A little bit of everything...

“How do you manage to travel in this congested city every day?” Fred asked miserably as he sat inside Aditya’s car and waited for the signal to change.

“After a while you just get used to it.” Aditya replied with a smile.

“Oh I don’t think I will ever get used to this city.” Fred said with lot of disgust.

He had come to Mumbai from London to shoot for a TV commercial. It had been a good shoot and he had actually enjoyed the commercial.

What he hadn’t enjoyed was the venue. Firstly, it was the country India which he had never imagined he would have the misfortune to visit. Not only did the commercial require his visit and a ten-day stay in India, he had had to actually stay in the city called Mumbai which was a living nightmare. It showcased everything he dreaded about India. The poverty, the garbage, the awful traffic, noise-pollution, crowded places... He couldn’t wait to escape from the city and return to his lovely country with the clean roads and fresh air and lots and lots of countryside around you. Here he could see only buildings and slums and roads overflowing with vehicles and people.

The producer of the commercial Aditya had invited him to spend some time at his home before heading off to the airport. Fred had hesitated at first but it seemed a better option rather than spending hours at the airport as his flight was scheduled to depart only at midnight. He liked Aditya’s excellent sense of humour, easy-going attitude and simplicity.

They both were now heading towards Aditya’s home. Fred’s mood was soured with the number of traffic signals that they encountered and the sheer number of vehicles driving on the road.

“What is that thing called?” Fred pointed to a person selling some sort of a puffed ball when the car had stopped for a signal. People were eating the same with lots of relish.

“Oh, that is paani-puri! It is one of our favourite snacks. You haven’t tried it yet? Want to eat it now?” Aditya asked him happily unaware of Fred averting his eyes from the sight of the seller dipping his hand inside some gruesome-looking water with which he filled the puffed ball.

“No, I think I will give it a miss. That liquid looks downright poisonous and so un-hygienic! How do you people eat or drink that!!”

Aditya laughed at the look of consternation on Fred’s face and parked his car safely to a side.

“Why are you parking here? I said I don’t want to eat it!” Fred said with indignation.

“Relax, Freddie. Just see me eat it... or drink it ok. If you want you can try it too.”

That’s likely to happen, thought Fred as he got down from the car and shaded his eyes from the harsh sun. He and Aditya marched towards the stall. The owner immediately set a little brown basket made of dried leaves in front of both of them and before Fred could protest, he had put one soaked ball in each basket. He saw Aditya lift the ball and put it inside his mouth and close his eyes in silent appreciation.

Fred decided to take a great risk and gingerly lifted the ball and ingested it whole. His mouth exploded into a burst of flavours... spicy, tangy, cooling and sweet all at a time. He couldn’t believe that something that looked so gross could taste so awesome. To his immense happiness, he found that the seller had already kept another soaked ball... no, paani-puri (he would honour this delicacy by learning its proper name) in his basket. He eagerly gulped it and before he realised, both he and Aditya had gulped about six of them within few seconds.

“I can see you liked it. “ Aditya said with an amused look and caught Fred eyeing the puris with a longing expression on his face. He ordered for two more plates and saw Fred eagerly gulp the puris.

“I can’t believe I didn’t eat that dish till now.. It is just awesome.” Fred said with wonder as they both got inside the car.

“If Mumbai can teach you something, it is this, that, appearances may be deceptive.” Aditya said with a playful wink and left something for Fred to think about for the rest of their drive.

To his immense surprise, Fred saw that Aditya lived in a very simple residential building with four floors and roughly about 30 flats. He had somehow expected him to live in a posh bunglow with gigantic dogs guarding the same. As he looked around the building, Aditya seemed to read his thoughts and said with a smile “It is simple and just what I need. It is a place where I can leave my kid alone and still be contented that there would be someone who would keep an eye on him. I have been staying here since the past ten years and it has become my extended family now. Come, my house is on the third floor.”

