The spirit of Mumbai and the kindness all around !

The spirit of Mumbai and the kindness all around !

We invariably see everyone proud of the spirit of Mumbai, in natural calamities and the way people are always ready to help when any flood, fire, bomb blasts or natural calamity strikes ! They take it upon themselves to help in any way they can. Throughout any crisis, the true spirit of Mumbai comes alive as everyone comes together to save the city and offer help to those stranded or in trouble.

But the general kindness of Mumbai is visible in our day-to-day interactions with our people in Mumbai. I have listed a few of them below :

     In trains, when a seat falls vacant, people do rush to catch it, but I have experienced people stepping back, waving and smiling at me and telling me to sit down.

Invariably when I am travelling in an auto or cab, I do talk to the driver to while away the time. Except for a few, most reciprocate and discuss their problems, their thinking on issues etc.

There is a small shop in my colony selling cutlets, pattices etc… If I am buying any food articles in the evening or night, the two guys at the counter always tell me which items are fresh and have just come to the shop and which are there in the shop from the morning which they will themselves refuse to give me.

The dogs in my colony are well-fed and looked after by the residents. In fact, I have once noticed a colony girl applying ointment on the wound of a dog while he stood patiently wagging his tail. This dog has hair on his body and during summer, I have noticed that the dog becomes clean shaven ! Some kind person would be regularly taking care of this.

A recent night, while returning from work, a small kitten on the Bombay Central station bridge was being fed by a passerby and when I stopped to pet it, he expressed his happiness and guided me about the food it likes to eat.

A little ahead, near a sherbet and ice-cream vendor, a white Labrador dog was standing and wagging its tail. I noticed that a man took an icecream scoop in a bowl and put it in front of the dog, which it lapped up happily. Then onwards, the dog was always standing at that spot. And also because of the cold, he was wearing a blue coat which he did not seem to mind.

Last Sunday, I stopped at a small bookshop which I used to frequent as a child. I selected four books and asked the man the price. He said Rs 170, I did not wish to pay so much so I returned one book to him, he refused to take the book and asked me what I want to pay, I said Rs 100 and he accepted the amount without a word, smiling and asking me if I am happy. I thanked him for his generosity.

Once recently, I was sitting in a local train next to a family of four, two ladies with a small child, and their parents. The little one stared at me, I smiled and waved at him and a beautiful smile lit up his face. The group with him observed this and smiled at each other. When my station came, I got up from my seat and went to the train door, the two ladies actually told the child to “Say bye-bye to uncle”. I was really touched at this loving gesture.

Love you Mumbai !!!