For many reasons, I have to and I want to stay in India for a while.

No matter how much I bitch about India, I still find it an amazing country. I probably don’t have to explain more about how huge & diverse “Incredible India” is, as innumerable people have already done that before. India is a whole new world to me wherein each state is a separate country with different cultures, languages, religions, cuisines and even looks on people’s face. I know that I will regret if I just stay here for few months and leave. I want to stay for a long time, meet a lot of people, go to a lot of places, join a lot of festivals, (try to) eat a lot of food, see a lot of things, learn Hindi and get to know every corner of India to bits.

I arrived in India in the East – Kolkata, and traveled across the country to the West – Mumbai.

Kolkata is the kind of city that is easy to live, but it takes time to love. Bombay is on the other side. It’s hard to live here due to the high cost of living, but once you are here, you will fall in love immediately. And I did fall in love with this city, on my first day out.

Because of beautiful buildings…

Taking a walk from Churchgate to Gateway of India, passing by all beautiful buildings from the British era, I felt like I was lost in an European city sometime in 19th century.

Because of the beach…

I’m the biggest anti-fan of treacly romance. I look at those who walk in the rain as if they are straight out of “Casablanca” and forgot to change their clothes.

But I did it in Bombay, walked in the rain and along the beach

There is something about the city that melt my heart and softened my soul. It’s probably because of the beach. I love beaches. I love the immensity of ocean and the smell of fresh air. The Marine Drive boulevard surrounding the bay turns into a glamorous curve of light which is dubbed as Queen’s necklace.

I’ve always wanted to live in a coastal city, and by the time I arrived here, I docilely succumbed to the temptation of settling down here.

Due to the lack of light and the surplus of rain, I couldn’t take any photo. This a photo of Queen’s Necklace from STRAIGHT DRIVES blog.

Because of the vibe …

I didn’t see it in Kolkata, I didn’t see it in Pune. But I saw it in Bombay.

Bombay is the heart of Bollywood; the melting pot of passions, and the city of dreams.

I saw something sparkling in the eyes of an aspiring producer whenever he talks about his project, even though it’s still in the bloody procedure of finding a sponsor.

I was amazed by the enthusiasm of an aspiring actor who just came back from an audition where he had to compete with 7000 other aspiring actors for a role in a small movie.

I met a young entrepreneur who has worked days and nights, ignored all lovey-dovey stuffs since his college, because “I have a goal to achieve, and I’m almost there” – he told me.

I idolize a 25 year old guy who is already the founder and owner of a HUGE social media conglomerate here in Mumbai.

Yet night clubs are still packed every night. There are always parties somewhere to drop by and you can always call someone up for a hang out.

Young and beautiful people. Work hard and play hard. They all have dreams.

I want to be one of them.

At least for the time being

Tags: Beach, Bombay, Live, Mumbai, Vibe