-Written by Sabrina Kunnel. Edited by Henal Jasani.
Life in Bombay is hectic, what is new about that? But there is a part of this city where you can laze around, stretch out your arms and soak in the sunlight and greet the morning birds with a lazy smile. Is this possible? Yes, try the suburbs of Bombay, you will get a glimpse of the old and the new, the village and the city and more over you will get plenty of trees and birds to gaze upon.
Surprised, that all the while you thought only South Bombay and Bandra had astounding views to offer? I guess the convention needs to be altered. Located in the suburban area of Bombay, welcome to the bland areas of Juhu. Here you will not only get the feel of the wind in your lungs, but you will also have the benefit of occasionally sighting birds of varying breeds right from the Sparrow to the Kingfisher. An additional advantage of the feeling of living in a village is that of the chime of the church bells that ring at 5:00 a.m. in the morning.
Children with their laughter catching up with their daily school routine and little ones playing in the by-lanes are a sight one enjoys on a daily basis. A walk to the beach in the mornings will revive your drooping spirits and will give you plenty time to clear your thoughts. A cool drink of coconut water from the stalls nearby will refresh you and the wet sands below your feet will comfort you. The same beach in the evenings will revive you with its liveliness. The squeals of little ones as they dig into the sands will delight you. The sound of the waves will refresh you as you sit silently and admire their ongoing nonstop flow.
This does not mean that life in the suburbs of Bombay is less hectic, it only means that in spite of all the busy schedules of their daily life peole do get a chance to be with nature and cherish every bit of it. Rich, poor or the middle class all walk and work with nature in one stride that’s the significance of Bombay. Bombay is the daily struggle that each individual carries with him during the course of the entire day, Bombay is also the tiny gestures of care shown by one individual to another when you see someone giving alms to the poor, when you see someone helping a co-traveler or for that matter when someone cares to plant a tree, it’s all Mumbai with all its ups and downs and topsy turvies.
Bombay_hood. 