Sirajuddin Chougle Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan EDUCREATION PUBLISHING

YEH HAI MUMBAI MERI JAAN - An Ode to the Spirit of Mumbai

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Printed in India Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan An Ode to the Spirit of Mumbai

Sirajuddin Chougle

EDUCREATION PUBLISHING (Since 2011) www.educreation.in

Acknowledgement

Any book when it sees the light of the day the author is jubilant and rightly so. Getting the book published is a tedious task which involves not only the author but many others. Poetry as a genre in any language is not popular like prose; it has its own dedicated followers. This book was brewing on paper for quite some time, to put it straight almost four years. Lack of time was the main culprit. 2020 came, and it came with a bang; Covid’19. Lockdown rendered everyone behind the doors of their home. For me it came as a blessing, to unplug myself and complete the cup of tea that was brewing for so long. After completing the book, the first task was to get it edited for fine tuning. Prof Mujahid Khan Assistant Professor in my College, in the department of Arabic and Islamic Studies is also a Masters in English, was requested to do the honours. He accepted the same and ruminating over it ultimately delivered the task undertaken after facing untimely hiccups with his laptop and mobile. I am happy that he has done a thorough

i job of the manuscript. I just like to say ‘thank you Mujahid’ for a wonderful job. The Almighty will reward you for the same, for it is out my reach to give back in return to you, for someone who is a Hafiz (Able to recite the Holy Quran from memory) only Allah can do justice to his calibre. For writing the Foreword of the book I solicited the help of Prof Shanti Polamuri, Head Department of English of my college and an old friend. The reason for entrusting the task to her was that she was familiar with my writing and easily approachable. It is for the readers to judge from her critical analysis the worth of this book. To her I can only promise that the friendship will last beyond this adventure, whatever the outcome. For the first time I thought about getting previews for the book, which I have not done for the previous two poetry books. Short listing the names with reasoning was a herculean task for me. At last I was able to zero in on four names. Prin. Suchitra Naik is a gem of a person among the list of my friends. Humble, honest and humane that’s how I can put. Ms. Apoorva Mulani a young and dynamic lady who follows the philosophy of Rumi in her practical life as an HR manager is fascinating and vibrant with a touch of flair. Mr. Manoj Varde a poet who writes in Marathi, employed as PR with BEST ii Undertaking Mumbai and interested in regional languages especially Urdu was the third on my final list. Lastly I roped in my long standing college friend, a banker by profession who dabbles in Urdu prose and has kept track of my writing for almost four decades. They were the first to get a peek into my book. I believe review writing to be a daunting task, but surprisingly they have executed it holistically. They have done a favour to me which cannot be reciprocated by a favour but allowing oneself to remain indebted for a lifetime, so shall I be. The support of my family members by allowing me space to be with myself and of my friends and colleagues for motivating me has been a strong pillar for accomplishing this book in the making for almost five years. Lastly I would like to thank the publisher for taking the risk of accepting to publish my book.

Author

iii Prelude

The Mumbai of today is basically the result of reclamation of islands. The seven islands viz. Isle of Mumbai, Colaba, Old Woman’s Island (Little Colaba), Mahim, Mazgoan, Parel and Worli joined together comprise Mumbai. The song- ‘ai dil hai mushakil jeena yahaan, zara hat ke, zara bach ke, ye hai bambai meri jaan (’Oh my heart, life is an uphill struggle be alert, be street wise, this is Bombay my love), written by lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri in 1955 (sixty years back) for the Hindi movie C.I.D. is still the apt description about Bombay. My poems about Bombay are a tribute to the ‘city of dreams’, ‘the city that never sleeps’ with an ever bursting population of 22 millions. This city allows everyone to survive, right from a vagabond to the neo rich. It is said that the city does not sleep. It is true to the core. It works round the clock, any hour of the day or night. The day is hectic with all types of activities. You name it and it happens in Mumbai. As the day tires and evening turns into night and gather darkness there are number of

