1year 8months

Hey do you believe this….it was just last year that I came to this city attracted by a so called glamorous job at Shoot Talent Management, The TIMES GROUP. I packed my bags, said a small but desperate prayer, and there I was on my way on the broad Pune-Mumbai express highway.

2^nd April'06….that's the D-Day, Lord made my way into 7 Ramesh Niwas and a part of the two most unusually wonderful people on Planet Earth. It might sound a little exaggerated but Dipti and Sabir were only ones who opened their doors or perhaps their hearts for me to come and reside. More than 30 days no question asked my fairy God mother & father not only made their living room into 'room to live' for me but also showed me whole of South Mumbai. Their friends became my friends. I became the hostess of their parties. This is what I called love, making a stranger turn into a daughter.

Right at this moment 12/8/2007 9:15:23 PM I'm sitting on their bed and writing this on Dipti's laptop.

Life has not really been the same ever since. New city, new friends and new way of living. I moved to Amrapali hostel in Chembur and realized for the first time that what it means to share and care….yes share your clothes, food, shoes and care when someone is down in health, mood or life. It teaches you to be disciplined, punctual (if you don’t want to miss your meal) and tidy. And above all how can I miss out “do your own work”, from cleaning your shoes to ironing your clothes. In a nutshell, its 1 room with 2 souls and everyday influx of emotions, friends, love, best & worst. One comes across so many different faces divided amongst only 100 rooms….. Someone with a broken marriage while someone stepping into the new life of marriage….. someone moving abroad with a new high end job while someone who has lost every form of financial support. You get to see all lives merged together under one roof and you wonder and try to find the why, what, when & hows.

Then you meet graceful people like Padma, Ruby and Anubhuti who show you a new way of looking at life. Being selfless and living for God and the world’s sufferings. There is an unusual peace and happiness in it. I’ve started treading on the same path atleast have taken the first few baby steps. Doing the simplest thing like giving a listening ear to other people’s problems or buying the beggar kid a toffee makes such a lot of difference to your soul.

And finally SHOOT TALENT MANAGEMENT…… a job of a manager, scheduler, sales person ….whatever you would like to call it. There again like any other job it has its own share of frustrations, lies, hang-ups and competition. The difference: you get to attend social page 3 parties and mix around with the elite class…..for me it’s all fake and materialistic so never really enjoyed it.

This is December’07. It’s been over 1 year 8 months. I love this city, the people around me, taffic jams, the zest to live life that this city showers……the Mumbai-Pune journeys once in 2 months, the whole night daru n dance, the Sunday church services….the smiles in the beggar kid’s face, the pollution, the competition, the the the everything…………….. Let every year bring a new surprise, a new experience and new faces to look at. Mumbai apunka Mumbai.