6 ways to know you are from Mumbai

I just came back from my home town - Navsari. It’s one of the smaller towns in India where time takes its own sweet time to pass by and where your neighbour’s neighbour knows what’s being cooked at your house for dinner.

Anyways, my train drops me off at Bandra and I must take the local to Mumbai Central to reach my house at Peddar Road (or Pedder Road – however you spell it).

I get on to the 10:23 fast and there starts the Mumbai chatter we know so well – Reliance kharidle – dividend sure hai, MTV Roadies, Dubai bankrupt thai gayu bhai, Ranbeer Kapoor ki picture chalegi, Claudia nahi, Bindu niklega, lets head to Red Light man…all this in one train journey. No exaggeration.

That’s when I knew for sure that I was back in Mumbai. And yes, I too have been a part of this same old chatter many a times, giving me the title of being a “Mumbaikar”

Are you a Mumbaikar?

6 ways to find out:

1) You know the price of Reliance Telecom as well as you know Sachin’’s ODI record

2) You have the following sets of friend: school friends, college friends, building friends, office friends and yes train friends – a species unique to Mumbai

3) You say “town” and expect everyone to know that this means South of Worli

4) Train timings (9:27, 10:49 etc) are really important events of your life

5) The first thing that you read in the Times of India is the Bombay Times. Sometimes it is the only thing that you read

6) You’re suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you (I forgot to mention – While coming back from Navsari, I got a really really scary look when I offered to help an old aunty lift here luggage.)

Aahh…I love Mumbai. It is what’s wrong in this city that makes it so right.