Behram Contractor

Got 4 books of the "Round and About" collections by Behram Contractor a.k.a. Busybee, from the Strand Book Festival. Was hooked to the columns the moment I started reading them. The man truly loves (oops! loved!!) Bombay.

Every column of his is extremely simple, yet it easily conveys to the reader the complexity of this great megapolis. Busybee lovingly describes the sumptuous lunches he's had at the various restaurants that dot the city, the places where he's had a haircut for a rupee, the BEST buses he's travelled in, the cricket fever that gripped the city whenever Gavaskar and later, Tendulkar came in to bat in a Test. Mind you, these are not at all posh places. They are simple joints which you and me might well have visited as kids. In fact, I still visit some of the places he mentions, near my office (RBI HQ) in Fort.

Every page of his collections invokes mixed feelings in me. On one hand, there is pride that this city, however it may progress, shall never ever lose its spirit and charm. On the other hand, there is disappointment that I never read Busybee's columns when he actually wrote them. It would have been nice to live Bombay through his eyes. Hmm....maybe, it was meant to be this way. I guess I can now see a more modern aspect of Bombay. An aspect, I am sure, Busybee would have been proud to witness.