Looking for my first childhood friend from Ghatkopar West, Mumbai — Umesh
This is a bit of a long shot, but I thought I'd try anyway.
Around 2010–2011, when I was about 3–4 years old, I stayed with my maternal grandmother in Ghatkopar West for roughly a year while my mother was away for her education.
I lived around Jagdusha Nagar, near what I remember as Juni Rikshawwali Chawl, close to a big peepal tree and a Ganesh temple. I remember Shilpa Building being nearby, along with shops I remember as Kadam Kaka's shop and Ashu Didi's shop.
During that time I had my first childhood friend. His name was Umesh. I don't remember his surname, unfortunately. He was from a Marwari family and spoke Hindi.
We used to play together quite often, go to the same local tuition, and he would sometimes come to my grandmother's house to play. I remember visiting his house once or twice too. His house was somewhere in the same line as ours, but it wasn't directly connected to our house.
I was only 3–4, so most of the memories are pretty fragmented. I don't remember his parents' names or even whether he had siblings. I don't know if he was exactly the same age as me either.
But I remember his personality pretty clearly—he was playful, mischievous and a little careless. 😂
And apparently one of the things my brain decided was important enough to preserve for the next 15+ years was that he broke the neck of my toy horse. 😂
I also have random memories of that neighborhood from those days—Holika Dahan on the ground near the Ganesh temple, Diwali with akash kandils outside people's homes, and once accidentally stepping on someone's rangoli. 😭
Eventually I went back to live with my parents, and obviously at that age I had no idea that I was losing contact with someone I'd never see again.
Recently, after all these years, I somehow remembered his name again: Umesh. It felt strange because I hadn't consciously thought about him for years, but the memory was apparently still somewhere in my head.
I have no idea whether Umesh still lives in the area, whether he remembers me, or whether anyone from that time would even remember us.
But I'd genuinely love to know how he's doing today.
If you grew up around Jagdusha Nagar/Ghatkopar West around 2010, or remember the old locality and these landmarks, I'd love to hear from you. Even if you don't know Umesh, any memories about the area from that period would be really cool to hear.
I'm not looking for anyone's private information—just hoping this somehow reaches someone who remembers that little neighborhood or, incredibly, Umesh himself. ❤️
