Wrapping up!

[About the picture - The Queen's Necklace :) This place will always be one of the best stress buster places of all times! Feeling low, then take a cab and come to Marine drive. And let the sea breeze lighten you up!]

After spending almost 2 years in Mumbai, it's time to pack my bags, yet again :(

This regular nomadic life that I have been living since the beginning of my life, sometimes I hate it! First it was the army thing because of dad, then because of mom's job we kept on changing places. Have changed more than 7 schools in 12 years of schooling. By the way, did I ever mention that I was one of those (un)fortunate children who used to study in the same schools where my Mum was posted as principal!
It was a different kind of feeling. Almost a mini-celebrity stature :)

Every new school I joined, since the very first day, students start to point fingers at you in hushed tones while you walk in the corridors. Teachers deal with you in different manner than rest of the students. Once, when all the guys in my class were getting a violent thrashing from our science teacher for bunking a class, he came to me and gave me one of those kinds of pat on the back that-sound-boisterous-but-feel-nothing and carried on with his violent ways from the next guy onwards!

You also tend to get selected for any competition or event that you are interested in. But in my defense, I was good at debating and extempores and therefore ensured that at least some prize came to our school because of me. And good for others, that I sucked so pathetically at sports that I was very happy not even to attempt for trials. There was always a certain performance pressure surrounding me, partly by my mom's expectations (and you just cannot hide anything from her about what you are doing in school!) and partly by teachers and other students in general. I did whatever best I could to compensate my absent sports interest with decent academics and better co-curricular activities (SO gay, I know!)

All in all, it was a great experience for all those 12 years!

So coming back to the topic of moving on, changing schools, changing homes, changing cities, making new friends every time only to say goodbye every 2-3 years was a painful task then. Those 6 years at medical school were the longest I had ever stayed at one place!

Though in retrospect, it looks like a wealth of experience, but now after 2 years of Mumbai life, I am befuddled as to which place should I call home! The place where my medical school was, is no more home. Place where my home is currently, is so boring and dull that I can't even imagine spending 2 days there as I know not even a single soul there (except my dad). In the past decade, i have only visited home (where ever it was!) at max twice a year that too for not more than a week and with my mother and dad living separately due to job constraints since a long time, I just recognize a place as home, by the furniture and the curtains. Houses change, buildings change, gardens change, only the furniture, the sofa sets, and the wall hangings remind me that I have come to a place that is familiar.

And now when I begin my first big job and that too at a remote location at Bihar and Nepal border, I am so not looking forward to call that place my home! So basically I have no clue which place to call home and in last 2 years, Bombay got so much ingrained in me subconsciously that it was almost a natural response to mention Bombay as my home to anyone who asked! I have traveled quite some distance, both professionally and personally in these 2 years and Bombay has had a big big role to play.

Anyway, I have so much to write about the gifts of the city that I'll have to write a new post for that.

Ciao!