book on the shelf and God was it amazing! I had heard about every book there and all of them had good reviews from people who had read them. It wasn’t even like I had only seen them online or in passing. He even had special books on Mumbai which are hard to be found anywhere else.

Then there is the Book Market near Flora Fountain in Colaba, a heaven for broke bibliophiles. You name it, and they have almost always got it, for prices as low as a Wodehouse Omnibus for 300 bucks. If you can’t find anything specific just go to “Kitaabkhana” nearby and place your order and they will even call you when they get that book in stock.

There was also one book store in Kasol which I really really wanted to visit. Every cafe you went to, people were reading one book or another and since the Israelis who frequent that place live there for several months, the book store was the only place that could provide them with good literature at a place as inaccessible as Kasol. So if anybody manages to find that place open some day, please buy me a book from there, I will be forever in debt. Though I have to confess I was more curious about the genius notes that the potheads had scribbled than in the books itself. 😀

That’s What’s Up

Years ago, I came across this song called ‘Home’ by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and it is one of the best songs on the theme of a home, about belonging, about love. For a long time I heard many other songs by them but it wasn’t until I found this song called “That’s What’s Up” when I fell in love again.

And here’s the video of “Home” as well in case you’re interested. It’s a beautiful song. Also followed by the lyrics for That’s What’s Up which you most probably won’t pay attention to because of the adorable video. *_*

I’ll be the church, you be the steeple
You be the king, I’ll be the people
Well I was feeling such a mess I thought you’d leave me behind
Well I was being such a wreck I thought you’d treat me unkind
But you helped me change my mind

I’ll be the sun, you be the shining
You be the clock, I’ll be the timing
Well I was feeling such a mess I thought you’d leave me behind
Well I was feeling so upset I thought the sun never shined

Then I found.. forever
Hey hey love
We’ve been best friends forever darling
That’s what’s up

Forever
No matter what
You’ve got my love to lean on darling
That’s what’s up
You’ve got my love to lean on darling
No matter what

You be the book, I’ll be the binding
You be the words, I’ll be the rhyming
While I was feeling such a wreck I thought I was losing my mind
While I was feeling such a mess I thought the sun never shined

You be the bird, I’ll be the feather
We’ll be the best of friends forever
While I was feeling such a mess I thought you’d leave me behind
While I was feeling such a wreck I thought you’d treat me unkind

Then I’ll find.. forever and always
You’ve got my love to lean on darling
All the days
Forever, come what may
You’ve got my love to lean on darling
All the days
You’ve got my love to lean on darling
All the days of our days, yeah

Love is our shelter
Love is our cause
Love goes on forever
Yeah love will lead us all

Love, it is our honour
Love, it is our all
Love goes on forever
Yeah love it is our home

Oh, yeah, that’s what’s up..