The Art of being seated at Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai or Marina Beach, Chennai or Thiruchendoor Murugan Koyil Beach.

The Art of being seated at Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai or Marina Beach, Chennai or Thiruchendoor Murugan Koyil Beach.

02.02.2019

Chowpatty Beach Mumbai.

6.49pm to 7.30pm.

Saturday. Sani Maha Pradosham.

Siddhar Yogam.

Manisha told me to bring both Tanishka and Apurv to Siddhi Vinayak Temple using 1.11pm Church Gate Local Shuttle Train from Vasai Road (BSR) to Prabhadevi Railway Station (PBHD).

Myself, Tanishka, Apurv all 3 bathed, dressed well, had food, started by 12pm from our house to BSR Vasai Road Railway Station by Autorickshaw. Rs.100/- Autorickshaw fare. Paid.

There is a small gully.

Small Ticket Office. 

On Platform 1 Vasai Road. BSR.

Took 3 tickets. Just Rs15*3 = Rs45/-.

NOT return tickets.

One way ticket only.

We waited for few minutes.

Seated on the cement slabs.

1.11pm Shuttle Train to Church Gate not much crowd. We got our window seats.

One elder man tried to offer chocolates to Tanishka and Apurv. I told them NOT to eat the chocolates all of a sudden. It may be a poison? It may be a sedative? Pillai Pidikkiravan, Child Theifs are also largely available all over India. Just don't eat any food items given by strangers given in Train or Bus or any mode of Travel. During Travel times we meet with strangers. They may be Good. They may be bad. We don't know. What is their intention? We don't know. Especially Girl Children should be double careful to eat any chocolates given by any man or woman on Train or Bus.

I think my advice didn't fully go well with the 2 kids. Tanishka and Apurv both kept the chocolates inside their pockets. Willing to eat them immediately or as soon as possible. 

To test my alarming Theory, I told them that I will eat the chocolate first, given by this nearby seated elderly man. 

I ate the chocolate.

It is Good.

No sedative.

No poison.

Now, I felt safe.

Now, I told Tanishka and Apurv to eat the chocolates.

I gave them Green Signal.

They understood my signal.

They started eating the chocolates.

To the elderly man, I explained my alarming Theory.

He also nodded in approval.

He said, yes, in Mumbai or Chennai , Big Metro Cities, we must be careful with strangers.

He said he didn't feel bad about the delay or doubt in eating the chocolates.

He said, yes, becareful.

After 60 minutes we 3 came out of Prabha Devi Railway Station.

We saw the big Elphinstone Bridge.

We just walked beneath the Elphinstone Bridge towards Siddhi Vinayak Temple Mumbai.

It's just 1.5kms walk.

I like and love walking.

The 2 kids are NOT very happy to walk. But still they walked because Mother Manisha called them to the Temple. 

Along the way we saw one Muslim Masjid on the Road.

(On Gokhale Road or Sayani Road).

Lots of Pigeons. People were feeding the Pigeons on the busy road.

Like in the Kamal Hassan Mani Ratnam famous movie Nayakan.

We crossed the Pigeons.

We reached the backside gate of the Siddhi Vinayak Temple Mumbai.

It's not much used.

Khed Galli it is called.

Lots of Security Personnel available.

I think they are all from Mumbai Police or Maharashtra Police or CISF. I don't remember their badges. But we could see line of uniformed personnel & barricades made of sand bags and grill iron walls till the backside end gate of the Siddhi Vinayak Temple Mumbai. They guided us properly on how to walk easily safely to the backside of the Siddhi Vinayak Temple Mumbai.

We 3 reached the backside of the Siddhi Vinayak Temple Mumbai by 2.40pm.

I called Manisha on phone.

She said she will reach the Temple in one hour.

Myself, Tanishka & Apurv started watching some Facebook or YouTube to pass the time till Mother Manisha arrived. 

But she reached by 4.06pm only.

She couldn't find us 3.

I told her exactly that we came through the backside gate.

We are present near the souvenir shops. 

