The Colaba Diaries: Ep 9 - End of the Saga
Oh man. I've been delaying this one for more than half a year now. Which I know kind of defeats the purpose of making this a series for you readers. But to be quite frank, I put it on hold because I had nothing interesting to share with you good folks, but given that I am no longer there, this may well be a fitting time to end it.
In a way, this post in the series should have been written back in June, when I did move out of my bed in Colaba. I'd moved to a flat in an area called Kurla West, where I had a sizeable room to myself in a 2BHK layout and a living room as well, for the same rent. The tradeoff was living in quite a shitty part of Mumbai, where I'd get creepy vibes everytime I went down to get some groceries. It also meant having to commute to work by the local train. The station itself was just 10 minutes away on foot, and the journey would take 30 minutes. If I'd schedule it properly I could take the direct trains and get space quite easily, both when going to the office and when coming back. It was as miserable as I'd expected it to be. Then I also had to deal with some rent-negotiations that ate away at the peace of my mind that I had hoped to find while living here. So, in the end, I moved out and went back to the exact same room and bed in Colaba after a month.
From July till the end of September, I stayed in that room. The residents of my room did not change while other faces in the flat did, none that I introduced myself to. It being the monsoon season, the roof was sealed off and I rarely found myself going to the seaside or Marine Drive anymore. I was a bit more mentally prepared than the last time, I did cope with the lifestyle a bit better this time around. It helped to quite a degree that I had started flying out for work most weekends and I was busy enough during the weekdays to keep my misery to a manageable level.
I was in that room, living on that bed for all those months and looking back on it, I still feel surprised at how I survived through it. I saw much worse living accommodations for similar rent and the people living in it, but it was without a doubt the worst scenario yet on a personal level. I cannot give enough credit to my lady and to my friends who gave me their time and love and helped me through all of it.
But at the end of September, I finally took all my belongings and moved back to Delhi. Why? Well, the reason I was in that city in the first place, was no longer a factor. Seeing that I had no other plans for which to stay, I thought it best to move back till the next opportunity arose. And that was that. A undramatic, depressingly bland end to what was the first experience of living in a strange city by myself. Did I develop any fondness for the city having stayed there all this while? No. But there were a couple of elements I will miss. For instance, being able to take a look at the horizon across the sea whenever I wished to, the rare occasions to drive cars on the brilliant Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Hippie Yoga Cafe and the few people I actually came to care about.
I've been back at my base in Noida City since October now. It didn't take me long to notice that as time passed, the city became less NCR and more UP, and yes I have a problem with that. Still, I've been busy with my automotive blog and the new PS4 (expect content soon!!), with more personal projects on the to-do list, seeking and waiting for my next opportunity. Besides, this time around my lady is in town too, so that's always a good thing.
Anyway, hope you liked this closing post for what was essentially a dead series since April. But I couldn't leave it like that, and I want to thank you all for your continuous support for the blog. Also, The Sane Lunatic blog is likely to receive a facelift in the coming weeks. Hopefully, you guys will like the new look. We're still working on it, so feel free to share your ideas and feedback in the comments section.
In a way, this post in the series should have been written back in June, when I did move out of my bed in Colaba. I'd moved to a flat in an area called Kurla West, where I had a sizeable room to myself in a 2BHK layout and a living room as well, for the same rent. The tradeoff was living in quite a shitty part of Mumbai, where I'd get creepy vibes everytime I went down to get some groceries. It also meant having to commute to work by the local train. The station itself was just 10 minutes away on foot, and the journey would take 30 minutes. If I'd schedule it properly I could take the direct trains and get space quite easily, both when going to the office and when coming back. It was as miserable as I'd expected it to be. Then I also had to deal with some rent-negotiations that ate away at the peace of my mind that I had hoped to find while living here. So, in the end, I moved out and went back to the exact same room and bed in Colaba after a month.
From July till the end of September, I stayed in that room. The residents of my room did not change while other faces in the flat did, none that I introduced myself to. It being the monsoon season, the roof was sealed off and I rarely found myself going to the seaside or Marine Drive anymore. I was a bit more mentally prepared than the last time, I did cope with the lifestyle a bit better this time around. It helped to quite a degree that I had started flying out for work most weekends and I was busy enough during the weekdays to keep my misery to a manageable level.
I was in that room, living on that bed for all those months and looking back on it, I still feel surprised at how I survived through it. I saw much worse living accommodations for similar rent and the people living in it, but it was without a doubt the worst scenario yet on a personal level. I cannot give enough credit to my lady and to my friends who gave me their time and love and helped me through all of it.
But at the end of September, I finally took all my belongings and moved back to Delhi. Why? Well, the reason I was in that city in the first place, was no longer a factor. Seeing that I had no other plans for which to stay, I thought it best to move back till the next opportunity arose. And that was that. A undramatic, depressingly bland end to what was the first experience of living in a strange city by myself. Did I develop any fondness for the city having stayed there all this while? No. But there were a couple of elements I will miss. For instance, being able to take a look at the horizon across the sea whenever I wished to, the rare occasions to drive cars on the brilliant Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Hippie Yoga Cafe and the few people I actually came to care about.
I've been back at my base in Noida City since October now. It didn't take me long to notice that as time passed, the city became less NCR and more UP, and yes I have a problem with that. Still, I've been busy with my automotive blog and the new PS4 (expect content soon!!), with more personal projects on the to-do list, seeking and waiting for my next opportunity. Besides, this time around my lady is in town too, so that's always a good thing.
Anyway, hope you liked this closing post for what was essentially a dead series since April. But I couldn't leave it like that, and I want to thank you all for your continuous support for the blog. Also, The Sane Lunatic blog is likely to receive a facelift in the coming weeks. Hopefully, you guys will like the new look. We're still working on it, so feel free to share your ideas and feedback in the comments section.
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