A Mumbai which lives in heartbeats

When people think of Mumbai, they imagine cramped spaces and fast pace. The Mumbai I inhabit feels very different. My office is a flower’s throw away from the Marine Drive. The vast expanse of water under the open skies, punctuated only by the skyline of Malabar Hill, is a sight that has still not become ‘routine’ for me — routine as in you actively stop noticing the colour of your front door of the house or the water bottle on the office desk.

On some days, when the world gets to me, the breeze on the promenade makes sure to bring home the messages she carries from beyond the shores.

My commute home is done using Eastern Freeway, a signal-free road elevated above the web of traffic that usually crawls across this behemoth. On the faraway horizon to the East, one gets a glimpse of the marvels like Atal Setu connecting to Navi Mumbai. Towards the West, the setting sun plays the game of light and shadows through the tall trees before creating molten orange halos behind the high-rises.

Water fills this ether when the rains come dancing down to wash away city’s tiredness. The flora, soaked from the fresh bath, comes alive like an emerald. The magic of monsoons is when one cannot help but appreciate the beauty around while flowing into a stillness within.

The Mumbai I live in throbs gently like my heart. on Sometimes, on a slow morning when I glance at the horizon across the Arabian Sea, I feel the open space flowing into me and filling every nook and corner with its lightness.

Mehak Uppal, Mumbai