I handed over my mobile phone Lenovo K6 Power to the souvenir shops owner. He explained in Marathi how to locate we 3 people inside the Siddhi Vinayak Temple Mumbai.

Oh My God! Manisha took another 1 hour to reach to us. Anyhow by 4.06pm we could find eachother and immediately we took photos near the souvenir shops.

Iconic Photo.

Most Memorable Photo.

We all 4 now stood in the queue.

To make Dharshan of Siddhi Vinayak Temple main deity, Lord Ganesha.

Around 2000 people crowd was there. It took 1 hour to see the Main Deity. Lord Ganesha. Siddhi Vinayak Temple Mumbai.

We all 4 fervently prayed.

Prayed for our Happy Future.

Manisha handed over the flowers, sweets she bought for the Main Deity.

We came out of the Siddhi Vinayak Temple Mumbai by 5pm.

Tanishka & Apurv wanted some food immediately.

We all 4 went to a Chole Bhature Shop nearby the Siddhi Vinayak Temple Mumbai front gate.

We all 4 ate Chole Bhature food.

Tasty.

Next we moved to Mahalakshmi Temple. By paid car. Taxi. 

It took just 30 minutes to reach Mahalaxmi Temple Mumbai.

Again Manisha bought Rs100/- worth of Flowers, Sweets for the Main Deity here, the Mumbai Maha Lakshmi. 

We left our chappals on safeguard near the shop where we purchased the flowers 🌺 🌹.

We had a wonderful, leisurely Darshan. We prayed calmly, peacefully to the Maha Lakshmi Amman here.

Manisha took me to the other side of the Maha Lakshmi Temple Mumbai.

The long steps that go down towards the Arabian Sea. Beach.

Someone shouted!

Don't do there!

Not allowed!

Going to Beach is NOT allowed now.

So we all climbed back the few steps.

Avoided the Beach Scene.

Came back & sat down at the cement seats available around the Praharam of the Mumbai Maha Lakshmi Temple.

Now Apurv was so sad.

That I am seated near to Manisha.

His face gone dull.

He insisted his mother always sits near him only. Not near me.

Now, I made some adjustments.

I just got up. 

Told Apurv to sit near his mother Manisha.

And I sat on the other side of Manisha.

This way we both can be near

Manisha.

Just few minutes.

We all 4 saw Reliance Company sponsored Plastic Bottle Recycling Machine. Just put the Plastic Water Bottles or any Empty Used Plastic Bottles. That will be recycled by Reliance Company to save the Ecology of Earth.

Such machines are NOT much used by India. It stays largely unused or under used. 

5.43pm Again we started towards Chowpatty Beach Mumbai.

It's just nearby the Mumbai Maha Lakshmi Temple.

I think we took a Bus now.

We reached Mumbai Chowpatty Beach by 6pm.

Now the Title of this small story takes some understanding.

Manisha told me to sit down near her in the Chowpatty Beach Mumbai.

But the moment I entered Chowpatty Beach Mumbai, my memories raced back to year 1989.

Final year at Arulmigu Palani Aandavar Poly Technic Palani. 

Mid Term Leave I came and stayed at Mulund East. Chidambaram Uncle. Thirumalai Gandhi Akka. Vijayalakshmi Akka house. Endeavour Buildings. 100 feet road. Mulund East. Mumbai.

40+ days I stayed with my Aunt. Uncle. Athai Ponnunga.

They took me to this Chowpatty Beach. Juhu Beach. Jahangir Art Gallery. Nehru Planetarium. Elephanta Caves. Taj Mahal Hotel. 

Etc.

2019 minus 1989....

30 years passed away...

So I couldn't be immediately seated besides of Manisha. 

I told her, please wait.

Let me take a Panoramic Photo Shoot of Chowpatty Beach Mumbai.

Panorama Photo Shot.

Manorama.

Malayalam Manorama.

Tamil Movie Manorama.

Pun intended here! 😁😃.

Moreover the Chowpatty Beach Mumbai sands were very black. Dirty. Not hygienic looking.

Some vendors sold organic mats to sit on. 2 mats Rs20. Just to sit on the Chowpatty Beach Mumbai you have to pay Rs20!. 

