Folks… the caravan now moves to Mumbai. From the remotest corner of the earth to the most crowded one. Though I have been here for 3 months, but the city did not allow me to post anything till this now.
It was another warm, humid Sunday morning. I pulled Abhishek, a medical student out of his bed at 6 am and well left for Marine Drive on our bicycles. Marine Drive is half hour bike ride away from Parel, where we are staying. The route was miserable as usual. I am used to the filth on Mumbai roads and the narrow congested roads. But the destination was pleasant. A cool sea breeze, clean sea face and a pristine blue sky untouched by the congestion of Mumbai, the early morning walkers…. And so on.
It was another warm, humid Sunday morning. I pulled Abhishek, a medical student out of his bed at 6 am and well left for Marine Drive on our bicycles. Marine Drive is half hour bike ride away from Parel, where we are staying. The route was miserable as usual. I am used to the filth on Mumbai roads and the narrow congested roads. But the destination was pleasant. A cool sea breeze, clean sea face and a pristine blue sky untouched by the congestion of Mumbai, the early morning walkers…. And so on.
So we sped along the Marine Drive, from Girgaum Chowpatti to Nariman Point. There was minimal traffic, the sun was rising fast and it was getting warm. All of a sudden we saw a swarm of cyclists hurtling by. Most of them were in full cycling gear- helmets, gloves, knee guards.. and the works. We took them to be regular, hardcore cyclists, if not thorough professionals. Then we heard screams of “join us join us” coming towards us from the direction of the cyclists. Without batting an eyelid, we went after them. And stopped at the end of the road where the crowd had gathered. I noticed that they were just a Sunday holiday crowd. Professionals like us who are free only on Sundays. They included all age groups, including middle aged, pot bellied, ageing people and house wives. Some of them had bicycled it down all the way from Borivli (45km away) and would also go back on bicycles. These people were a part of a local cycling group, who meet off and on. Their mission this week was Marine Drive. So now it was time for a round trip around Marine Drive. That got over in no time. And we were soon headed for PJ Hindu Gymkhana, again at Marine Drive, for breakfast. It was all pre arranged. The cost was Rs 100 per head. We ate indulgently and met some new people. It was nice to meet people from other fields and get new inputs. It was really refreshing. I decided to join the group then and there.
It was then time to head back to our hostel as it was getting warmer and warmer and also more humid. The ride back was really unpleasant…. Traffic, pollution, heat… blah blah blah….
