Internal Collaborations- Make the most of you

“Great cities attract ambitious people. You can sense it when you walk around one. In a hundred subtle ways, the city sends you a message: you could do more; you should try harder. The surprising thing is how different these messages can be. New York tells you, above all: you should make more money. There are other messages too, of course. You should be hipper. You should be better looking. But the clearest message is that you should be richer. ... When you ask what message a city sends, you sometimes get surprising answers" – Paul Graham

If Mumbai was just about traffic, I would have left it a long time ago. If was it was just about sky-rises and high rents, I would have simply passed it by. But it isn’t. It’s a one-way pass to getting exactly where you want to be. If you’re a struggling writer, a failed screenplay, a money laundering real estate agent or even an geeky MBA graduate, Mumbai gives you just that much leeway for you to grow and maybe leave a trail of success.

One in two people are successful in Mumbai depending on what success means to each one of you. And maybe that’s its credo. Getting you where you want to eventually be, giving you endless perks and amazing futures, and making you more than just a passing 15 minutes of fame. A good friend once told me that Mumbai is one city where you get what you deserve, when you work hard. And when it comes to money, the kind of jumps it gives you is immeasurable with any other city. Though I cannot really vouch for the money bit as I have not gotten there yet. But yes, opportunities are many. And so is the famous feeling , “Impossible is Nothing”. You can be anything you want to be in this city. The power that comes from that feeling is just too super human to be ignored. And the fact that you can be anything you choose to be. A sportsperson with the garb of an actress or an MBA graduate with a degree in bartending. Just like a sports shoe with a purple shiny exterior and a heel to kick it off. Oh, the glories of unlimited potential.

My very first encounter with the city happened in 2004. Till now that was the boldest step I took. My friend, Shreya and me thought Mumbai is a big place and on a whim, came here. Our folks were flabbergasted, and warned us about the big bad dirty world out there waiting to grab us and punch us in the gut if ever make it there. But providence played it into our hands, and we started out as interns in prestigious organizations, only to realize that every working environment is not complete without the usual assholes. That aside, we ate pani puri on the roads, stayed in a strict catholic hostel in bandra and made friends with really cool people. But then while my peasent genes begged me to return to south india and not live in queues my entire life, Shreya made it really big there. She was a hot shot producer of a television channel and she ruled the roost for a while.

Circa 2008 I’m here with a husband and a kickass job in tow. And the only thing that keeps me going is the feeling that one day, I’ll be successful. My definition of successful is to gather as much work experience with my magazine and set sail to live in a hill station with two dogs for company and a husband to warm up to in the wee hours of the night and just write. Keep writing. So for me, Mumbai is an aside, a path to my true success and a middleman who can bring my potential to the very best. Amen.

Today’s fare: Sergio Rossi teams up with Puma on a capsule footwear collection.Puma's legendary 'Clyde' sneaker has a modern twist. Who would have thought sneaker-heels are the big thing now.