Living life in the mass lane, Churchgate local fast train.
Travel the western line, commute takes time
Music for the journey, Rap MC’s, verses sublime
Local moves from station to station, as folks get on
and off, to their final destination.
Travel the western line, commute takes time
Music for the journey, Rap MC’s, verses sublime
Local moves from station to station, as folks get on
and off, to their final destination.
***
Train speeds by track side ghetto projects
And retail establishments, house material objects
Move southside, townside, uptown sights meet the eye,
get off at the last stop, armed cops
walk their beat on the hop
***
Newspaper vendor squats near the subway,
On display, TOI, ET, Mirror and Midday.
Scandals in the by-lines, gossip in the headlines
College kids laugh and chat acting their age, while
Street kids work the cars at the signals for daily wage
***
Up the pace to reach my meeting place, watching the clock,
Shielded from the afternoon sun by towering office blocks.
Meeting done, no sale, pressure mounts, job hangs by the line,
Scramble for closures, call prospects, work tight deadlines.
***
Peak hour brings back the human invasion on the local,
Couples and colleagues and friends talk, get vocal.
first class travellers packed like sardines in a can,
Everyone tries to catch a drift of the ceiling fan.
Peak hour brings back the human invasion on the local,
Couples and colleagues and friends talk, get vocal.
first class travellers packed like sardines in a can,
Everyone tries to catch a drift of the ceiling fan.
***
Snake through Andheri traffic in an auto-rick
reach my crib, take a sip, write verses ad lib
Free fall on my bed, stare at the ceiling
Size up my day, gauge what I’m feeling
Snake through Andheri traffic in an auto-rick
reach my crib, take a sip, write verses ad lib
Free fall on my bed, stare at the ceiling
Size up my day, gauge what I’m feeling
***
Mumbai the city for hustlers, note rustlers, do-it-any-how bustlers,
Rags to riches, hags to snitches, brags to disses,
Malls to Mauls, Falls to Faults, Balls to Brawls
The city has it all.
Rags to riches, hags to snitches, brags to disses,
Malls to Mauls, Falls to Faults, Balls to Brawls
The city has it all.
***
You are either riding the wave of success
You are either riding the wave of success
or living off the pavement,
On your knees pleading,
On your knees pleading,
city seething, got the pockets bleeding,
I’m an out-of-town heathen,
I’m an out-of-town heathen,
indifference I’m breeding.
The city of dreams,
The city of dreams,
screams, never asleep, the ambition arena,
Love, Hate, Hope, Apathy, agitation by the Sena.
City on the run always in a hurry,
Love, Hate, Hope, Apathy, agitation by the Sena.
City on the run always in a hurry,
memories of routine always blurry.
People in a rush, don’t mind the stranger’s brush.
Crowded places, blank faces,
People in a rush, don’t mind the stranger’s brush.
Crowded places, blank faces,
people try to find their way
through empty spaces.
through empty spaces.
***
Always in a state of extremes, so it seems
truth and lies co-exist, neither reigns supreme.
Whatever the weather, everyone’s feeling the heat,
Rich and poor run the rat race on the same street.
This city can make you cold, blind because its unkind,
Always in a state of extremes, so it seems
truth and lies co-exist, neither reigns supreme.
Whatever the weather, everyone’s feeling the heat,
Rich and poor run the rat race on the same street.
This city can make you cold, blind because its unkind,
If you need to survive here you need a Mumbai state of mind.
***
Dinesh is a mish-mash of Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai, the cities he has lived in and fallen in love with. Poet, calligrapher, compulsive googler, self-proclaimed dogfather of the strays, ardent sports fan (Arsenal, CSK, Michael Jordan), foodie, anti-pop music curator (Underground & Alternative Hip Hop, Electric Blues & Jazz, Classic), world movies cinephile and classic car enthusiast, this left-hander tries hard to keep it right-brained (pun intended). By profession, Dinesh is a Marketing and Sales professional and a guest columnist for a shopping website.
13 Comments
1 Rachna Tiwari wrote:
Spot on…..that too in verse is so amazing. My views on Mumbai too….though not with as much brevity.
http://needstotalk.wordpress.com/2012/07/15/memories-of-mumbai-yeh-hai-bombay-meri-jaan/
2 Dinesh Damodaran wrote:
Hi Rachna,
Thank you for reading my verse and for your feedback. I read your blog on Mumbai, and as far as the Gurgaon – Mumbai debate go, Gurgaon maybe well planned, but Mumbai wins on character. And while you mentioned the idlies and dosa’s of the udipi joints, my favourite joints are the ones in Matunga (My Chennai roots are prejudiced towards Tam style of cuisine.)
3 Ravi Damodaran (@wor wrote:
Wah Wah
4 DivyaPR wrote:
Lovely capture of the daily Mumbai fair, Dinesh.. ‘The haste, lest life goes waste’, kind of attitude is typical to Mumbai. Some love it, some sloth it, but the city remains oblivious to both, just like most of the people.. or does the city make them that?? Well, such thoughts apart, wonderful writing from you..
5 Dinesh Damodaran wrote:
Thanks Pop / Divya!
6 Amulya wrote:
This is simply awesome … u have rightly narrated, the fast life of Mumbai and the daily instances of a common man leaving out there. As Mumbai is called city of dreams you have explained why is it so called. I liked it. Keep it up
7 Rekha wrote:
Very cool DD! sounds like a rap song!!
very well written ! and a very plkeasurable read! cheers! You rock!! 
8 Dinesh Damodaran wrote:
Thanks Rekha! This is written in spoken word form, hence the rap like feel to it
9 Neelam wrote:
Captures Mumbai very well. Felt I was jostling on a train when I read it..
10 Vidhi wrote:
Congratulations!! Good to see your poems published here. Looking forward to more.
11 Dinesh wrote:
Thanks Neelam!
Thanks Vidhi!
More stuff coming up!
12 Nitesh wrote:
Hi DD,
Great composition!
It is like having a Virtual Mumbai Tour while reading.
13 Dinesh wrote:
Thanks Nitesh,
Noticed your comment only now. But thanks a lot for reading and sharing your feedback.