Detestable UP-Bihar

Just like any usual day, I was travelling back from office to my flat, via UberPool. I have this habit of talking with the driver and/or the fellow riders. So the conversation became focussed on Mumbai/Maharasthra. The cab driver was singing about the glory of Mumbai. I asked him, why do you Mumbaikars hate U.P. & Bihar? He was left shocked as to why have I asked him about such sensitive issue so straightforwardly. But he answered me, and that too quite nicely.

Me : Why do people in Maharashtra hate people from UP/Bihar?
Cabbie : It is not the people we hate. It's the way they live/work here that irks us.
Me : How?
Cabbie : See, if we are getting paid Rs. 10,000 for some work, a person from Bihar would demand Rs. 4,000 for the same. This reduces our wage and effects our working culture.

He went on.

Cabbie : I have invested in this cab business as I've purchased another car and kept a driver for it. I give him a salary of Rs. 22,000 per month and flexible working hours as well. Still I manage to make roughly Rs. 30,000 from that cab itself. This cab gives me a saving of roughly Rs. 50,000.

His point seemed justified to me partially. I read about this issue and one quora post seemed to be answering my question. Excerpt of the same is below :-

Why there is a massive migration from these two states to other states? The answer is, there is no development in these two states. Governments of these states are busy doing scams and "gundagiri" over the people over there. Yet again people elect such candidates with a huge mandate just because they get a good sum while election campaigns are going on and the poor people vote for those who give them good sum of amount for the vote. Most of the population here is illiterate.
This can be avoided by, Educating the people.

Secondly, Mindset of working. (Keeping in mind that most immigrating population is illiterate or less educated)
I have often seen that, most of the labors who work for construction companies or any work in which we have to put much hard work (physical hard work) is done by North Indians. The reason behind this is, local workers from Maharashtra don't work for a very low sum in exchange to the efforts which has to put to do the work. While, on the other hand, workers from UP and Bihar get ready to do the same job for a very low sum. Because of this, local workers don't get job.
So, when the worker from Bihar and UP who is working in Mumbai and Pune, he goes home and tell his friends that there is (in Pune or Mumbai) you have lots of job to do. So, more peoples join him while coming back here again.
First they come alone, and once they get settled here, they bring there whole family and relatives.
To avoid this, Governments of respective states (UP and Bihar) should start developing there states.
All-n-all, the only solution for this is, to develop those states so that they will find a job for themselves in their respective states and they wont migrate to other states in search of job.
Secondly, education, which is most important, not just to get a job, but to improve the way of thinking as well.

Pretty much sums up about the problem. But I feel hatred is not the solution. The societal bullshits are fed to us from the childhood rather than providing proper education. Before the development of the state or the nation, we ought to develop the rationality in our ideology. Charity begins at home. Hence blaming the system is not the solution. The solution lies within ourselves.

The only movie I watched twice

Between the stars

My hunt for a good flat lasted for 5 days and I was pretty tired of searching for one with the broker. I'd go with the broker daily after the office, roam around in search of one and end up disappointed.

I asked the broker whether he has watched Wake Up Sid. He nodded. I said Konkona Sen Sharma gets a flat easily there in the movie. He responded, "Wo movie hai sir. Aur waise bhi uska flat kitna ganda tha. Wo to baad me usne saaf kia Ranbir Kapoor k saath." I was looking at him with my mouth ajar.

Finally I decided to settle down for one flat in some pretty old building of Kalina because the flat was pretty from the inside and had goo connectivity of public transport. But as I had settled and two days had passed, the owner asked me to vacate it as he was unsatisfied about my mode of payment. He said he wants cash due to some Income Tax shit. I was left homeless because I had vacated the guest house. I yelled at broker, frustrated, with teary eyes. Even the broker got melted by my helplessness. Yeah, it’s a big deal. Brokers are meant to break people and make a big hole in the pocket of the tenant. He drove me to a nearby flat which I nodded to get settled in right away which turned out to be bigger and better one sans the 4G connectivity of Airtel.

