What is Kalaghoda??

Sharing an auto-rickshaw in Mumbai is a cordial thing that people indulge into for their monetary benefit. Its quite an easy thing, if you are determined to find a person having similar destination. Scorching May sun makes your search faster.

So I am already in an auto rickshaw now with a 24 something guy. It wasn’t surprising then that we were already busy chatting within 5 minutes. “Are you coming back from college?” he asked looking at my bag. “No I had gone to Kala Ghoda for my German class”,I replied.
“Kala Ghoda?”
I repeated affirmatively,”Kalaghoda”.
He looked puzzled and again said, “Kalaghoda?”,this time making it sound as if it was a B grade area.
I said,” Yes, why? VT….Kalaghoda.” For a guy staying in Mumbai this shouldn’t be a new thing,I thought to myself.
“Aah !! VT. I am also coming back from VT .What a coincidence”, he said.
I concluded 2 things.The guy had boarded the same train as me. That is how we met right outside the station. Second as you can see, he’s a dumb!
Then he asked which college I went to.When I answered ,he made an awful guess . “Is it an engineering college?”
“No, a commerce college.”
“I don’t know much about Mumbai. I have come from Pune”,he finally yielded (before he brings India Gate to Mumbai)
“I should’ve guessed it. So where do you stay?”
And I got all basic information (which was a LOT) out from him.
Since how long are you working?(as if important for me to know)
Two years. Since last 6 months I am working at XYZ.”(a big name in Software Industry).”I have a pickup from home.”
I couldn’t resist a laugh at this. His office was like 15 minutes walking and 5 minutes by vehicle. Still he emphasized on “pickup” as if it was da greatest benefit at his current job. Also I concluded he dint travel beyond his office, which he later himself admitted.
Today was an exceptional day when he’d to travel till VT.

“So do you like Mumbai?”(This was getting interesting!!)

And the expression his face had when he looked straight moving his head to imply negation, will not be forgotten by me for a while. It is something you don’t want to hear but at the same time get excited to hear every time from an immigrant. As if I know a secret about the city that makes me love it more. The secret is living here and calling it your OWN.

So we got down at our complex gate and divide the fare. Just before we part our ways towards respective homes, he asks, “ Can you do me a favor?”
I said, “Yeah.What is it?” He removes his cell from pocket. Now I am getting curious by every second.
“Can you help me find a house-maid?I don’t know anyone here!”
“Oh a house maid! Now this is the most difficult thing to promise. But I’ll try definitely.” After which we quickly exchanged our numbers.
“After all it’s been two years he’s lived here,” I mused to myself.” He’s not a complete dumb.”

थिंक शंघाई थिंक थाने

THINK SHANGHAI THINK THANE...

One thing is sure...Whoever thought of such noble idea for being displayed on as large a hoarding as possible,..is not a Thaneite.For an average Thaneite is just not in the state of noticing and reacting to such advertisements(ya i am an exception).Another hoarding says.."SOON THE PEOPLE OF THANE WILL LOOK DIFFERENT.BEAUTIFULLY DIFFERENT."
HOW DIFFERENT? Read further to know..

There's a lot happening in Thane.There is a fly-over coming up from Station to Talawpali.Of this everyone must be aware,since plans were in place looong time ago and now the work has already started.So the junta is supposed to take busses to different routes,a compulsory Thane darshan-which means the bus will halt at all possible stops before you find yourself in the Eastern side of Thane railway station!!

Ask a working or daily-commuting Thaneite today what his biggest overhead expense...?I can bet on it that 6/10 people will say TRAVEL.Which brings me back to a question i had asked a few days ago in my blog "Thane without autos".

Can you imagine Thane without autos?It was easy for a few to say YES then.But Thane at this day already feels lacking in auto nos.If you are standing near auto stand at 8:30 PM and waiting for a rik to come...you are just fooling around with your time...Go uptill Alok...even further and chances are that you still dont find a rik-wala wanting to oblige you in exchange for meter fares.(Though there are manyy autos in this area..no one wants to drive it seems)
If you are smart enough you will ask for "share" seat kaa bhaav...to which he will reply "Bees rupya"(as on 30th May 2007)..who knows??their prices will shoot up like Infosys share prices overnight!

Or better still walk upto Talawpali lake and find a ghoda-gaadi!They are still cheaper i hope!!And what about these legendry Thane kaa HORSE-carts?Where will they go when flyway curves down at Talawpali...or will they still be there?
Only time will unfold these mystries,for i no longer believe that we have some anything like "CITY PLANNER"...to take care of these nitty-gritties of development.

Thane is developing at fast rate no doubt.But most of it is at the expense of its people.For living in a city where you cant even afford to find yourself the basic means of transport(read it busses or riks)..can be at times frustrating.More of so in monsoon...be prepared for paying auto wala anywhere between 20-50 per seat,or am i underestimating their union power?

क्या बात है....वाह वाह !!

how did this happen?!?!

lolzz...yeh hindi lipi kahaan se aai?
Well,things dont always go the way you have planned.Finest example is before you.I had intended to write a blog on my city Thane,how it looks these days...and when i typed "Thing Shanghai think Thane"...it came before me in Devnagari script(plain hindi).But the sentence looked wierd in Hindi...contrary to what it looks on those hoardings put at every junction of this city.So i changed the title.And wrote this blog just for the heck of it!

kya baat hai...waah waah..