Couples from all economic strata have their own means of enjoyment that forms an integral part of the Maximum city’s culture
By Venkatesh Raghavan
Mumbai has always been famed for being a safe haven for courting couples and lovers in arms cozying themselves in public places like parks or sea fronts besides cushioned discotheques and pubs. The city culture of permitting romance and letting love birds have their fun moments has been rudely disrupted by the lock down caused by the Covid 19 pandemic.
To set the record straight, it’s not only the rich or sophisticated lot, but couples from all economic strata who have their own means of enjoyment that forms an integral part of the Maximum city’s culture. For example, even in the slum areas, there are a galore of lovers and are permitted freedom to pursue their courtship.
Despite the right wing politicians trying to throw a spanner into this liberal culture, it has continued to persist because of its relatively impersonal and glamour-crazy mix of communities.
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When talking about strata, it should also be pointed out that it cuts across religious barriers. Be they Catholics, Hindus or Muslim couples, they all get to enjoy privacy in open air with passersby un-intrusively walking past. This was the culture that the city enjoyed and supported in addition to being a hotspot for night joints. All that has been rudely and abruptly interrupted with the short notice lockdown slapped on the evening of March 24 this year.
A cross-section of love birds from the lower strata when questioned about how they cope in the absence of any scope for romance, Vijay, a 24-year-old errand boy said, “We live in small apartments and visiting each other’s house is not feasible and also causes raised eyebrows. I used to keep meeting Sonali regularly in a nearby park area. The police vans that keep roaming to monitor the social distancing norms has made our fate look very cruel. No idea, when we will be back to our good old days. I do see her at a pre-arranged meeting arranged under the shelter of our local bus stop. However, we are not yet permitted to cozy up.”
As we go up the strata, without having to touch the upper cream who anyway can easily devise their own means, the college going crowd and the middle-class working lot too are facing the throes of being denied romance.
It’s time to take a look at a purely sociological problem faced by the younger lot or youth of Mumbai ever since the lock down commenced in late March this year. This is about courting couples and young lovers who enjoy romantic outings in the sunset years of their academic life. There was no clue as to how this category of youth managed their love lives without support from the ancillary businesses that played the role of convenient hangouts till a few of them were personally interviewed on this count.
“It was a few years ago since we first met and began dating. Our parents do have an idea that we both are going around. Though there is no resistance or hostility from our elders on both sides, we are faced with a tough demanding situation without the means to unwind and chill out. The usual coffee houses, Café Coffee Day hangouts, medium-level costing restaurants and in some instances, clubs like Catholic Gymkhana which we could avail as guests were all shut down. Being around with each other like taking a walk around Bandra Bandstand or sitting together on a bench facing the seas were also nipped in the bud as social distancing came in the way of our enjoying intimacy. With such daunting odds, we were hard pressed to think of something new,” enthused Kanika hailing from the western suburbs of Mumbai.
Her boy-friend Ravi chipped in saying, “The situation was still worse as even the college campus was shut, denying us a common roof to hang out under. Only in late August as the civic body threw open the parks, we got some relief. Chatting for long hours without any snack or even coffee to gulp down is an unattractive option. The state government did allow restaurants and tea stalls to open. However, none of these outlets allowed customers to be seated inside and place orders. They all restricted themselves to providing parcel orders. This put us in a dilemma as both Kanika and I are gourmet enthusiasts who relish savouring diverse cuisines.”
“Besides, we did not even have the choice of boarding a local train to visit town-side and making ourselves comfortable in a multiplex or movie hall as all the entertainment houses were kept shut down. It continues to be a very frustrating experience for us. Even our weekly visits to ice-cream parlours for Baskin Robins and other brands stood curtailed. The end result, we both stay in our respective homes and have long telephone conversations that at times get interrupted because of requirements from our surrounding family members,” disclosed Kanika.
Another couple whose odds were more daunting due to objection from family members also had a story to tell. Sharlet, hailing from a Catholic family, was dating an upper caste Hindu Uday (names changed to protect their identity). They are a working couple who happened to strike a relationship during their regular train journey from Dadar to Vile Parle in the men’s first-class compartment. “We both are now working from home. There is little opportunity to be under the same roof. However, we keep texting on WhatsApp to arrange our meeting at a convenient place. Otherwise, long chats or conversations over the mobile also pose a problem as we want to keep our conversations out of hearing-range of our family members. I first communicate using a WhatsApp message from outside my building compound. Uday then reaches his building terrace. We then carry on with an uninterrupted conversation.”
Uday jokingly observed, “Near a decade back we were used to smoking inside restaurants and chilling out. Then came stringent no-smoking laws that prohibited us from enjoying a drag in a comfortably seated manner. However, this is much more irksome than the discomfort smokers faced because of the government ban. We are denied opportunity to enjoy our intimacy. No idea, when things will change for the better.”
