Needless to underline, my recent trip to Mumbai brought out a phantasmagoria of thoughts, emotions, memories, images and feelings of times spent in the sylvan setting of the Shailesh Apartment in Borivali, Mumbai-India. When all of us were young boys with more than a smearing of innocence on our souls. When life was one long beautiful unhurried dream. When life played itself out in the confines of our personal world where the smallest things gave us the greatest joy; we all were in our own sweet world no matter what happened.

And I spoke of the good times we had, the innocent middle class fun we partook of as young boys, I couldn’t help but notice through the window of my apartment

“THAT THE WORLD IS MARCHING INEXORABLY”

Times are changing. Priorities are being churned. What was novel yesterday is junk today. What was relevant yesterday is unrecognizable today. Fashions go out of, well, fashion, even before you’ve tried out your new outfit after rushing home from the glitzy Inorbit mall on the Malad Goregaon Link road. Consumerism seems to be scaling new heights by the day, raising the bar of expectations, heightening desire and want not.

All are in a hurry. In a rush for ever. Be it relationships or auto rickshaws. They invariably know not where they are going. But they imagine they are on their way. Where life’s success is entirely dependent on your ability to climb on to the 7.15 am Churchgate local, if you’re a Mumbaikar. Used to be 8.15 but now that the Share market have started to open at 9.00 :)

At this frame of mind my vision is blurred, as I try to see through tears collecting up in my eyes. I am still shaking my head at the loss of old times. What a beautiful life that was and how I yearn to go back. Feels like the heartache from my first crush, tragically sweet.

“Bachpan to gaya
Jawani bhi gayi
Ek pal to ab humein
Jeene do jeene do”