Saving the world...

I never got to write much about Bombay – mainly because it was a very happening visit, I hardly had the time (admitted, indeed a luxury problem). But a lot of things did happen – also things that are worth (and suitable) for writing about …

In my 10 years of travelling in India, this was my first visit to Bombay – Delhi has always been my city, so I didn’t want to go till I had friends to show me around. For the same reason, I still haven’t been to Calcutta and Chennai (aka Madras) either. Four days in Bombay made it pretty clear, though, that it wasn’t my last stay there. I love the ambience, the coast line, the colors, the combination of old colonial style and Indian every day modern chaos and hecticness. I love that you can stroll around the streets (very unusual for an Indian city) and of course the fact that you can get into a taxi, tell your destination and then getting driven there directly and pay the meter price (no bargaining no nothing)…

My good friend AD had taken it upon him, to make sure Laila and I had a great time in Bombay. He gave me an epic tour in the night life, excellent ideas for sights to see, places to eat and shop. And he coordinated with my other Bombay friends, so I also got to see them. I was absolutely right – it made so much sense to wait visiting Bombay till I had friends there. It’s hard to believe anybody could have got a better introduction to the city than I did.

AD had also arranged that we went to P.K’s birthday (another of my rafting friends). He had invited for a Sunday afternoon party – by the way totally my kind of parties. You arrive around noon and have a full-blown party, including drinks (lots of them), dancing, great food, more drinks, small talk, and whatever else you need – all in full daylight. Around six, the party’s over so everybody can get back home, relax, sober up etc and then be ready for work next morning. I love parties. I love this concept!!

At the party, I got to talk to one of the guests, a designer. He asked me what I was doing and I told him the story about how I had quit my job and gone travelling and getting to know the world. I’ve told this story several times before and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. He then asked me, what I’d been doing before and continued (when he was told about my clerky past): “Are you brainy?” – “Yes” (you get more interesting conversations by making clearcut statements).  “I mean really really brainy?” Again: ”yes”. ”Mensa-brainy?” ”Well I’d never want to become a member, but it’s about that level…” And then the highly surprising response: “If you are that brainy, how come you aren’t busy saving the world? The world needs people with your intelligence to start saving it” Perhaps he was right. But where do you start if you want to save the world?