A new boy in Mumbai - A Short Story.

Mumbai, a fascinating, seductive, exploring, a city filled with dreams, the place where a new boy kept his first step. There was a sudden sense of fear, terror and loneliness in his heart as he also had a sense of proud, confidence and faith in it.  He had big dreams inside his mind which he wanted to fulfil at the place where almost everyone’s dream comes true. It is said that almost 5000

people comes to Mumbai everyday to fulfil their dream so it can be judged that Indians too watch dreams and some also have the courage to fulfil them.
Being a middle class, he kept his first step on the Bandra railway station in Mumbai, with a belief that he would one day own this whole city- too big a dream one can say, but the stage of adolescence faces this degrees of dreams and one can never be big without thinking big.  He came from a backward class and place but was an emancipated young man who knows that man and women is both equal in their class and what they do. He came to Mumbai to become the best photographer of that city, India or even world. He was hanging a differentiated camera around his neck and started his work as soon as he stepped in Mumbai. He clicked the exposures of many things around him- the slums, the seven- star hotels, the seductive beautiful girls and even the shrines and idols he is familiar with.In his journey of becoming great he also met with several problems and the biggest important problem that came in his way was ‘where to live’. The houses were extremely dear and he can’t imagine of even buying them. But this problem soon solved as he started living in a small room which he bought at the price he could.Time rolled by and he became more familiar with Mumbai, and some one has rightly quoted that “Mumbai doesn’t take time to charm you with its grace, beauty and richness”. He started loving Mumbai. In his work he was very prominent, confident and sincere. He clicked the shots of many exotic things which can please many but never gave him that fame as he always wanted. First he uses to click the shots of religious deities, idols, shrines to bribe god to help him ‘own the city’ but god is not as corrupt as human individuals. He never helped him; soon he changed his topic from shrines to girls, models and beauty. He clicked the pictures of lovely girls that all were models which gave him a little fame in the fashion world. He started working as a part time fashion photographer and worked for so long at that same position that he stopped further dreaming about ‘owning the city’, but he never knew about the fortune and to whom it shines and when it shines.Meanwhile in his journey he got married with his love, she was extremely beautiful, cute and had big bulging cheeks which he uses to kiss them many time in a day. She never stopped as she too loved what he uses to do. Being both from the similar caste they never had any problem of inter-caste conflicts which Indian faces many times as India is bound in her own useless rituals, rights and emancipation. Apart from his job he use to do work every time, he always use to carry the camera with him as he never know what he can see around him which can make him click as a sensual memories. As time rolled by, Mumbai became more beautiful, exotic, lovely and even more seductive. But on the other hand terrorism increased all over our country. Our country never tried to harm our country; it is another country who always tried to harm India.One day, being Sunday the new boy in Mumbai was moving around in his old acquainted Mumbai. He had his camera with him. Moving around from different streets to different streets he came across the street where there was extreme chaos. The place was crowded and he asked ‘what has happened?’. The people told ‘a bomb blast in two shops!”. He felt afraid and a terror ran through him as he never saw something that regretful. He ran towards his home as fast as he could. The chaos, crowd and shouts of pain were never ending. He slowed down his steps as he was out of danger. He moved his steps, turned sharp for another street and what he saw was unbelievable for him.  He saw a Muslim woman wearing hijab was cleaning the wounds of her husband. He judged him as her husband as the man was wearing a Muslim hat worn by the Islamic males. She had a small handkerchief in her hands and was cleaning the wound of his forehead. She was crying, too regretful and was filled with sorrow. He immediately went to the opposite street, plugged his camera and zoomed in as his specialized camera could. He clicked 3 exposures of that wonderfully sorrow sight and came home as he thought her love would be waiting. Reaching home he found a note from her love in which it was written ‘I’m going to the market to buy a surprise for you, will come soon, and see you”. The surprise was nothing else but was a specialized camera for him. Getting the letter he rushed to the market where two bomb blasts happened. He called her but no answer came from the other end. He called her several time but same happened. He cried but god was not as fortunate towards him. He came home waited for her but the time was passing at it’s unusual pace. Time rolled but she never came back.Soon he accepted the fact the now she is no more. He became extremely famous all over Mumbai because of publishing his pictures of Muslim woman washing the wounds of her husband. Many columns, essays, compositions, debates etc. were held and written on the one picture. He became one of the famous photographers of Mumbai. Soon he became one of the most admired photographer. His images spread on internet, social networking sights, magazines, newspapers, journals, televisions and on other modern media. One of his dream come true- dream to be famous, rich, admired but another pat of his dream was still left unfulfilled.Now every evening he use to sit next to his big window and look out towards the sea, the sea which surrounds Mumbai, the sea which enhance the beauty of his dwelling place. He always sits next to the window with the picture of his wife- who went away without saying any last wish to him. He loved, love and will love her throughout his life and now he was totally lonely in that big, big city. He had just drop out the dream of ‘owning Mumbai’ as he was told by somebody that “it is worthless to achieve goals when there is no one to share the happiness of achieving it.”