iv activities that roll on. Some legitimate some illegitimate. With the nightfall, on the one hand the newspaper printing, the milk deliveries, the BPO’s, and so on are active; on the other hand prostitution, illicit liquor distillers, drug peddling, gambling and so on meet into the wee hours. I have explored the monuments of the city which exemplifies the uniqueness of the city and presents its history in brief. More than the monuments the soul of the city is seen on the streets of Mumbai. The mumbaikar is both ruthless and caretaking a rare combination. You can see an urchin been shrugged off by a passerby and immediately another hand, hands him a vada pav to satisfy his hunger. The beggars may be making a racket but the giving hand seldomly withhold itself. Self-respect is visible on the roads as the cart pushers make their way in the heat; the hawker trades his wares, the dabawalla racing to deliver, the courier man searching location, all cherish their labour and respect each other. When they are in street food lane religion, caste, creed, region, colour, language are forgotten, each one enjoying the treat on his plate. The city is cosmopolitan in character is vividly expressed through its places of worship. Be it a temple, a dargah, a church, a gurudwarah v or agyari you are one when together. The festivals bring each other in embrace forgetting enmity. The local trains on the western and central line are the harbinger of Mumbai lifeline. If the trains are running on time then Mumbai is alive and kicking. Any delay due to any reason immediately disrupts the set routine of the logistic way that people go about their task. During the monsoon this happen quite often due to heavy rain and subsequent water logging in some areas. Sometimes the trains come to a total halt and it is then the mumbaikar really realises that rains has come. It is a must that one gets stuck in the train at least once during the monsoon, it is only than Mumbai rain have their say. The people travelling in trains display the character of Mumbai. There are those who travel daily in a particular boogie and they have a group circle. Each other gel together as a family, celebrating festivals and happening in life together. The lives on the tracks are lively and bring out the true colour of Mumbai.

Author

vi Foreword

If I were to generalize about the poems of this book “Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan” I would want to say something about the tone of this book. There is noticeably a common voice or approach. This is not a collection of vatic lyrics or dissociated rambles. The poems are often set at a middle distance, in a voice aware that it is speaking, pondering, puzzling, but alert as well to impulses that are unspoken or shocking. “It’s always autumn even in spring.”Bombay Elizabeth Bishop once recommended as the markers of a good poem: accuracy, spontaneity, and mystery. These are precisely the characteristics of the poems in this book. The passing thought or startling image that makes a thrilled reader stop and wonder. This is what good poems do. This is what Dr Sirajuddin’s poems do to you, in this collection “Bombay”, “Bazar”, “The Dabbawala’s”, “The Bandra Fair”, “Waiting Room", “Abandoned", “Vada Pav", “The Gateway", “Bandstand" and others. I could say the entire book leaves you with an array of

vii wonderful images you cannot miss even one of them. He is a poet who has read, and who expect his readers also to have read. The poetry of the recent and distant past sometimes functions as scaffolding but is rarely the excuse for any poem of this collection. He uses his readings; but does not flaunt it. He likes history, lore, facts, the kinds of details that annex new territory for the imagination to explore. And this gives his poems—of whatever length—valuable amplitude. Facts, stubborn facts also prompt an informing irony and often certain wryness. When he writes of the personal life, they are never merely private. The ordinary pleasures and terrors of the domestic and social life reach out sensibly for moral dimensions and weight. The “personal” does not lie behind but upon a work of art. We have witnessed poems from him earlier book “Shades of Life” and “Wild Flowers". We see in these poems that the poet is a craftsman rather than a bard. He knows how to knead and turn, glaze and fire. His sense of poetic form is less the virtuosic display than the sign of care being taken to shape a thought or ease an emotion into unexpected consequences. You are holding now a whole new world of thought and feeling. Reading it will make it yours, will change your sense of what is possible viii and necessary. Plato, when he met Socrates, immediately burned his own poems. I am not suggesting you do that. I am suggesting you read this poet Dr Sirajuddin Chougle; he is a poet who questions how we know what is familiar. You will not want to burn the poems you admire. You will want to add these to them.

Prof Shanti Polamuri Head Department of English Maharashtra College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai

ix Preface

I was not born in Mumbai, but I was brought up in Mumbai right from my K.G. schooling except for early-three years in between when I was in Goa. I can therefore rightly call myself as Mumbaikar. I have experienced life in Mumbai as a native. Mumbai being part of Kokan and I a native of Kokan I can claim to be Mumbaikar as major part of my life I have spent in Mumbai. I had the opportunity to see Mumbai as a child, as a youth and as a grown-up. Mumbai has groomed me up in every aspect of life. Whatever I am today it is this city which has given me. The fifty two poems on Mumbai are the reflection of Mumbai as a city of dream, a city that never sleeps. Some are self experiences, some are keen observation and some historical facts, but none are fantasies. I wanted to present Mumbai as it is. People keep on coming to Mumbai from various parts of India and also various parts of the world in search of their dream. The influx of population is an ongoing process, the door is wide open or shall I say

