On Meandering 'Round The Fort Side

Dear reader, do you ever get this feeling one day: Okay! I want to be alone, for a change?

You know, it's like this sudden Eureka moment and you feel like this sudden urge to just stop being around people. You feel like, damn! I want to be alone! I want to spend some time with myself!

I felt like that too, during the past week.

Since the past week, I've been rushing to my German class, struggling with my college magazine work (struggling would be a really exaggerating word) and getting overly paranoid about the fact that I am not getting enough chances to spend time with my best friends. I've been plagued by stupid thoughts: Oh, everyone's being so constructive and busy and here I am, so lazy! My friends are busy and I have a feeling they've forgotten about me.

No really.

It's been such a torture to tell my stupid brain to shut up with its batty-old-cat-lady thoughts.

So Friday morning, when I woke up, I thought: okay, I'm going to stop moping around. I know everyone's busy. So I've decided I'll better spend some me time.

I decided to explore my hometown.

My hometown isn't a town, per se. It's actually the financial capital of the country. Poets and romantics often call it as the city of dreams. It's the place where some of the poorest and the richest of this country clash. It's the place where there's so much vibrancy, activity and chaos that you simply can't help but love it.

And it's honestly a tragedy that I hadn't actually gone ahead and explored it like I should have, especially because my German class is in the old-town side.

***

Friday morning was packed with presentations in my German class on social topics that nobody really thinks about (and what people SHOULD think about). Then, when the clock struck one, I gripped my bag tightly and left the class, yelling 'Tschues' and 'Auf Wiedersehen' to my classmates.

Rhythm House, I thought resolutely, stepping out into the scorching Mumbai heat.

I crossed the road as fast as I could, because the traffic in the old townside can be really bad - like the I-am-in-so-much-hurry-that-I-won't-hesitate-to-kill-you-if-you-don't-get-outta-my-way bad.

After opening the door of the ancient music store and giving my bag to the watchman ('safety purposes'), I started going through the racks, looking at CDs which I could only buy if my mom was around.

Rhythm House is a really old music store, with brightly painted blue and yellow walls. Once upon a time, back in the days when there was no Internet (thus, no chance for downloading illegal pirated songs), this store used to thrive with customers - hippies, the rich folk and people like my uncle (who has a killer taste in music).

Now, it's just filled with rich old Gujju uncles and aunties searching for prayer songs and East-Asian tourists who are hungrily searching for Bollywood movies.

And of course, on Friday, I was there too.

At first, I went through the headphones and earphones because I have this horrible habit of mutilating my earphones. In fact, I've ruined two pairs of Apple, four pairs of Skull Candy (two of which were pirated and purchased from Dadar station in Central Mumbai) and two pairs of Nokia earphones.

Yes, I'm really ashamed about it.

And no, I'm not going to buy a new pair of earphones unless and until I get a good job/paid internship.

After that, I browsed through the movies' section, mentally listing down the movies that I wanted to see. Some movies, I picked them off the rack, saw their prices and conveniently dropped them again.

Then, when I was done with the air-conditioning and the bhajan blasting through the speakers, I went out into the heat again, replenished with energy.

Instead of taking the normal straight-route to CST like I usually do when I walk, I decided to take the route taken by most taxi-wallahs and bus-wallahs.

Which means to take the University and High Court route.

The University and the High Court are old Gothic British structures. You know, with the arches and dark colours and (sometimes) gargoyles?

The university building isn't being used much lately, because most of the courses happen at the Kalina campus.

As for the High Court? It's thriving with the most captivating, high-profile cases every other day. Whenever you see high amount of traffic and the press, you don't even have to ask: some major case's verdict is going to be doled out!

Both the buildings weren't put to use that Friday, so I was free to click as many photographs as I wanted without passing off as a creepy touristy-freak of nature.

The High Court With A Statue Of I-D-K-Who's-He

The University grounds - rather fetching, eh? 

After meandering round the university and high court, I took a turn and reached the Flora Fountain side. 

Flora Fountain is a fountain which - I have never ever seen - spurt out water like normal fountains do. It's an old piece of architecture with statues of scantily clad ladies but the actual flora around is way better than staring at the musty old statues. 

Now-a-days, people call it 'Hutatma Chowk' but I think it's better to call it Flora Fountain because it fits with the heritage better. 

(I know, there will be a lot of people who'll be of an another opinion altogether, but ah well) 

And this is the majestic Flora Fountain, ladies and gentlemen. 

It's like it's emerging from the trees, eh?  

And this is the extension which has 'Jai Maharashtra' emblazoned over it. 

Then, once I was done clicking photos around the Flora Fountain, I decided to peep into a couple of places like the Petit Library and the American Society to inquire about membership. 

When I stepped into the main office of the Petit Library, the conversation went like this: 

Old Sir: What do you want? 

Me: I want to know about the procedure to be a member of this library. 

Old Sir: How old are you?

Me: (feeling defensive because I know what's going to happen next) I'm eighteen! I turned eighteen this September!

Old Sir: You might wanna bring in an extra proof of your age, missy. You surely don't look eighteen. You look much younger.    

The Petit Library! 

And after getting the details that I'd wanted and stepping out of the library, I shook my head thinking,

What on earth did I do in my past life to end up looking like freaking thirteen-year-old?

But somehow, walking around the fort side somehow made my mood infinitely better. I could properly soak in the surroundings, imagine what it was like to be a person living around these parts many years ago and most of all, I realized how perfectly nice it felt to be in my own company, instead of salivating to talk to more people.