Salaam Bombay
Bhelpuri. Vada Pav. Borivali to Churchgate. Karjat to CST. Bollywood. Cricket. Life. The city is a microcosm of existence itself, where Ferraris ply just ahead of a scooter with a family of four, and homeless sleep in front of the little platform next to a Porsche showroom. Bombay touches you in more ways than one. It’s a city where dreams find expression just as easily as they are crushed for those who drop their guards momentarily. It’s a city which slyly invites you to be the next starry eyed stand-out-er, but which will just as slyly crush you beneath its folds even as the stars in the eyes still might not have lost their sheen.
As someone remarked the other day, Mumbai is a place where five worlds co-exist. What this makes this place different though, is that in here they co-exist together, side by side, unlike quite a few other cities, where an economically disparate existence is also geographically demarked. Not so here. Everyone lays claim to the land. Everyone lays claim to the local trains. In Mumbai, while social status might differ vastly, but as human species, no one is above another. Quite unlike what a few denizens in other parts of India feel. The other good thing about Bombay is the genuine-ness of the people. Again, unlike a lot of other cities in India that I have seen.
Cricket following in this city is probably next only to Kolkata, if not more. What makes it different, though, is that in Kolkata, they follow it with a passion which can be attributed to the heart – in case of Mumbai fans, it is the mind. And as I found out on that Wednesday in Wankhede, the loyalty to that 5.5 ft man transcends all else. Even as the Marauder of Motera left Mumbai and Chennai gasping for breath with his unbelievable strokeplay, the cheer which greeted Tendulkar’s entry and the shocked silence accompanied by his exit were to be seen to be believed. Yes, the followers are knowledgeable about the sport, but when it comes to that man, the only thing that is left is a divine faith. That, and the eminently hummable anthem of Mumbai Indians. Stands out above others, IMHO, except maybe Kolkata’s, which is only fitting given the fan following in these cities. It’s a pity that one of them is already out of the tournament, and other might well be.
Among other things, the Citi Metro Card on TV these days is just too good. It has pretty much everything Delhi in it – Jama Masjid, PVR, India Gate, CP, Dilli Haat, CNG Autos, and Sardars – everything that is so quintessentially Delhi, and everything that one used to love about the city, in those days long ago! The background score too blends in just too well with the video. A brilliant feel good promotion too for the Delhi Metro, methinks. The other good ads are the set of those that Vodafone has come up with, which are all over the place in the IPL. No, this is not just the Happy to Help series, but the entire gamut of them – nice, simple, hummable tunes, and innovative thinking. Looks like after facing the initial wrath of this country for the taming of the beloved pug, Vodafone is well on its way to capture the imagination of people again!
As someone remarked the other day, Mumbai is a place where five worlds co-exist. What this makes this place different though, is that in here they co-exist together, side by side, unlike quite a few other cities, where an economically disparate existence is also geographically demarked. Not so here. Everyone lays claim to the land. Everyone lays claim to the local trains. In Mumbai, while social status might differ vastly, but as human species, no one is above another. Quite unlike what a few denizens in other parts of India feel. The other good thing about Bombay is the genuine-ness of the people. Again, unlike a lot of other cities in India that I have seen.
Cricket following in this city is probably next only to Kolkata, if not more. What makes it different, though, is that in Kolkata, they follow it with a passion which can be attributed to the heart – in case of Mumbai fans, it is the mind. And as I found out on that Wednesday in Wankhede, the loyalty to that 5.5 ft man transcends all else. Even as the Marauder of Motera left Mumbai and Chennai gasping for breath with his unbelievable strokeplay, the cheer which greeted Tendulkar’s entry and the shocked silence accompanied by his exit were to be seen to be believed. Yes, the followers are knowledgeable about the sport, but when it comes to that man, the only thing that is left is a divine faith. That, and the eminently hummable anthem of Mumbai Indians. Stands out above others, IMHO, except maybe Kolkata’s, which is only fitting given the fan following in these cities. It’s a pity that one of them is already out of the tournament, and other might well be.
Among other things, the Citi Metro Card on TV these days is just too good. It has pretty much everything Delhi in it – Jama Masjid, PVR, India Gate, CP, Dilli Haat, CNG Autos, and Sardars – everything that is so quintessentially Delhi, and everything that one used to love about the city, in those days long ago! The background score too blends in just too well with the video. A brilliant feel good promotion too for the Delhi Metro, methinks. The other good ads are the set of those that Vodafone has come up with, which are all over the place in the IPL. No, this is not just the Happy to Help series, but the entire gamut of them – nice, simple, hummable tunes, and innovative thinking. Looks like after facing the initial wrath of this country for the taming of the beloved pug, Vodafone is well on its way to capture the imagination of people again!
posted by Anshuman at 11:12 AM
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