Bombay / Madras

When I wrote that Bombay hotels fare favourably against Madras hotels, I knew I was running the risk of sounding pro-Bom & anti-Mad. Perhaps I had already created that impression during our conversation when you were here, Vidya. When I visited Bombay in May, looking at the squalor, pollution, garbage & crowds, I myself wondered why this Bombay-sickness. I knew the answer the moment I touched Madras soil – the insolence & callous attitude of the people is what turns one off.
When I say people, family & chosen friends are excluded. I am really lucky to be blessed with a wonderful family from both sides & I have a wonderful set of friends in both places. I am talking about the autowallah, the petty vendor, the general air of trying to get something without earning it.
You go to a shop, you have to first spell out exactly what you are looking for. If you are specific, the reply will be that such a thing is not available. If you don’t have anything particular I mind, then God help you, because the salesperson decides that you won’t buy anything & therefore not interested in showing his wares. His attitude is one of doing you a favour. Whereas in Bombay, (or in most cities in the North), they are such good sellers that they will charm you into buying more than you had planned! They make the customer feel special & also ensure that you go back to them.
Coming to hotels, the brisk efficiency is what impresses me. Time is money. Each table is served & cleared so fast. Here you see many groups waiting, and still the service is so slow. I will give your Murugan idli a try next time.
A plumber, electrician or carpenter, even the house maid seems much more businesslike –s/he comes, does his job, gets paid, leaves. In Madras, he first tries to talk you into believing that you have given him a most difficult job, which he does as a special favour for you in spite of so many constraints. In both places we have had L&T contract technicians, & I have experienced this difference in their attitude. (I am sure there is a fair share of good & bad in both places.)
Though I grew up in Madras, though I had a phobia about Bombay after the chain snatching incident soon after my marriage, Bombay stole my heart in the period 1992 to 2002. After moving from place to place, school to school, that was an extended stay in one place when we really felt Bombay was our home. And now, as Akila says, after 5 years, I have got used to Madras. But one trip to Bombay & back, the feeling gets reconfirmed once again!
Yes, life in Bombay is definitely not easy. It IS tough. But from the panwalla to the multi millionaire it is the attitude that makes the difference – one just takes it as it is & gets going without whining or complaining.
And I love Kovaipudur –I do not know if I will like Cbe as much as Kvp!