Aditya’s house was situated just next to the lift. As he rang the bell, Fred felt a bit apprehensive and not sure about what to expect.

“Hey, I hope you have informed your family about my visit...”

Aditya shook his head and laughed. “It is not necessary. My family is always ready for everyone.”

“I don’t understand.” Fred said almost lazily as he and Aditya reclined over the sofa in Aditya’s living room. They both had had a sumptuous meal of Dosa and Sambar with whom Fred had fallen instantly in love with.

“What don’t you understand?” Aditya asked, amused.

“You invite a stranger, albeit one with whom you have been working for the last ten days, to your home for food and accommodation. Your wife reacts like another family member has come home and your dad actually addressed me as ‘son’ and told me that I have a ‘home’ here. How do you do this? How do you welcome people so heartily and so dangerously soon into your homes?”

Fred had been amazed at the warm welcome that he had got in Aditya’s home. His wife Shruti, who was a typical beautiful Indian lady had treated him with utmost respect and had won his heart with her impeccable manners, decent behaviour and delicious cooking. Their son Surya who was an extremely cute and chubby five-year old kid had shyly interacted with Fred, all the while hiding behind Aditya and sending out cute smiles towards Fred.

The most amazing part of the day had been when Aditya introduced Fred to his father.

The old man had offered his wrinkled hand to Fred and had asked gently “Where are you from, son?”

The word ‘Son’ had come out so smoothly from his mouth that it had taken a while for Fred to grasp it before answering. When Fred mentioned to him that Aditya had kindly invited him to stay at his home rather than spending hours at the airport, the old man had sharply retorted “Of course, why should you linger at the airport when you have a home here?”

If that wasn’t enough, he had gruffly told Aditya “Don’t let him leave without having food “and left the room with a brief yet kind smile.

Fred had never felt so much loved and cared for in any of his friends’ homes in London. Lunch or dinner parties were always so formal that he never believed any home could contain such warmth.

Aditya smiled at him and explained kindly. “You know Fred, there is a saying that we Indians take to our hearts. It is ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’. This is the Sanskrit version and what it actually implies is, treat your guests like God.”

Like God, Fred wondered.

“It is our custom to never let any guest leave our home without offering anything to him/her. You will find this kind of welcome almost everywhere in India. I don’t deny that there may be some exceptions, but mostly, guests are treated with utmost respect in India. And to clear the air, you aren’t a guest anymore. You came to my house, you ate and enjoyed your meal. That now makes you family.” Aditya said with a heart-warming smile.

There, that’s the welcoming spirit again... thought Fred. How soon had Aditya and his family accepted him! He was at a loss to understand the trust that this family had given him so easily.

Later in the evening Aditya took Fred to Marine Drive and they sat on the railing of the boulevard that overlooked the bay. It was a beautiful ‘C’ shaped road and as Aditya informed him, was named Queen’s Necklace as the street lights looked like pearls on a necklace, when seen from above.

Fred felt like he was standing in the middle of two worlds. If he turned towards his right, he saw the busy road with vehicles continuously passing by and keeping up a continuous stream of noise. On his left was the calm bay, with the occasional sound of the waves stirring the otherwise silent world that lay there. It was a side of Mumbai that he had never seen. But then he had never left his hotel room except for when he was shooting. He had been convinced that there won’t be anything good to see.

“Mumbai confuses me. At one side, you have slums and on the other side, this beauty. That paani-puri water looks like a river from hell but tastes like food for divine beings. I don’t know whether I like Mumbai or not. “

Aditya laughed at Fred’s honest statement and said “We all have been there and done that buddy. There is never a time when I don’t decide to leave this city forever to escape from its maddening traffic and rush. But then I know that I can’t live elsewhere, now that I have lived here. This city is in my blood now. If there are re-births, I want to be born here every time.”

“Why? What makes you people so loyal to your city, your country, when there are other convenient places for you to live? I know every Indian cannot leave the country or city. But you have lived outside India for almost a year. You have an idea of the comfortable life that people in other countries lead. Then what makes you like this fast-paced, crowded and congested life?” Fred asked with amazement.

