Change reloaded...

Its been 8 months since I have been in Bombay and its again time for me to start packing my bags to move to a new place to start afresh. Of all the things that Bombay has to offer the millions of migrants that throng the city, my favorite is the boat ride at the Gateway. So here I was on a Saturday evening at the gateway. The sea was choppy and the sky studded with ominous greying clouds, courtesy Bombay's 4 month monsoon. They charge Rs. 50 for the boat ride and another Rs. 5 if you want to go to the upper deck(ridiculous I tell you!!) Nevertheless I pay up and settle myself close to the bow of the boat. Its a fairly sturdy boat and once I have parked myself, I scan my co-passengers. Families, couples, friends and me. The boat pulls away and we set out at a speed of 2-3 knots. The pace is unhurried and I am in no hurry to get back on land. The silent bobbing lulls one into a lazy stupor as you watch the land slip away. There is nothing particularly spectacular about the coastline but the very fact that you can see it in its entirety makes you watch it for a little longer. I turn my head now towards the open sea and am met with the start of another drizzle, this time slightly stronger. So I pull out my one faithful companion, my umbrella and huddle up with my umbrella as my sheshnaag. I think about what happens if the boat sinks now, I am sure I can save myself but what would I want to save first in my bag. My passport, money, papers...and I realise nothing.

Going back seems scary because of the way life is going to change when I get back. So I sit hoping that this tryst with the sea gets elongated and suddenly I feel the boat turning back towards land and this time we are going across the direction of the waves and the boat starts to ride crests and falls into troughs periodically. As we move closer to land, its the sea that tells me that its unchanging on the surface and yet continuously changing within. That change will have to be dealt with and that life will continue to twist and turn and change. I touch solid ground, reach Churchgate station, sit in the train and hmm...the crowds, the anonymity and the change again.