In yesterday's TOI, I read a statistician's analysis of world's cities and the ranking they enjoy as per the standard of living . I was obviously deeply saddened with the knowledge that Mumbai is among the worst and Melbourne- where a part of my family now lives- the best. I couldnt help thinking why me? why could i have not exchanged places with that part of my family that lives in the best part of the world? but this what i felt in the morning.
In the evening as i navigated through the puddles and potholes and reached my vegetable vendor i came across an elderly woman from high society with a walking stick trying to find a place to park herself while she waited for the auto in the rains. my veg vendor immediately sprung to his feet and offered the woman a chair. another fruit vendor came running and offered her a cup of tea. soon the mundane surroundings turned into a dream sequence where the old woman was playing the lead role with everyone around indulging her, providing whatever they could. i couldnt help but be swamped away by all the bonhomie and i offered hailing an auto for aunty...this, i must confess, was in part motivated by the need to also share that bond that i suddenly saw develop between a set of anonymous people. A bond that i would have envied had i not joined it. Aunty in turn was so overwhelmed with all the spontaneous attention that she got that she held my hand with her trembling grasp and said...beta...everybody is so nice and kind. isnt this a wonderful world?
And that moment i said to myself that i would never trade my place for any amount of lifestyle comforts that maybe Melbourne could offer me. Because when I grow old in Melbourne, i might have a luxurious old age home. But what i wont have is a steaming cup of coffee, a rickety plastic chair under a collapsing parapet and the pleasure of spontaneous companionship with strangers.
Maybe S&P (The agency that assigns 'stars' to world cities) should realise that the main thing is not how many roads a country has. But rather who walks on those roads and with whom?
In the evening as i navigated through the puddles and potholes and reached my vegetable vendor i came across an elderly woman from high society with a walking stick trying to find a place to park herself while she waited for the auto in the rains. my veg vendor immediately sprung to his feet and offered the woman a chair. another fruit vendor came running and offered her a cup of tea. soon the mundane surroundings turned into a dream sequence where the old woman was playing the lead role with everyone around indulging her, providing whatever they could. i couldnt help but be swamped away by all the bonhomie and i offered hailing an auto for aunty...this, i must confess, was in part motivated by the need to also share that bond that i suddenly saw develop between a set of anonymous people. A bond that i would have envied had i not joined it. Aunty in turn was so overwhelmed with all the spontaneous attention that she got that she held my hand with her trembling grasp and said...beta...everybody is so nice and kind. isnt this a wonderful world?
And that moment i said to myself that i would never trade my place for any amount of lifestyle comforts that maybe Melbourne could offer me. Because when I grow old in Melbourne, i might have a luxurious old age home. But what i wont have is a steaming cup of coffee, a rickety plastic chair under a collapsing parapet and the pleasure of spontaneous companionship with strangers.
Maybe S&P (The agency that assigns 'stars' to world cities) should realise that the main thing is not how many roads a country has. But rather who walks on those roads and with whom?
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