Watching a new movie in the theatre is a good feeling.

Watching a new movie in the theatre, first-day-first-show, is a great feeling.

An example of Ganesh Chaturthi celebration on every road of Mumbai

But watching Interstellar with the bunch of your best friends is the best feeling in the world. This movie had a huge impact on me. It had touched me to the core of my heart.

I was browsing on BookMyShow and was surprised to see that Interstellar and Gravity are re-released in PVR IMAX. I was like what the fucking wow! And to add to that, the ticket was priced at meager Rs. 100. I instantly booked my show on the morning of Ganesh Chaturthi. Three-fourth of the Mumbai was busy celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi and going to visit Lord Ganesha in Lower Parel East (Lalbagh). I went to watch Interstellar in Lower Parel West. Some said I am a fool for not taking the “right” turn. I said I’d feel fool if I miss Interstellar for standing in the queue with waiting time of 9 hours to see the idol of Lord Ganesha.

Souvenir

There was this queue outside Reliance Digital in the mall, as can be seen in this photo. Nah, there wasn't any Ganesha idol inside. They were standing outside waiting in the queue to get Reliance Jio 4G SIM. Yeah, at 10am in the morning.

Interstellar is the only movie which I have watched twice in theatre. I’ve felt this affection and schmaltz previously for a few movies like, The Avengers , Rockstar, X-men First Class, etc. with a desire to watch them again in theatre. But Interstellar was special, maybe because of the company with who I had watched it for the first time.  

And man, man, man, it felt so good. I laughed; I cried and ended up with a desire to watch it over and over again. The nostalgia linked with the movie was the prime factor in adding to the awesomeness of my second visit to Interstellar. Secondary was the music of Hans Zimmer. And tertiary was the movie itself.

The only thing missing this time was the company I had watched it for the first time. But anyways, it was meant to be that way.

Sharmita & Mishti

31st August 2016

After the office's shift got over, my 2nd shift got started, to search for a flat. Called up a broker in Bandra (E), who showed me a real chawl-like flat at first which I rejected seeing the outdoors. I pointed towards a building and asked him to show me flats in any such building. The broker was a Andhra-wadi raised up in Mumbai. He said, "ye sb to 25-30k me milenga". Then he showed me some more fucked up flats and finally took me to a flat which I ended up liking. But the broker told the one condition which makes me unworthy of living in that flat. "Owner ko family-waala mangta hai". I asked him if there is any other solution to this problem. He asked me to meet the owner once and tell him "mammi aata jaata rahega". I nodded. But the owner never appeared and refused on the phone because of his adamant demand. The broker said he'll find some more flats of my taste and will walk me through them tomorrow. I left at 8:50pm, called an UberPool to go back to the guest-house.

The driver, Shahid, was funny. I was sitting in the front seat already talking to him about random things. He told me he is also from U.P. but has left it way back as his family has settled down in Mumbai. He asked me where I work. He asked me whether it's good for his sister to join bank. He told that he barely managed to pass the 8th standard exams, but wants his sister to study well. Suddenly came another booking in the pool as I had crossed the Sahar International Airport road. It showed "Sharmita". We reached the pickup location as per the GPS location and the location she told over phone. We were waiting. I asked Shahid to call Sharmita saying "milaao na yaar aunty ko call, kitna time lagayegi". He said, "aunty thodi na hogi". I said "haan jo bi hai."

Suddenly two pretty chicks wearing knee-length dress came out from their CHS building and rushed towards the cab as if they were already getting late.

Sharmita : Sorry, sorry, you had to wait for long.
Me : It's ok, it's just that there was no parking here and many vehicles were creating problem in passing by from here. [Of course, why would I mind waiting if such pretty girls had to accompany me in my boring ride]
Sharmita : Ok. So where you heading?
Me : Powai.
Sharmita : Ok.
Me : And you?
Sharmita : Chili's

I didn't know where was this Chili's and didn't ask her either.

