For the first ten years of my life, the city of my birth and existence was called Bombay. From 1995, however, Bombay became Mumbai and with that, slowly and gradually, the city’s attitude too changed with the name. Yes, the people, remain as proud as ever to be associated with the city, though we are no longer Bombayites but call ourselves Mumbaikars.

When I say attitudes have changed, I don’t mean this in a condescending manner. Bombay was quaint, old-fashioned and traditional, like the quintessential B&W movie. With the name change, Mumbai became modern, architecturally unique, chaotic, fashionable, with ‘something for everyone — the city of dreams.

Bombayites were tolerant, Mumbaikars are impatient, want to get everything done at the soonest. Bombay was cheap, Mumbai is expensive.

Times have changed, things have changed, people have changed and so has the city.

Over the years, many unique, typically “Mumbai things” have either been forgotten or have faded away, giving way to newer novelties.

These are the things I miss about Bombay, in Mumbai:

Fiat Taxis aka Premier Padmini, Kali-pili, black and yellow… our beloved Mumbai taxis have a lot of names but now with the typical ‘Bombay taxi’ having given way to Hyundai and Maruti cabs, the Fiats are fast vanishing from the city. In fact, from July 31, the 11,000 Fiat taxis that were still functioning have been off the roads. They will now be scrapped, giving way to newer, more functional vehicles.

When I say Mumbai taxis, I vividly recall sitting in the front seat of the Fiat, removing my hand out and turning down the lever of the traditional meter, that is, from vacant to hired. Now, with electronic meters compulsory in all taxis and autos, the old meter is forever down.

Double-decker buses ! Those giant, red buses where children would always fight to be on the top deck; sit at a window and gaze happily at the fantastic view of the city passing by. Now, with only single-decker buses and a/c buses running the length and breadth of the city, I miss those giant BEST-ies, a rare sight now.

The tick-tick sound which urged us to keep the change ready, whether perched comfortably on a seat or standing uncomfortably squashed in a crowded bus, that sound made by a small ‘nail-cutter like instrument’ held by bus conductors in our former BEST buses meant he was lurking close! Now, there is neither the tick-tick sound nor the old, numbered ticket the conductor would tear out based on the distance you were travelling. The electronic tickets, printed by the conductor at the click of a button, are a sad replacement to those collectibles.

Whether our wallets and purses had notes or not, one rupee coins were always ready to be used. After all, then, the PCO booths that stood at every nook and corner of the city, were the lifeline for communicating in Mumbai. Everyone, at one time or the other, has stood patiently in a long queue, waiting his/her turn to insert the coin, hear the distinct click and dial the number to talk for hours. Now, everyone has a mobile phone and PCO booths have all but become extinct.

“Bhaji wallah, bhaji! ” Surely, we have all heard and seen this — an old man or woman carrying a big sack or basket filled with fruits and vegetables on their head and walking around the neighborhood, shouting at the top of his voice, ‘Bhaji! Phal! Bhaji!’ And, many times, the ladies, including my mother, have stood at windows, bargaining to reduce the prices, even before the sack was brought up to the house. Now, with supermarkets and malls, the meaning of home delivery has completely changed. Those street vendors had become our acquaintances, keeping us informed about the happenings in their families and sometimes giving us also a patient hearing.

Libraries : When the Internet was still in a nascent stage, people still read books and rented VCRs and, later, VCDs and DVDs; video libraries were a common sight. Now, with everything available online, video libraries have become a thing of the yesteryear. Actually, even book libraries are fewer and far between; there are sadly just a handful of libraries in the city.

Vada pav : Driving rain or sunny, hot day; long before the CCDs and Baristas came along and changed our palates; bun maska, vada pav or kheema pav and chai were available everywhere.

At street corners and in quaint-looking, simple restaurants, what we called ‘Iranis’, that were great hangouts for youngsters and seniors, officers and workers, alike.

The list can go on and on. There are so many things I miss about Bombay, so many things I wish Mumbai had. Still, Mumbai is not just a city that belongs to us, we too blend in with the city, belong to it. Mumbai is made of you and me, it is a common man’s city yet a rich man’s playground — and this is what makes Mumbai unique, and this is why we carry a small part of it with us wherever we go.

(The author is entrepreneurpartner at Soulpen, a creative writing agency in Mumbai.)

Related Topics