From Evernote:

Jaywalking in my mind.

Mumbai is certainly not pedestrian friendly- one cant amble around for inspiration, or walk around without rushing about- there is a very distinct and overbearing sense of this being a commercial , no nonsense, ruthless in ways -aura.

There are no quaint corners for a quick coffee/ tea/ croissant or a quirky art gallery where the world does not throng to...what I mean we have a few of them, but is no adventure or exclusiveness or hideouty feel to any of the existing ones. And for certain the city has no  single, on my own, doing my thing kind of culture....by that I mean, I really can't be out at places on my own, without feeling odd.

And it's really sad-

A city becomes culturally vibrant when it encompasses and facilitates all variety of individuals, cultures, art forms... I think its understood that we have long way to go here.

And then this is just one of the "trivialities" of daytime.

The city takes on  a particularly gloomy look as the sun goes down- as the evening progresses, the cement jungle seems even more bleaker...and lonelier

The supposed nightlife seems a bit imposed and mundane. I suppose being so close to such myriad reality is like doing one too many shots in the nights and one does not know what to believe.

As I drive down most days- I can't fathom any feeling - I just see people going about their daily lives, winding up another hard fought day....the fight could be anything from wanting to sink into that size zero LBD or figuring out how to sell those cheap toys at the traffic signals to the baba log in the car or that hoping the markets next day would make the personal portfolio sing...

Seriously, there is so much thinking and working towards that nothing seems easy nor do people seem at ease.... nothing is good enuf.

I conclude it's a bit easy to weather the day and bear the rising temperatures, but the nights are tough...placid but tough. It's a mental game.

*************

I just got done with part I of Stieg Larsson's  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Its my first mystery novel in a really long time, or rather one which I have enjoyed after a very long time. I liked the character sketches , liked the story line ( ok I admit, I've not read many Swedish themes) and especially the protagonist- this uber different girl ...strangely relatable misfit. I also liked the leisurely pace of the introduction and story line and the engaging and griping build up of the finale.

I've for one have not had this much reading in a long time. This is definitely a super read. And think it's a 7.5/10 for me.