Hope street

for many years now, i have listened carefully to what the street urchins in mumbai have been saying. as a mumbai resident for more years than i care to remember, it seems to me that its street children echo its truest sentiments. and so, i was not a little delighted when i chanced upon a gaggle of scruffy boys and girls at the haji ali streetlights, who have taken to flattering their way in to people’s hearts.“you are so bootiful madame,� they intone in lisping seductive tones, “beeeutifull sister� they drawl, their accents going awry. and, of course, they have got the pulse of the city right as always: mumbai is a vain, narcissistic self-serving city, constantly peering into the mirror for self-validation. no other city in india depends so much on its looks. from the film, fashion and advertising worlds, the collective cry is for the pursuit of beauty — and, of course, the warpaint is make-up. the temples in mumbai are its beauty parlours and gyms, and the gods and goddesses its fit, young, toned models and moviestars, its well-pumped industrialists and sportsmen. so for its beggars, to adopt flattery as a business strategy is not such an unthinkable ploy at all. “you are so beautiful� as a way of wheedling a few bucks out of some stressed, office-going, babe or an aspiring, perspiring starlet, or even a matronly mama, is not a bad idea at all. so much more successful than “no mummy, no daddy, no food. pliss give money.� that last mantra hardly works in a city as hard-hearted as the one we live in. every weekend i am fascinated by the movable feast that gets on the ferry to alibaug -- to get away to stunning seaface villas, cozy little cottages, and spanish stucco mansions, across the harbour. as an escape form the weekday grind, alibaug is one of mumbai’s best kept secrets, shared with only a few privileged souls. and each saturday morning it is a treat to stand on the pier at the gateway of india and watch the city’s movers and shakers, its bankers, businessmen, yuppies, models, artists and musicians, alight the boats with their dogs, cats, hampers and help. i know of people who treat alibaug as their sanctum sanctuary. who live there permanently, returning to the city only if necessary, when work calls frantically. i know of others who return every evening, getting on the boat with the nonchalance of taking a suburban evening train. and yet others who just keep it as a weekend treat. whichever way you regard it, alibaug is one of mumbai’s sweetest pleasures -- and one of the city’s well deserved breaks. some of my best friends live on pedder road. and so i am not about to write the next few lines without appropriate trepidation. ladies and gentleman. worthies of your community. do you have any idea how deep the hostility against those of you opposing the flyover runs? and how insidious the rest of the city finds your arguments? please, put aside your selfish interests and do not impede the way of progress. be a bridge over troubled waters. monday night and one of mumbai’s hippest trendy eateries is as full as if it were a friday. on every table there are people wining, dining, laughing, waving, and generally having a great time. september 11 may have come and gone. the middle east is in crisis, osama is at large, and gujarat is in flames. but nothing, nothing can dim the mumbai spirit of joie. ask not who the belles toil for, they toil for thee. and hush, nero — you may not play your fiddle just yet. malavika.sanghvi@indiatimes.com