Lindsay Pereira: Let this city's people surprise you

The nicest thing about living in a city as colourful and everchanging as Bombay is the access to astonishing stories at every corner should you choose to go looking A photographer called Brandon Stanton understood this very well in a city very much like ours except that it functions better and created a blog called Humans of New York in 2010It prompted a flurry of copycat blogs around the world and Bombay now has one too What makes it so popular is how it reveals personal histories that are no less compelling or eyeopening than the biopics of famous historical figures that routinely play on big screens the world overHumans of Bombay People help each other as they make their way out of the flooded streets during the 267 deluge File picRane AshishBombay is full of all kinds of stories waiting to be discovered populated as it is by people who are diamonds in the rough each of them holding an anecdote or life lesson close to their hearts that is far more interesting than the latest Facebook update from a friend you havent bothered to meet in real life for yearsI remember a bus conductor for instance who I once gave a lift to at 1 am after he had just completed his shift He wanted to be an engineer and told me he slept for four hours a day so he could have enough time to study before getting back to work I remember a taxi driver who told me about his sons both successful entrepreneurs who wanted him to stay home and relax He couldnt because meeting new people every day was an addiction I remember a rickshaw driver who told me about a makeshift religious structure on SV Road Goregaon where one could purchase drugs from the resident holy man if one knew how many times to ring the bellOn a crowded local train one morning a fellow passenger made an entire compartment laugh out loud while describing an incident that took place soon after the horrific train bombings of July 2006 Apparently days after the incident he was in a crowded compartment when a man standing near one of the exits pointed to a suitcase on the luggage rack and asked who it belonged to Without waiting more than 30 seconds for a reply he panicked picked up the suitcase and threw it out of the moving train The minute that happened the owner of the suitcase who had been dozing in a corner woke up and threw a fit The triggerhappy man at the exit was forced to get off at the next station and walk back in the dark along with the owner hoping to find the suitcase No one knows if they ever didBombay has a knack of surprising you with random acts of kindness too In 2005 when the city went under buses were submerged cars floated away Linking Road was full of abandoned vehicles and only the brave the drunk or the desperate left the safety of their offices to try and get home I happened to be one of those desperate folk stuck in a vehicle somewhere between Mahim and Andheri and all I remember is food There were people on both sides of the street rushing to each vehicle with offerings of homecooked snacks There were steaming idlis dal and roti poha and upma and every 100 metres or so groups of people doling out hot cups of tea It has been 11 years since that commute and I may never forget it for as long as I liveExperts believe that culture connectedness and diversity are some of the things that help make a city great We dont have access to much culture here thanks to shortsighted civic officials and poorly planned hubs Connectedness is an alien concept too which is why millions of us struggle to get to work every morning As for diversity Bombay isnt what it used to be We now have ghettos marked by religion and food habits And so the only real thing that makes our city great is the people who inhabit it By that parameter we all have some of the most interesting neighbours in the countryThe next time you find yourself at a crowded railway station or in the backseat of a taxi waiting for a bus or in line at the BMC office I suggest you turn to the person beside you and say hello You may be given a lifechanging story for free And which true Bombayite would turn down a bargain like thatWhen he isnt ranting about all things Mumbai Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet He tweets lindsaypereira Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom