I am back in Toronto. Home sweet home.
Right from the time I exited the самолёт (समल्योत = aircraft) to the time I arrived home (90 minutes), I must have received 12 Thankyou’s and 5 Sorry’s, approximately. Quickly I panicked to restore my North American ‘polite’ avatar which I had, after intensely painful efforts, buried for over 3 months. This avatar had a nasty habit of sneaking up in unexpected places when I was in India or even Russia – leading to embarrassing situations – usually causing me to apologise for being ‘polite’ in the American way, which again was met with glares and a sympathetic ‘oh, the poor boy is Americanized’ look.
I was walking in the very crowded Moscow metro when the tip of my wrist brushed against the tip of a woman’s handbag who whizzed ahead of me. Like any normal person in Toronto would, I thought she was rude for not apologising to me but nevertheless I said by reflex, “I’m sorry, извиненте!” (इझविनीच)
The huge lady turned around, stopped and giving me a look said, “что?” (श्तो = what?)
I laughed inside my head, said “ничего” (निचीवो = nothing) to her and left.
I spent many hours explaining to both, Americans and Indians, what the American ‘polite’ manners mean. The Americans don’t understand why Indians never seem to thank or apologise (one survey even put Mumbai as least polite city in the world – imagine!) and the Indians don’t understand why critical words like Sorry and Thankyou are treated like commodity and used hundred times a day. Well, cultural differences are so beautiful and I discovered that in spite of living in India for first 25 years of my life, I could not, after just 2 years in Canada, switch to a different culture in an instant. Predictably, it will take me some time to get used to thanking and apologising hundred times a day here too. 
Moscow from the sky
My Аэрофлот (ऐरोफ्लोट Aeroflot) flight flew from Mumbai to Moscow, change plane, Moscow to Toronto. Aeroflot served me BEEF in my Hindu meal (will make a post with pictures on my travel blog), they are known to flatly refuse to serve plain Water (which is what Indians drink), served a drink called “chai” which they think is tea (well it is Russian tea), their flight was 4 (FOUR) hours late and their seats are designed for discomfort. Yet, I flew them because I had to go to Moscow and the ticket cost was too good to be true. I discovered that the airhostess had a bias against, well, Russians and non-Russian-looking-but-Russian-speaking people like me on one side compared to other non-Russian-looking-and-no-Russian-speaking people on the other. boooo. Nevertheless I found this international discrimination less insulting than what happens in Mumbai between different ethnic groups ironically belonging to the same country…
As the flight landed, I was deeply touched to see the passengers clap as a ‘thank you’ to the pilot.
“Nyet nyet” my neighbor said wisely, “They clap to thank God that the plane has finally landed. It’s Aeroflot, Russian airline!”
View from my window
I was finally glad to be home. Toronto looks beautiful, wrapped in a blanket of snow and occasionally glittering with a scarlet glow from the rays of the sun. I tried to sleep, but I was still tuned to IST. Still I tried to get into my bed and catch some sleep something that was difficult to get without the familiar barking of street dogs…
To the wonderful blog readers of Mumbai,
We are thinking of organizing a blogger’s meet on Sunday, November 16th somewhere in Thane / Mulund area. I live in Dombivli so this location is quite convenient for me (LOL) and people of central, harbour and some of western suburbs.
This is intended to be like a blog-family meet and we do not expect loads of absolutely random, unfamiliar faces (there are mainstream blogger’s meets for that kind of socialization.) So if you can make it that evening, please RSVP by Friday (November 14th) to my email address, and we’ll all get in sync
mail at priyank dot com
I guess you are surprised by this constant use of ‘WE’. hmm…, since I am only a non-resident Mumbaikar, this whole affair is spearheaded by Nita.
cheers,
Priyank.
These kids from Bhivpuri village near Matheran, a hill station close to Mumbai, were eager to get photographed. The toddler in the girl’s arms started laughing after the flash of my camera went off It was such a wonderful moment!
कालच्या ई-सकाळ मध्ये ही बातमी वाचली आणि अचानक डोंबिवलीची (घरची) आठवण झाली.
अनेक पुरस्कारांनी नावाजलेल्या, प्रेक्षक आणि समीक्षकांच्या प्रशंसेस पात्र ठरलेल्या तसेच राष्ट्रीय व आंतरराष्ट्रीय पातळीवर गौरविलेल्या “डोंबिवली फास्ट’ या चित्रपटाने आपल्या शिरपेचात आणखी एक मानाचा तुरा खोवला आहे. ….
आज जाहीर झालेल्या राष्ट्रीय पुरस्कारांमध्ये सर्वोत्कृष्ट प्रादेशिक चित्रपटाचा (मराठी) बहुमान त्याने मिळविला. स्वदेशी एण्टरटेन्मेंट प्रस्तुत समीर गायकवाडनिर्मित आणि निशिकांत कामत दिग्दर्शित या चित्रपटाने चांगले यश मिळविले होते.
तुम्ही हा चित्रपट पाहीला नसेल तर लगेच् बघा, चुकवू नेये असा चित्रपट आहे. माधव आपटे ही व्यक्ति चित्रपटात तुमच्या-आमच्यातली आजवर लपून रहीलेली एक गडद रंग छटा सादर करते. माधव आपटे – एक सामान्य माणूस. बॅंकेत चांगल्या पदावर नोकरी, बायको, दोन मुलं, संसार सुखाने करावा, अशी इच्छा मनात, पण तत्त्वं सांभाळताना त्याची कसरत व्हायची…. अतीशय छान परीक्षण येथे वाचा.
खरंच… खुप काळानंतर मला उत्तम कथा, सादरीकरण व छायाचित्रण या चित्रपटात बघायला मिळालं. कथेचा वेग योग्य तर आहेच्, पण त्याच् बरोबर कलाकारांची भूमिका ही अप्रतीम. शेवट जरा विचित्र वाटला, पण तरी बराच वास्तववादी आहे.
[tag]Dombivli[/tag] Fast is a [tag]Marathi[/tag] [tag]movie[/tag] that was made in 2005. It is the story of Madhav Apte, a middle-class Marathi man who lives in Dombivli, a suburb some 50km away from Mumbai. He is a man with principles, who has a simple aim in life – to support his family and keep them happy. Madhav is troubled by the endless struggle and the problems that surround him. Suburban trains in Mumbai are referred to by their destination and speed. [tag]Dombivli Fast[/tag] thus indicates a local train that originates / terminates in Dombivli and stops at select stations (hence the word ‘fast’).
The film has won a string of domestic and international award, latest being the National award for best picture. The movie is based on a storyline that people of Mumbai can instantly identify with.
Marathi director Nishikant Kamath is making his Tamil debut by remaking this movie(starring R. Madhavan and Sangeetha) – Evano Oruvan
I remember watching the movie in a house-full hall. Even after the movie ended, people just sat there, in silence… it is a story that everyone can associate themselves with.
Dombivli is my hometown by the way.
Subscribe
