Having been inflicted by wanderlust since generations, my family
has developed the knack for doing the holiday thing just right. The one I wanna
share here is the city that stole my heart and I almost cheated on Amchii
Mumbai. (Almost: P) the place I am talking about is NYC. Yes,
the big apple. With Rockefeller Center, Times Square, statue of
Liberty, Empire state building, Madam Tussads, Macys, Central Park,
Hershey’s delight and hell lot more... Why am I rushing
through all this in single breath when I can write 1000s of word for each of
them?
Because you will find it in any odd article on NYC, what I fell for is the spirit. The spirit of the city is what makes it special. We have metros but it’s the soul of the city that makes you wanna own it and be owned by it. With NYC I was floored. The memorial of twin towers made me marvel the cruelty of humanity and the knack of commemorating it beautifully.
The subways showed that beneath the city there is a power, like a
backstage, which helps put up a deadly show for the world. The rushing crowd
who tilts head at you when you catch their eye, the cabs and the street food
all marks a city that has led a regal life. There is struggle, pain and hard
work there, it’s palatable but the joy of Hudson and the view from empire state
building all but saps the pain, replacing it with belief, belief that they will
survive. We were in Jersey for 5 days, (4 NYC + 1 Washington.)
The stories are epic by the hour but the one that goes with the
theme has an Asian family and of course the search for Iraani Chai! Having taken
the hop-on, hop-off bus, I my mom and my brother were ravenous. My maa
absolutely refused the Gyro, Hot dog, (sadly Red Lobster was shot down, point
blank). In the quest we entered a homey looking shop and found a lovely lady,
we chatted (as we love to do that in Hindi on foreign soils). By the end we
knew each other’s family, the migration story and address for an Iraani chai.
(Globalization, duh!)
The lady then said she and her son are from Pakistan. I
was stunned! The sworn enemies with the hatred and bloodlust were standing
there, laughing, hugging, wishing luck and helping! That particular chai was
the most profound one I have had till date and believe you me I was Proud.
Proud to have the Jodey dillo Ko moment on the Soils of USA. The city of dreams showed me life and love (Cab drivers do hit on
you, kidding!!). A place where human is just human. A place where I shed tears
at the Statue of Liberty ferry, for in a strange way I felt liberated. Seeing
the setting sun over the Hudson from the empire state
building, witnessing the lights come on for miles and miles around
you makes you feel awed , blown, mesmerized. NYC taught me that shackles of society and the rules are illusion.
Its just your guts that matters.
The beauty and grace made me humble. The last
view of Statue of liberty felt like a mother bidding adieu to a warrior, full
of silent strength which all but said , “I am waiting here, live your life, make
me proud and come back when you are ready’. Someday I will ...
In some ways it resonates with spirit of Mumbai. The never ending
lights, the feel of victory and best part- you belong to the city and the city
belongs to you. Now I have 2 cities that are next to my hear (I am true blue
Mumbaikar with a lust for NYC)
This is dedicated to the lovely aapa we meet in the store, on the
street of NYC. Looking forward to connecting with the life across the border
with Zindagi, Take a look at it on http://zindagitv.in/ Television just got interesting !
