Its the mandavli air .. !!! :)

Despite being a delhite, Wont b right if i dont start with something on mumbai .. bahut kuch diya hai :)

Fundoo janta, money, bollywood, theatre, marine drive, vada pav, NITIE, night life, cricket, local trains, sparkling airports .. mumbai mein sab kuch hai .. but the best part is the mandavli air (bargain, negotiation) around each and everything in this city !!!

Police hafte ke liye bargain karti hai, students exam paper ke hints ke liye,

cows raaste se hatne ke liye karti hai, CM aapni gaadi ke liye ..

yeh sab toh har jagah dekha but sabse bada example mila last tuesday ..

1st April, 2008: I was travelling to ITC's cuff parade office to collect my stipend and managed to misplace my cell. After searching at all the possible places I thought its gone!! and the feeling of "lost it" was all around. Nobody picked up for 3 hours. But it was still ringing and with it the hope. It was a Rs. 999 vala Reliance LG phone but still wanted it back badly.

" Arre paachis number bus mein reh gaya hoga" says atul, venky (fellow interns).

Me & Venky went to the backbay bus depot (last stop), searched all Bus No. 25. But kuch nahi mila ...

We came back to the office and i tried calling after some time. A guy picks it up. My eyes opened up in joy but only for few seconds.

I asked all the obvious questions .. where did u find it ?, where are you ?, when can i collect it ?

Got all the answers and the one liner "Kitna dega woh bol nahi toh beech dunga" .. [ the aao-ji-aao moment ]

Me: Aap jitna bolo .. utna mil jayega.

-- After lot of bakar --

He: Panchso (500).

Me: 500 !!!!! .. Ok dekh lenge .. milte hai, fir decide karte hai.

He: Nahi abhi "mandavli" kar lo .. baad mein chik chik nahi chahiye ...

Me: (Shocked, Surprised) .. Jayda value nahi hai uss phone ka. upar se reliance ka hai, block karva dunga toh kuch nahi milega.

He: Pata hai tabhi toh phone kiya hai.

Me: Toh fir bolo .. 200 rs mein de do.

He: 500 mein .. leneka hai toh bolo.

Me: Ok .. milte hai.

He: Aaj nahi .. abhi worli mein hun .. kal.

Me: Ok.

--------

After 10 mins, i call him again.

---------

Me: I want it today .. am in World Trade center, Cuff Parade.

He: Am in backbay bus depot now .. ( Worli is atleast 40 mins away frm this place :O )

Me: Ok .. yaha aa jao.

He: No, you will come here woh bhi aakele.

Me: Okie. ( Little wrried as backbay depot is a little shaddy area)

He: depot ke bahar se call karna and i will check if you are alone. (Purra Bollywood style)

Me : Ok.

---------

Me, venky, Atul and apurva started walking towards the depot.

Atul, mumbai vala .. suggested to contact police and take them along for cover to avoid further damage :P

Apurva, patna vala .. suggested not to contact police :)

Venky, indore vala .. was analysing all this without ne suggestion.

finally we decided to go ahead all alone and stood in differnt places but still maintained the eye contact (pura filmy tha !!).

We waited nd waited nd waited ...

I called him up .. and he comes out along with a huge fat uncle. Both dressed in blue uniform.

They located me and were coming in my direction .. eye signal to all the 3 mates to start.

Men_in_blue: panchsoo ruppee ... !! (in chorus)

me: yes .. 1 sec .. (pulls out two 100 ruppee notes)

Men_in_blue: panchsoo bole thee ...

----All the 3 reached by then.----

me: dosoo hee hai mere pass .. lelo ...

Men_in_blue: (paused for 3-4 secs) ok thik hai .. yeh lo.

me: thanks ..

they left thode happy, thode surprised. I was happy to get back the lifetime-incoming scheme for 200 bucks.the journey back to college ended in a happy realization. Its not the I-Banks, Consults, FMCGs or the transactions on the seashore which makes it the financial capital of India. Its the mandavli air .. !!! :)