51) इन दिनों ' मुंबई '☔☔☔☔

Being back in Mumbai feels so good. The hustle, the rain, and the local train- I missed them all so much. Time just flies, and another week shows up before you even process the last one. 

On a mundane Monday on a local train, I was scrolling through Instagram when I found Page to Stage by NCPA, a free event where authors sit down with hosts and read excerpts from their published work. I had been wanting to attend one such session for a long time, but every time I found a reason to procrastinate. But this time I thought I could manage, so I checked on BookMyShow, only to realise that the show on Tuesday was sold out. So, just out of curiosity, I checked the next shows and got to know that these shows are either fast-filling or sold out. That is when I stumbled upon this Page to Stage: Anapekshit; reading the name, I thought it would definitely be a Marathi author. Seats were also available, so I quickly booked two of them, considering my friend Dhanshree would love the event. Well, then I sent her the information and then read it myself, only to be surprised that Marathi stalwart actor-writer Dilip Prabhavalkar is going to be reading his books and that it is the 150th show.

I had booked the tickets two weeks before the show, my friend was equally excited; my parents were fine with my late arrival at home, the only concern was about missing the last lecture in college, now this might sound like the easiest part but for me it was difficult, as it was our HoD’s lecture and I cannot bunk, so I just went up to her in the break and told her about the event, she was so suppurtive that she said “go, just mail me about your absence”, and I was happy and surprised both, maybe sometimes telling the truth is the best option.

With a lot of excitement, we took a train to CSMT. Sitting in the first coach, we could hear the bell ringing like on a bus every time we arrived at a station. Reaching CSMT, we first grabbed the famous ‘Aaram Vada Pav’ by standing in a queue while it was raining heavily in the background. After that, we searched for a bus stop from where we could get a bus to NCPA. The seats at the event were on first come first serve basis, so we had to reach on time. Making our way through rainy puddles and wind, we came to the bus stop, but it was too crowded, and we had less time on hand, so instead we took a taxi (Kaali-peeli) to NCPA. In taxi, we had the vada pav, which was just about ok; I can very well say I have had better in Indore. 

Well, overlooking an unoccupied Marine Drive, we arrived at the entrance of NCPA. It was still raining like cats and dogs; we entered, and the Godrej Theatre was right in front of us, with a beautiful Cinderella-like staircase but in the opposite direction. There was a cubicle outside where they gave us tickets. The moment we entered, we were warmly welcomed with yellow chafa; then our wet umbrellas were taken and kept safely in return for a token; then our bags were checked. After this, the organiser asked us to enjoy the high tea. But then I saw a book stall with Dilip Prabhvalkar’s books; I bought one, and my friend bought three. Then we had tea and coffee; they had two variants of cold sandwiches, a batata vada, and a variety of biscuits to the spread, too. While we stood there waiting for the auditorium to open for the audience, a lady came up to us and said it was good to see people our age show up to such events, because otherwise it's mostly people in greys. We had a good talk about plays, books, and the literary world.

We then entered the auditorium and sat in our seats. The show was sold out, but due to heavy rains, only half the auditorium was occupied. The host started by saying sorry for being 2 min late. I quickly checked my phone; it was 3min late by then. Till I looked up again, an audacious SOBO Ajooba said out loud, ‘3 min to be precise.’ After felicitations, the show started; the host and the author read chapters from the book Anapekshit. Dilip Prabhavalkar is such a versatile actor and a prolific writer; the way he read and enacted some part of his play was outstanding. There was a gentleman who arrived after the show started in his wheelchair; there was a woman who was walking with the help of a walking stick too, and watching this, I was already impressed by the dedication of the audience in Mumbai. There were so many lines worth remembering from the session, but the one that stood out for me was, “It is difficult to pretend that you possess a skill you don’t have, but it is easy to pretend that you don’t possess a skill you actually do.”

The session ended exactly at 8:29, as it was stated to be two hours. This is the kind of professionalism Mumbai is known for! After the session, I got my book author signed by him and then headed out. The stairs were lit up with yellow lights; it was all wet, yet we loved this rainy evening in Mumbai. While coming back home, there was a police officer in the ladies' coach, which made me feel secure and safe even at 10 pm; this is the spirit of Mumbai!

Happy Reading,
सिddhi Bhosale.