“Hmmm... it is complicated. Okay I know how to explain this now. Did you like Sambar?”

“I loved it!”

“You know how it is made? A little bit tangy, a little spicy, a little sweet and salt as needed. That is what makes it so delicious. Same with the dish that we call paani-puri... and same with my country and city... They both have a little bit of everything. “

“Ah... I get it.” Fred said with a smile.

“When it rains here, the train services get affected badly and thousands of commuters, who travel through trains every day to their office, get stranded for hours either in the trains or at platforms. They can’t reach their office and have to take the day off. This is the salt. And the sweet part? The train buddies gather together at stalls selling delicious hot tea and buns and have a great time. We people just love this and sometimes actually pray on Sunday nights to rain heavily so that we can enjoy a day off with our friends. Of course, my days with the local train are over now. I haven’t travelled by train since almost three years.” There was a wistful look on Aditya’s face as he said this sadly.

“You are a true Indian-Mumbai boy at heart, you know.”

At this Aditya laughed out loud. “Indian-Mumbai boy! I just love this! We here have a different term for this. We call ourselves Mumbaikars..”

Mumbaikars, thought Fred. What would my countrymen call themselves beside English, he thought 

 sadly.

Soon, too soon, it was time for Fred to leave for the airport. He politely declined any more food as his stomach was too full to eat anything more. He however enjoyed a steaming cup of filter coffee which Aditya himself prepared for them. There wasn’t much conversation but Fred tried to soak up the warm atmosphere as much as possible so that he would have something awesome to remember while living in his home alone.

Aditya had booked a cab for Fred to be dropped off at the airport. The cab arrived promptly within five minutes of booking and Fred took his luggage from Aditya’s room.

Aditya’s dad came out of his room to send him off. He again offered his hand and said “Have a safe journey, Son. Do visit us next time when you come to India, all right?”

‘

When’ you return to India, not ‘if’... thought Fred and shook his hand. He then did something which he had seen only in some Indian movie and never attempted himself. He bowed down and touched the old man’s feet to seek his blessings. The old man placed his hand on his head softly and beamed at him when he rose. He then patted his shoulder and said ‘God bless you always.’ Years of wisdom reflected from his eyes and Fred felt some emotion stir in him. Before he said or did something embarrassing, he left the room.

The bags were kept securely inside the car. It was time to leave. Fred offered his hand formally to Aditya and said “Thanks for an awesome time buddy.”

“Oh come on Freddie, we can do much better than this!” Aditya grabbed his shoulder and hugged him. Fred felt totally foolish at the emotion he experienced at being hugged like a brother. He hugged Aditya and said sadly “May be I will get some other shoot here to return to Mumbai.”

“Oh yes, you will. Everyone returns to Mumbai after they pass her first and only test.” Aditya said with a bright smile.

“And the test is..?”

“You only have to find one thing about Mumbai to like when she gives you only trouble and inconvenience. It could be food, it could be some place or it could be a person. If you find one thing to like about this city, there is no way you would never return back here.”

Fred felt a ray of hope light up his heart at the prospect of another visit to this city... the city of varied hues and shapes... varied people and places... the city which he had hated at first and then fallen in love with...all because of the warmth from one Mumbaikar’s family...

 He sat inside the car and waved goodbye to Aditya till he could see him.

Inside the flight he saw he was to sit beside his own country-fellow who seemed to be a jolly guy and greeted him with an exuberant ‘Hi!’. Fred kept looking outside the window before the plane took off hoping to feel the spirit of the city before he left it.

“So you liked it here?” The man asked him jovially. Fred nodded and asked him “What about you?”

“Oh what is not to like here? Great food, awesome beaches and really pretty girls!” He said with a wink and they both laughed. “Well, what did you like most here?” He asked Fred.

Fred took a while to answer and when he answered he said “Oh, a little bit of everything...”