The driver Shahid became silent. He was just observing what is happening.

Sharmita and Mishti started talking to each other about what dresses they like, in whose party she wore it last time. Then they started using words like "fuck, chutiya, bakchodi". I was like, ok, ok. That's new for me.

Sharmita : I'd definitely go out with a guy who'd say "I won't rape you". How about you Mishti?
Mishti : Yeah, I mean, it's totally safe. It's the safest thing anybody can say. But with unknown guy?
Sharmita : Yeah, for sure, I'd definitely go grab some drinks with that guy.
Mishti : O, really.
Sharmita : Hey, would you go out on a date with some unknown girl

I was wondering how could she ask me this. I pretended for a microsecond that she didn't ask me this.

Sharmita : Yeah, I'm asking you. What's your name?
Me : Ankur
Sharmita : Ankur, who?
Me : Ankur Govil
Sharmita : Hi Ankur, it's Sharmita here and she is Mishti
Mishti : Hi.
Me : Hi [I was already getting those chills, that, wow, 2 pretty girls talking to me, yeah, ME, without any effort]
Sharmita : So you didn't answer.
Me : Let's do this, yeah.
Sharmita : Haha, see Mishti. He's ready.
Mishti : Haha
Sharmita : Just ignore us, we are doing some bakchodi, that's all.
Me : No, no. Absolutely fine.
Mishti : Actually, I tell you Ankur. What happened when we went with UberPool last time, this fellow started following Sharmita on Instagram after the ride. He is still in touch with you na Sharmita?
Sharmita : Yeah. Every time I travel with somebody, the guy ends up following me on Instagram.
Me : Ok

I was thinking whether I should say "I too would want to follow you on Instagram after this ride". I later on searched but since I didn't know their surnames, I couldn't find the same Sharmita and Mishti.

Sharmita : Where do you work?
Me : BKC
Sharmita : With?
Me : Bank of Baroda
Sharmita : Wow, a banker. I once worked with PNB as an auditor and my God, working with them made me put on 4 kgs of weight.
Me : Hehe, yeah, it's the banking culture that we treat our auditors the way a granny treats her grandson. So are you a CA?
Sharmita : No, I was pursuing back then. I hope you are not getting bored.
Me : No, no, it's perfectly fine. In fact, I'm enjoying talking with you two.
Sharmita : You might be thinking who are these two mad girls.

Unfortunately my drop had come, after a ride which I didn't want to end.

Me : Haan yaheen utaar do isi bus stop pr. Otherwise aap traffic me fass jaaoge andr jaaoge to.
Sharmita : Haan you might be thinking that finally you're getting rid of these two girls.
Me : No, no. I loved talking to you and didn't want this ride to end. Ok then. Bye
Sharmita and Mishti : Bye
Mishti was gazing at me through the window of the cab. As if, O my God, ye tha jisse humne itni baat kar li. Fuck

Being honest, I was feeling so elated due to this encounter. I felt like, wow, this could have never happened with me in Delhi. How cool they were!

Later that night when I was roaming in Hiranandani Gardens for dinner, I saw Chili's. It was an American Grill & Bar. I so much wished I see them again, but of course, I didn't.

Abode

30th August 2016

They say if you are seriously searching for something, you can even find God. But please come to Mumbai, and try to find a good flat. I was not some Aisha Banerjee from Wake Up Sid! who'd bump into the life of some Siddharth Mehra and get a new flat. Although the feeling was same. I felt like a sheep in the big city, trying not to get slaughtered.

From the 2nd day onwards, I started my exploration for a flat to reside. For the time being, I had this guest house at MHADA, Powai, courtesy "pitaji ka jugaad", for one week. I had no idea about where will I get good flats. So I asked one of my college friend who has been in this city for past 1 year. She said Andheri (E) is good. So I browsed for flats in Andheri (E). The first broker I met from 99acres.com called me up himself when I was just browsing on 99acres.com.

