We were at Jogger's Park on the southern end of Carter Road watching the quiet sea.
I was told we were going to Mumbai for my cousin's wedding earlier this year, I had a chance to say no because I had been skipping my exams and avoiding them for a while, this year I did end up filling the form and facing my fears. Life has been a little busy. It slowly picked up pace by April when all of a sudden I had college events, projects and other things to worry about. I'm swamped with stuff to do.
I still insisted on going because of a very simple reason.
I don't have the opportunity to travel much. It's a privilege my parents had when they were my age. My mom still gets her way with it by having friends who she does plan trips with. My dad has his occasional getaway in the south.
Me? I stay stuck most of the time. I don't really have a laid-back schedule like Mom does or an occasional getaway like my dad. Neither do I have friends who make those plans for you.
I had been to Bhubaneswar in 2023 but you could almost count it as a business trip. We didn't have the opportunity to see the city much.
The last time I went to Mumbai, I was 10 years old. I was the kind of boy who stayed at home most of the time. For some reason, I liked it. I think I skipped a few places while I was here in Mumbai because I simply hated going around in the sun. I remember the trip better than most people think I do. I was a lot less understanding and a little more moody. It was like I didn't want to be there really. Still, I did remember most of the trip. Seeing the sea beach for the first time. Watching us blow past cars in Marine Drive. Playing cricket with the kids that lived next door. Watching Escape Plan on my brother's computer for the billionth time. Winning my first game of chess. Demanding my mom to buy me a beyblade and get it crushed in the same trip. Going to places like Juhu, Elephanta Caves, Colaba and Lonavala which I had only heard in Bollywood.
In general, I remembered most of my trip 10 years ago.
It took me 10 years to get another one.
I am 20 now. On my first flight ever. My dad told me how his dad let him travel by air when he was younger than me. It took him a while to do the same for me. I didn't mind it that much really. I knew If he could've he would've.
A turbulent night flight with little to no sleep, we had reached The City of Dreams. It looked a lot different than what I remembered.
To be fair to it, I wasn't the same man either.
My aunt who's been living in Switzerland and the Groom-to-be had come to pick us up. Both of whom, I hadn't seen in a long while. My cousin hasn't changed since the last time I saw him. I stood taller than him now.
We got along better now that I was a more mature person. He liked storytelling and history. Something we had in common. We talked about places we could go to in our spare times when we are relieved of our wedding duties and had time.
The first day, we went on a walk. Just places not too far away that our feets could take us.
A few lanes later I knew, I would love this city.
Murals on the walls.
Pretty faces.
Posh cars.
Aesthetic houses.
Smile on almost everyone's face.
We came back home for some socializing with the family and headed out to our hotel rooms, my cousin has booked for all the guys to stay the night. A quick change of clothes later we were back. Hanging out with people who I hadn't met in sometime, most of my extended family which came for Arambagh.
We went out again that afternoon to see the "Love Mumbai" sign and walk around Reclamation Gardens.
I sat for a while looking towards the West.
The Iconic Mumbai skyline.
My cousin explained to me all the sea links and places in Mumbai. I was listening to him carefully as my eyes kept shifting to those skyscrapers. Something about that skyline felt magical to me.
We went out again late in the evening, just me and my cousin and an uncle of mine. This time, an auto ride around the Hills. W
Back in Kolkata, whenever I went on walks by myself, I'd always admire a unique looking building or something which looked cool. Maybe stand and take a picture.
Every building looked cool and unique on this drive. I had to eventually just put my phone down just to keep up with the conversation. The Big WrestleMania promotion we walked past. Buildings with video billboards. Interesting architectural choices. Quirky Business districts. Every spot had a bakery or a bagel shop. People outside at such late hours. My writer eyes noticed everything.
The destination we had decided on was Jogger’s Park. A posh little park with all kinds of people doing all kinds of things. People getting their daily steps in. People sitting on benches trying to listen to the calming seawaves and reading a book. People having conversations with each other in different european languages. People who just wanted to escape reality and hang out with their close friends.
We sat on an empty bench which faced the sea. Laughing about different things. Catching up with what we had been doing all this while. My uncle (who I had never ever in my life seen serious) is giving the groom some pep talk about marriage and responsibility. He looks at me and says all these words apply to the both of us since “I'm next in line”.
But throughout that conversation all I could think about was the new bridge that was being built right in front of me.
It stood incomplete on the sea. The lights made it easier to make out what it looked like. In a poetic sense, Incomplete bridges signifies a lot of things. It shows connections which you are yet to make. The efforts you put into making a link tells you how strong those connections will be.
Looking at the bridge made me realise I had so many incomplete bridges I had yet to finish. So many new projects, I have yet to take on.
Once you build that bridge, it makes travelling between two places that took forever, much easier. Almost in an instant.
This trip was just a start for finishing some of them.