I took my Lenovo K6 Power mobile phone and recorded a Panoramic Photo Shot.

All this delay angered Manisha.

She dreamed of lot of Romance with me at the Chowpatty Beach Mumbai.

She dreamed of lot of talks. Silent talks. At the Chowpatty Beach Mumbai.

But here I am, NOT thinking of Manisha. NOT thinking of present time. Immersed in 1989.

Immersed in old stories.

Immersed in old memories.

So I took more than 10 minutes to obey the ORDER of Manisha, my wife, to be seated near her.

Any woman will get angry at such times. 

Any woman will curse the husband in such times. 

She dreamed of close knit talks.

Close knit hands.

Close knit fingers.

Chit. Chats.

Beach.

Waves.

Sea Waves.

Watching the Sea.

Watching the Waves.

Thinking and Talking.

Yes.

I am Romantic too.

I too wanted to talk a lot.

With Manisha.

But somehow, that time.

6pm to 6.53pm.

Chowpatty Beach Mumbai.

I couldn't talk more.

I couldn't talk much.

I couldn't be immediately seated near her.

I couldn't obey her immediately.

Manisha took a revenge immediately.

At the Church Gate Railway Station, she purchased some eatables, snacks, chips for the 2 kids. Tanishka and Apurv.

And when she saw a FAST Train to Vasai Virar they all 3 immediately boarded the women's coach.

Stranded me alone at Church Gate Railway Station Mumbai.

I got panicked.

I am NOT well versed in Mumbai.

I don't know Mumbai deeply.

I don't know HOW TO handle the Mumbai Metro Train Crowd.

The moment I saw Manisha, Tanishka, Apurv boarding the woman's coach!

I shouted at them I can't board this!

How to come to home?

They didn't reply at all.

They just took revenge.

They boarded the women's coach & the Train started moving FAST.

I don't know what to do.

Just i grabbed the next coach.

Luckily GOD gave me a seat!

Yes. There is a seat for me.

Church Gate to Vasai West BSR.

Oh My God!

Super Thanks 🙏 👍!

What was designed as a Punishment by Manisha, turned to be a blessing for me.

I rehearsed a lot of talks between me and Manisha after reaching Vasai Road Railway Station.

I rehearsed a lot of HOT ANGRY WORDS between me and Manisha on that fateful day evening 7 to 8pm.

Luckily the house KEY is with me.

They were all 3 waiting for me on the road from Vasai Road BSR to Vasai West house.

Manisha expected me to blow over.

Fused.

Flaired.

Nothing of that sort.

We all 4 met each other on the road. We discussed the wrong events which went by. 

Calmly.

Without much anger.

Cleverly.

When I told I got a seat.

To sit down the 90 minutes Train Journey from Church Gate to Vasai Road Manisha got astonished! 

She said, Truly you are God Blessed.

She said, she took half day leave.

She took Risk.

She took immense pain to reach Siddhi Vinayak Temple, Maha Lakshmi Temple, Chowpatty Beach.

She took immense interest to show me all these places.

But K Pasupathi simply wasted precious time. Golden Opportunity. To sit nearby wife Manisha.

And discuss all the Romantic Things she was hoping for. 

Anyhow, that day and night went without much Ado. We settled eachother for the fact that everytime everyone can't match the same mindscape, same vibrations, same vibes, same mental and physical energy. We both understood each other more in Chowpatty Beach Mumbai.

Thiruchendoor Murugan Koyil Beach.

Chennai Marina Beach.

Vasai Creek Beach.

Virar Beach. (Went by Autorickshaw, just 1 hour from Vasai West to Virar Beach. Not much crowd, took lot of photos, met some promiscuous couples).

The above small story can explain a lot about Work. Office. Half Day Leave from Office. Expectations. Realities. Anger Management. God providing seat to a Tamil Man in usually crowded, heavily jam packed peak hour Metro Rail Journey from Church Gate to Vasai Road BSR. Thank God! Om Namah Shivaya 🙏.

Pasupathi Kumarappan.
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