I ditched the lunch hours from the office and called an Ola to go to Andheri. I was casually talking with the driver. He started telling me about the city, the BEST buses. He even told me that if the BEST bus hits your car from the side, you won't even get the insurance claim. He told the bus should hit you from the back with the tail-light of your car properly crushed due to the collision for being eligible for the claim.

The broker, mullaji properly dressed in purple kurta-pyjama and white skull-cap over his head picked me up on his rickety bike from a pre-fixed point. He walked me through two flats at Marol, Andheri (E), both similarly awful. I feel brokers work for ScoopWhoop, because they start listing 12 good things about any flat, be it the worst flat of the city, like

1. 24 ghante paani; read - municipality ka paani nahi aayega to baarish ka paani aayega ghar me.
2. gas pipeline; read - almost phatne waali hai wo pipeline
3. bus stop yahaan baahar nikalte hi hai; read - bus stop hai, lekin tere office k liye koi bus nahi jaati.
4. paint kara k denge; read - walls ki saari seelan chhipake denge, jo baarish hone k baad dikhegi
5. kabhi aao, kabhi jaao; read - ladki la sakte ho ghar me, koi problem nahi hai, until padosi dekhke cops ko na bula le
6. locality bohot achhi hai; read - bhoot bangle me bi log rehte hain
7. mere paas aur bhi parties hain isi flat k chakkar me; read - ye dialog already 15 logo ko maarke aaya hu is thakele flat ke liye
8. paas me sab kuch milta hai; read - sirf chai-sutta milega har kone me.
9. kitchen k baaju me space dia hai; read - flat banaate waqt owner ka paisa khatam ho gaya to doosra room nahi banaya
10. isse sasta aur achha nahi milega kaheen aur / aapke budget me best hai ye; read - mera brokerage mujhe jaldi do.

The list of endless good qualities of a fucked up flat will keep going on.

I was returning back to office disappointed in UberPool. The Pool had a pickup of someone named Trevor who later on turned out to be a guiding light for me. He was a 40-45 year old man, taking his wife to a doctor.  I was so desperate to get a flat to live that I started talking with him. 

Me : Hi, do you live here 

Trevor : Yes

Me : Do you have in your knowledge any vacant flat or a good broker

Trevor : Aa.., yes, I can give you the contact no. of few brokers that I know of. 

Me : So kind of you. 

Trevor : No issues. But where do you work? 

Me : BKC 

Trevor : Ok, then why are you searching for flats here in Marol? 

Me : I heard here in Andheri (E) I can get flats in my budget. 

Trevor : Yeah, but you can get good flats near your office in Bandra (East), Santacruz, Vakola, Kalina, MIG. 

Me : Ok. I'll see (little uninterested in those locations he told). But wouldn't it be costly there? 

Trevor : What's your budget? 

Me : 20k 

Trevor : Ok you take the no. of these 2 brokers and talk to them. I'll call them myself to help you out. 

Me : Thanks a lot. 

Trevor dials his phone to the broker and says, "Yeah, Hi, how are you, yeah, I'm just fine too, achha there is a friend of mine, who has come to Mumbai and searching for flats. Ya, ya. Ok, they'll call you tomorrow. Ok. Bye". 

Trevor : Ok, so you call him in the evening and give him my reference. 

Me (stunned) : So kind of you, sir.

I mean, wow. I was so impressed. I was a total stranger to him. He himself called up the broker who I later on didn't call because those were in Andheri. His idea to live near the office (to save time in commuting) got held up in my head. And I started searching for brokers in Santacruz.

