Saturday, February 14, 2009

Marine Drive - Mumbai

I can't forget the day, It was monsoon....... I was walking along the marine drive with a bright Sun shining directly over my head. A girl was smoking cigarretes in the most fashionable way just 25 meters away from me. I saw again , she looked pretty. A pretty girl smoking cigarettes all alone generated enough curiousity, to force me to take a break. As I stood there watching the sea, the sky turned dark & within seconds all I could see was a heavy downpour and water all around.
Mumbai is known to have uncertain weather during monsoons . One moment it's bright and sunny and the next it's raining cats and dogs. I saw people around me running here & there for a Cover , and then I saw this girl , an extinguished cigarrete still in her mouth , but her hands wide open as if to welcome the rain . It was a perfect moment to describe a completely different sort of freedom, rather an act of defiance. I wished , I had a camera to capture this moment. After some time the girl turned back, got into a Toyota ( i still remember the car) and went away. Just vanished .
I was in Mumbai only for a Day but I stood there in the rain , enjoying every moment of it. Three years later I came back again to Mumbai and have been here since last six years enjoying the beautiful rain every monsoon. Marine drive till date remains a favourite place in my heart. I often used to sit here alone, looking at the sunset and the vastness of sea. Even , with a friend , we sat down in silence for hours & hours just watching the sea & everything going around. When I bought my Nikon F80, the very next day I shot the sunset at marine drives and later did night photographies. As years passes by the frequencies to MD became lesser and lesser.
Yesterday , I came to Marine Drive after a long long time. I stood there in front of the vast dark sea, with my arms open (just like the girl i saw on the first day)
Try it during the Monsoon and you will Love it !!

1 comment:

Soumitra said...

The Marine drive days, the evenings spent at Worli sea face are all beautiful, youthful memories filled with dreams and philosophy. I must say, both of us if not on the higher side, hv utilised the time together in mumbai to the optimum, though it always seems less, even now.keep writing the good stuff