Mumbai - City Of Yogis

Mumbai: The City of Yogis By Uday Raje The post-terrorist attack-Mumbai resembles to a teeming hive of persons brimming with stoicism. Time and again the denizens have displayed their tenor by swinging to their duties without making any fuss. They are no less than the yogis who might have transcended the ephemeral matrix. It dawned upon me during my recent visit to the metropolitan. If the Life of a Yogi is very disciplined life of average Mumbaikar is also disciplined. If Yogi gets up early in the morning for his Sadhana and so does the Mumbaikar. Only difference is the kind of Sadhana they perform. A Yogi does his Aasanas and meditation and the Mumbaikar does his domestic duties. Stores potable water, takes bath, washes clothes till the water supply lasts, gets his kids ready for school, cooks food, girds up his loins for the hard work of the day, etc. Both perform their Sadhana with equal energy and concentration. Both do not like anybody disturbing their routine and both are equally happy to do it. Don’t you find it amazing that both are doing it for different goals and doing it with equal zeal and regularity ? Of course ! the Mumbaikar lifts his share of Aasanas and Meditation during the later half of his morning while traveling to his work in either bus or local train. I have seen almost all Mumbaikars (barring exceptions) doing their share of very difficult Aasanas in the bus or train. Not only they do the Aasanas, but they meditate in that posture. Only Hath yogis do it who are considered to be at higher level of Yogic ladder. In this respect the Mumbaikars are on higher level of Yog. Like Yogis Mumbaikars are patient. Every Mumbaikar is a Patience personified. If the work is not done in time, the local is late, the bus is late, the client is late in placing orders or making payments, the kid is not performing well in schools – he displays great patience, tolerates misbehaving neighbours. Assimilates all….British, Portuguese, Dutch, Parsis, Gujrathis, Marwadies, Christians, Muslims and probably every type of person from all corners of India and from the world, and tried there own things in Mumbai, - Mumbaikar welcomed them all and finally all became Mumbaikars. What more do you expect to qualify to be called as patient and tolerant? Like yogis Mumbaikars while doing anything put their 100% efforts in that. Now here too Mumbaikar may overtake the Yogi. Mumbaikar has very less time for anything he or she does. If you have less time then naturally you want to finish the work nicely without landing into any kind of problem. Because they know they are not going to get another chance. What is the best way to do it ? Put your 100% efforts and then the possibility of you landing in trouble are lessened. Mumbaikar understands this thoroughly. He always puts up his 100% efforts in doing anything. And again for the next half, he is as indifferent as the Yogi. Whether the desired results were achieved or not he is happy that he has given his all the efforts and then rest is left to god. Definitely the quality of a YOGI. Take any event which has demanded public participation, and you will find that

Mumbaikar has responded with all the resources he has and with enthusiasm. This is unlike any other city in India or in the world that I know of. Right from the Mumbai blasts, riots, flooding, train blasts, anything you can think of, Mumbaikar is always on the toes to help others and to come back to the normal in shortest possible time in the world. This must be a world record of sorts that a city comes back to the normal so fast after any event and that too of any magnitude. The response of the Mumbaikar for anything is also very amazing. Take the example of any exhibition, YOG courses, Meditation courses, their love for books, their hunger for knowledge is mind boggling. I often think how or what makes the person like this and I have found no answer as yet. It is perhaps in the air in the Mumbai. If you breath there, it comes to you. Because when you are there you just behave like that and when you come back to your city the quality is lost somewhere in the journey back. I salute the spirit of Mumbai and Mumbaikars. While writing this article, I heard about the terrorist attack on Mumbai hotels. I could see that the Mumbaikar is behaving exactly like a YOGI. You must have seen on TV and may be on several occasions, Mumbaikar was shocked, fine. But immediately he swung into the action. The people started helping those who were rescued by the security forces by all the means they had at their disposal. See, the Vairagya and compassion at heart of the Mumbai people. Even today the help by physical, mental and economic means is on and this really touches the heart of us outside Mumbai. The pinnacle of the event was that as soon as the operation of security forces was over the management of the hotels (obviously the Mumbaikars) swung into the action and started repairs work of the damaged property and they are back to business. This tells us the unique quality of the people there who really live in the present moment. They take the past into their stride but never go in the past. They are always in the present moment. This is precisely what is told by Maharshi Patanjali in his Yog sutra. That the present moment is important. Dead Yesterday and unborn tomorrow, why not be in the present moment and your life will be beautiful. Mumbaikar understands this. Even when I was staying in Mumbai I have seen that on Sundays or holidays because of any reason, like strike, rain, or any other reason when Mumbai is not working, Mumbaikar enjoys his life to the fullest. Just like the moment he is enjoying is the only moment which is his. None other. This is wonderful and I think whole world can learn from this. All through the crises, the happy moments like winning of India in a cricket match, or any such moment of enjoyment is enjoyed by Mumbaikar like none other and this is something I respect. This is amazing to know that all these people know YOG so thoroughly without teaching by anyone. Today all the Gurus educating people are telling the same to all the people. And here in Mumbai, they know it all. Perhaps that’s why Mumbai is loved by all the people in the world. One who comes to Mumbai and stays there for some time can realize this very easily.