Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan

“Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan, Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan…” goes the verse of the famous Hindi movie song. Mumbai city is portrayed as a city with a difficult life. Goons, quacks, pick-pockets… Is humanity the most difficult thing to find in Mumbai? I used to think so, until that day…

I was traveling back to Goa from Bhubaneshwar after attending a conference. I had to change my flight in Mumbai. I landed on Mumbai air-port at 3 in the afternoon, and my flight to Goa was at 5. A fellow participant from the conference accompanied me till Mumbai. He had to catch a train to Gujrat at around the same time. We both thought two hours was an ample of time to find a restaurant, fill our hungry tummies and then even take a stroll on the Mumbai streets.

We set out of the airport in search of a descent restaurant. Finding one would be easy… at least we thought so… But we were wrong. We searched for all the corners, explored several lanes, but to no luck. Finally, we found one- a pretty expensive one, but our hungry tummies didn’t care about the extra bucks.

After the lunch, my friend had to search for a rickshaw. He found one soon (rickshaws are easy to find in Mumbai than a restaurant!). With an exchange of hugs, we bade farewell to each other. Now, it was time for me to go back to airport. I looked at my watch- it was 4.20 pm!

I started walking towards the airport. I saw a huge fly-over which I had seen while coming from the airport. I used it as the landmark to locate the airport. But as I crossed the flyover, I realized that the airport was nowhere in sight! I asked a passer-by on the streets. He pointed on the opposite direction. I hurried on hastily towards the road, hoping to see the airport soon. It was almost 4.30 pm… Every second was precious… My flight was at 5, and I even had to undergo the security checks…

As I was hurriedly walking and nervously looking here and there, a rickshaw-wala came alongside and stopped his rickshaw and asked me- “Saab, aapko airport jana hai? Main chod deta hoon…”

The lyrics of the song then played in my mind- “Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan…” Could I trust a stranger and that too in a city like Mumbai? He must be looking to make some easy money. I shook my head in the negative saying – “Nahi chahiye…” I walked past him, and my eyes were again looking in anticipation, to locate the airport. As I walked a few meters ahead, the rickshaw-wala came again and stopped besides me, and said- “Saab, aapko pata nahi padega. Thoda door hai. Bahut saare terminals hai. Aap naye lagte hai. Mujhe sirf 10 rupaya do, aur main aapko apne terminal tak chod dunga…” I looked at my watch. It said 4.40. I had little choice but to believe him. I agreed.

As he drew his rickshaw, he asked me my flight name. I said- “Jet”. “Saab.. Jet Airways ya Jetlite?”

“Jet Airways” I quipped.

“Main aapko Jet airways ke terminal pe chod dunga. Meke ko sab pata hai. Koi bhi airways ho..!” The Rickshaw-wala said as he squeezed his noisy vehicle through the little gaps. That noisy vehicle was a boon for me, even more precious than a BMW..!

He dropped me at the Jet airways terminal, and explained me the way to go to the security check. Then he waited for his 10 rupees. I thought he deserved more.

I rushed on to the security check, and boarded the plane at the stroke of 5! That was close..! The kind hearted rickshaw-wala had saved me from a disastrous adventure that would have followed if I were to miss my flight. Humanity does exist in this world even in the 21^st century. If I can find it in a city like Mumbai, then I have to believe it exists.