x there are no doors and lock, all are welcome. Mumbai has a big heart to accommodate all over the years. It never refuges anyone who wants to come, if people have gone back it is their inability to gel and survive, Mumbai is not be blamed. During childhood riding on the upper deck of the BEST Double Decker was a joy which cannot be described in words. Enjoying building sand castle on the beach and jumping with joy with the candy floss in hand are memories itched forever. Having crush on your teacher and falling in love in college were moments every youth experiences. Dreaming to become a film star was natural to every youngsters of Mumbai. Rushing to catch your train and travelling on the foot board was a thrill. Enjoying with your friends street food especially in the ‘khau galli’s’ of Mumbai was the best way to give a treat. At every stage and every occasion of life there are ample ways to celebrate no matter poor or rich. Once you are a Mumbaikar you are a Mumbaikar for lifetime, Mumbai gets into the blood and gives you a kick.

Sirajuddin Chougle

xi xii Index

Sr. No. Content Page

1. Acknowledgement i 2. Prelude i

3. Foreword vv 4. Preface ii x Poems 1. Street Children 01 2. The Standing Parsee 02 3. Khar Danda 03 4. Blessings 04 5. Rush Hours 05 6. Withering Away 06 7. Chowpatty 08 8. Bombay 09 9. Waiting Room 10 10. The Crumbling Chimney 11

xiii 11. Second Class 13 12. Riots after Riots 14 13. Bleeding Footprints 16 14. Haunted 18 15. The Nude Model of J J Arts 19 16. Survival 21 17. Castaway 22 18. Values 23 19. Enemies 24 20. Masters 25 21. Abandoned 26 22. Speed 27 23. Free Ride 28 24. Suspense 29 25. Exile 30 26. Good Morning Bombay 31 27. Bombay Slums 32 28. The Pavement Dwellers 33 29. Life in Mumbai 34 30. New Rules 35 31. Bazaar 36

xiv 32. Tuesday 37 33. Hunters 38 34. The Sparrow Tree 39 35. The Hijra 41 36. Metro & Mono 43 37. Gulmohar 44 38. The Dabbawala’s 45 39. Street Vendors 46 40. The Local 48 41. Vada Pav 50 42. Bollywood 51 43. Khau Galli 53 44. Haji Ali 55 45. Chor Bazaar 57 46. Sassoon Dock 59 47. Mahim Dargah 60 48. Lalbaugcha Raja 62 49. Chaitya Bhoomi 64 50. The Bandra Fair 65 51. Bandstand 67 52. The Gateway 68

xv Reviews and Lyrics 1. Prin. Dr. Ms. Suchitra Naik I 2. Ms. Apoorva Mulani III 3. Mr. Manoj Suryakant Varade V 4. Mr. Kalim Ahmed Ansari VI 5. Lyrics of Yeh hai Bombay Meri IX Jaan

xvi YEH HAI MUMBAI MERI JAAN About the Author Dr. Sirajuddin H. Chougle is Principal of Maharashtra College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai, India. His academic career spans over thirty years at UG, PG and Research levels, with special focus on Entrepreneurship & Marketing Management. He has published two poetry books and eight academic publications. A visionary, an environmentalist and a social entrepreneur involved in community based activities practicing his belief of ‘giving back to the society’, through his NGO, Seeds Foundation.

About the Book Fifty two poems on Mumbai are tribute and reflection of the city of dreams. Some are self experiences, some keen observation and some historical facts, but none are fantasies. The poems are a kaleidoscope trying to capture Mumbai in the right sprit of frame from the eyes of a child and the seniors, the slum dwellers and the high-rise, the young lovers and the families, the vagabonds and the neo rich, the busy streets and the local trains, the worship places and the bazaars and many more images.

Reviews I would say rather, that a novice to Mumbai, if given a chance to indulge in this literary masterpiece would get the feel of standing on the crowded sea shore of Bombay and experience his heart breathing the air of Mumbai. – Prin. Dr. Ms. Suchitra Naik

Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan is not just a title, but a way of life, it resonates the famous quote “Once a Mumbaikar ; always a Mumbaikar.” – Ms. Apoorva Mullani

While reading this book the readers will enjoy the beauty of the dream city Amachi Mumbai. – Mr. Manoj Varde

“Mumbai Meri Jaan” is an epigram of Dr. Siraj Chougle’s poetry personifying Mumbai and its shades of life. - Mr. Kalim Ansari

You may reach author at: [email protected]

Also available as an eBook POETRY

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