Rain, rain, go away

29^th August 2016

My first day for the new office. The reporting time is 10am. I thought, I’ll leave at 8:45 and will reach by 9:45 via a cab. The distance from this 2 star temporary arrangement hotel was about 8 kms. I felt I’ll be early. But I was greeted by heavy sudden gush of rain before I could board the cab. The rain said, “welcome to Mumbai, motherfucker. You hated me, eh. Now I’ll keep greeting you every single fucking day of your stay in Mumbai and will keep making your life a living hell, make your CHS a swimming pool, make you wear floaters for office, make you learn how to hold an umbrella, make you cancel your plans to go out, make the roads more traffucked and make you hate Mumbai.”

But no, I was more determined than the rain not to hate Mumbai because this is where I wanted to be, this is what I wanted when I opted for getting transferred to Brihanmumbai on 24^th August 2016.

I reached office exactly at 10am and from then on, decided to take more cushion time before leaving for the office.

The location of the new office was brilliant. It was hard to believe that the corporate centre will be located at such a stunning location and will have a bus-stop named solely on the name of the organization (see photo). I mean yeah, you come from a place where Branches in the villages don't even have proper basic facilities like water for drinking, no proper ventilation, no toilets, no electricity (only solar power) and not even proper roads to reach the Branch. Here I realised that there is more to this organization and got to feel the other side of the work and the organization.

Shuruaat

28^th August 2016

The first day in Mumbai (after getting the job). One of my very close friends had told me about OlaShare and how it is awesome. I landed and booked one for Rs. 110 approx from the airport to the hotel. In Delhi, nobody books OlaShare, I guess, because nobody feels safe with the other person. But it was my first OlaShare ride, the time was 10pm. As I had boarded, the driver moved the cab in the other direction, because there was another co-rider in the OlaShare booking. The name displayed was Apoorva. I obviously thought it’d be some guy because (a.) it was night time hence why would a girl go for OlaShare at such a time; (b.) why would life give me an opportunity to travel with a female co-passenger. But to my surprise, she was a pretty girl from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport with a bag of Zara in her hand heading towards IIT, Powai. I realized (a.) people are safer in Mumbai than in Delhi, although it was an early conclusion, but later on, due to many instances, my conclusion was proven to be correct; (b.) females are much cooler and are less of a hypocrite in this city, as they don't mind sharing a cab ride with an unknown person.

I travel a lot by OlaShare and UberPool and I realized, everybody and anybody uses a shared cab and it’s convenient, cheap and you get to meet new people.

Web-log

They say opportunity knocks at your door only once. I say, bloody true; because this is what I have experienced in my life. Maybe I would have got a better one if I had let go of the ones I got, or maybe not. But an avid coward of letting go off the opportunities, I didn’t let go of the biggest ones I got in my life. The first one being this job of mine, which helps me survive and pay off my bills. The biggest bill being of this goddamn Internet, which is just another basic necessity, I believe, like, roti-kapda-makaan.

My parents had this affection for govt. job. And hence, I was fed right from the childhood to get a “sarkari naukri”, to be precise, programmed to never let go of such opportunity of a govt. job. Although, it was solely my decision to go for it, and trust me, surprisingly, it made me a better person due to the people I met through the course of this job. This job has made me explore the crests and troughs of life. I’ve been exhilarated and despaired due to this job and I have no regrets for any of my decisions so far.

2016 has been a roller coaster, a perfect sinusoidal wave. It started off at peak with the hangovers of 2015, I was already at cloud 9, but then the cloud busted and there was sudden downfall from crest to trough. I was still unable to accept the fact that life works that way. But since it’d been a while since my life was in trough, there knocked another opportunity for me to go out and know life a bit more. The opportunity was to go Mumbai. I didn’t let it go in vain. And here I am. 1000 miles away from my home, to know life even more.

Some people are so close to you that they become the world to you. Hence, you vent out all the things which are inside your heart to them, and you feel tranquil. But when you don’t have anybody as such, then the world is an open platform to let go off what’s in your heart.

I feel this blog is the channel between me and the world.