Lindsay Pereira: What Atithi Devo Bhava?

At the Mumbai Airport around six immigration officers usually stamp the passports of approximately 10000 people resulting in long queues Representation picAFPWhat is it about Mumbai that makes you miss it as much as you do Friends of mine in farflung corners of the globe often ask me this usually around a week after I visit them when my face takes on a hangdog expression and I find no comfort in Italian restaurants and empty citizen parks How can you miss it they ask these former residents of my city who now find it difficult to commute from the airport to their former homes on increasingly rare visits to what was once their homelandI used to have no problem answering that question I would remind them of what had they left behind mdash mangoes in May the Bombay monsoon sweeping everything on its path vada pav stalls at railway stations after midnight the easy camaraderie on crowded trains relentless bargaining at local markets the unequalled pleasure of seedy bars I find it hard to keep up the enthusiasm these days though especially when reminders for my return flights from these places start to pop up on my phoneTo enter Mumbai these days is to enter a rude place populated by rude immigration officers and crude policemen They are a visitors first glimpse of what is supposed to be a new and exciting country that promises everyone an incredible experience mdash a place where the guest is supposedly worshipped like a GodHeres what I found out a couple of weeks ago as I flew in after a trip outside the country Everyone ignores announcements on the airplane People who religiously paid heed to every word uttered by the cabin crew before we left a foreign shore suddenly decided to accept en masse that the same cabin crew had ceased to exist Repeated requests to remain seated while the seatbelt sign is on were laughed off Phones were switched on rapidly and calls made to relatives and friends to discuss the quality of the flight Overhead compartments were sprung open even as the airplane headed towards the parking bayAt the immigration counter we were all introduced to life in a populous nation as six immigration officers decided to stamp the passports of approximately 10000 people There were no smiles of welcome naturally because we are warm and hospitable people only when cameras are thrust into our faces There were guests from other countries in line too none of whom had been informed that they were like Gods in our country These foreign Gods were rudely pushed aside as part of the game called Lets Get Our Baggage First Trolleys were claimed instantly fellow passengers thrust aside as everyone scanned the baggage carousel with the kind of attentiveness sorely lacking in most of our security agenciesThe policemen supposedly on the lookout for unwanted immigrants trying to enter the country were nowhere to be seen A few stood by near the customs desk orderingpassengers to scan their bags at random while customs officers watched eveshyryone like hawks The rules governing what could and couldnt be carried into the country were probably written 200 years ago but I didnt have the heart to get into a conversation with the officers standing around When I finally exited the airport a little over an hour after my flight landed I realised that getting out was more exhausting than the sixhour plane journeyOn a visit to a South East Asian country a while ago I was asked to pay a deposit over and above my room fees at the checkin desk I pointed out that my room was paid for but I was politely informed that the deposit was only for guests from incredible India because a significant number of my countrymen were in the habit of departing with hotel linen cushions and curtains in their luggage The deposit apparently was to cover the cost of those items in the event of my taking a fancy to hotel property tooI have realised that I dont really miss Mumbai as much as I used to earlier especially when I find myself in farflung places around the globe I feel as if something in my city has died but I cant quite put my finger on it At the risk of letting nostalgia colour my memories I feel as if we are not as nice as we used to be We are noisier rude brash and arrogant We laugh off rules and make our way through life safe in the knowledge that the law will never catch up The loss is ours aloneWhen he isnt ranting about all things Mumbai Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet He tweets lindsaypereira Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom