Who Am I?

 

From colonial history to pointless mass murder; from cultural secularism to religious feuds; from luck injected success stories to unknown tragedies that have escaped into dark forgetfulness. I have seen it all. I have always been there. I have seen majestic glass buildings of the rich shadowing and contrasting the ‘dirt and grit’ huts of the unfortunate. I have seen the brave and lucky soar from the oblivion of uncertainty to the comfort of luxury. I am inspiration. I’ve inspired the cult and the commercial, the creative and the practical. I am a celluloid star with enough tributes films to last for a lifetime and more. I am influence. They say, if you want to make a living, I’m the one you should meet. I am a secret keeper; charming and wise on the outside, revealing the ugly happenings of my underbelly to a strong few. I am safety. I protect my weak, but sometimes I fail. But then, even God himself cannot protect every soul he has under his watch. I have nerves of steel; they’re called the locals. When I say people get on my nerves, they literally do. My people use it to commute, like bacteria commuting in a human body. But what was once meant to be a logistic lifeline is now just a system overburdened with responsibility.  I have seen my people turning me from what I was to what I never wanted to be. I am dying, but I’m immortal. I am tired, but I have grown wise. I have stood the test of time. I live through my people. I am second to none. I … am … Mumbai.