Mumbai diary I: Live dosa, taxi ride & dog bark

I am in Mumbai on official work, will return on June 14. Reached here yesterday and the work begins this afternoon. The last time I was here was more than 10 years back. Yesterday’s diary:

31/5
0830: In the Vayu Vajra bus on way to Bangalore airport. Taking 1115 Kingfisher flight to Mumbai. Quite impressed by the promptness of this dedicated BMTC bus service to the airport that is 40 km from my house. The detailed schedule of the bus service is on the BMTC website. The call centre provides you with contact numbers of the bus terminus from where the bus departs. You are also provided the mobile number of the bus conductor.

While I was waiting for the bus, three cab drivers asked me if I needed a pick up. One desperate guy even offered the bus rate. One reason why I refused to take the cab was I thought I must do my little bit to make the bus service a success.

1000: At the waiting lounge after checking in. Struck by a strange board hanging at a cafeteria: ”Live Dosa counter”. Right under it was a guy making dosa. Reminded of roadside eateries (called in Malayalam ‘thattukada’) but this one a posh version. (Check back later for photo.)

1200: I switch on the inflight TV and see breaking news on Zee News: Major tragedy averted in Mumbai airport as two aircraft preparing for takeoff simultaneously come close to collision.

1240: Intense pain above my right eyebrow as the flight descends. Impact of pressure difference on my sinus problem? It has happened once before. Now I must seek medical advice.

1315: Pain gone. In a taxi on way to the guesthouse on Worli Hill Road. Had to bargain with 3 cab drivers. This guy asked for Rs 350, but wanted Rs 150 extra since he said I was being picked up from inside airport premises. This looked far reasonable compared to the most outrageous rate of Rs 900 demanded by the first driver I spoke to.

After I got into the cab, the driver suggested I pay the money and that he would give me a receipt. I was surprised why he wanted the money before he had taken me to the destination. He parked the taxi by the roadside, wrote out the receipt and gave me, implying I must hand him the money. Since the guy had already started, and since I would have had to pay him anyway, I gave him the money.

More surprise was in store. A little after he got on the main road, he stopped by the roadside ahead of another taxi. The driver told me I would have to shift to the other taxi. I was wondering what the hell was happening.

The explanation was that only he had the licence to pick passengers from inside the airport premises and it’s the other taxi that will ferry me to the destination. Before I could ask him why he didn’t tell me before, the driver got out, walked to the other taxi, spoke something to that driver and handed over the cash, probably after keeping some for himself.

Now it dawned on me that this was a major taxi racket, where hapless passengers were being fleeced. The driver took my baggage shifted it to the new cab, and told the driver not to take any more money. And told me also not to give any more money! I just hoped I wouldn’t be shifted to yet another taxi, and that I would be taken to my guesthouse and not to ”an unknown destination”. Journalists can be haunted by news stories they handle.

1400: I reach the guesthouse after going around in circles for some time.

1800: At the seaside in Worli.

2015: At Gateway of India. Place overflowing with Sunday crowd. Oberoi Trident and Taj brought back memories of TV images. Can’t believe this spot was the scene of war, six months back.

2200: Back at the guest house. At the gate my two colleagues and I were greeted by the barks of a dog that was struggling to break free from the control of the gatekeeper. While we were waiting for the lift suddenly the dog came barking towards us. He almost bit my colleague even while the gatekeeper came rushing in and tried to pin the dog down. The dog came very close to me but was chased away and then was caught by the gatekeeper. A brief moment of panic.