The Amazing Race is a long-running American reality TV show that involves teams travelling around the world to solve all kinds of physical and mental challenges. They must interact with locals to figure out tricky puzzles, and there usually are a lot of dead ends involved. I’m pretty sure the show has stopped by Bombay a few times over the course of its many seasons but am always annoyed that we don’t have our own homegrown version set permanently in the city as a tourist attraction of sorts. Our everyday commute is an amazing race if we only stop to think about it.

I was born and raised in this city, but still feel like a participant in that game show whenever I try and get to some exotic new spot on the map like Upper Worli or New Cuffe Parade. These names appear and disappear like the tide, or at the whim of local builders and politicians. I’m told there are enigmatic and exciting stops on the latest extension of the Metro line too, like Lower Malad and Lower Oshiwara, which must be amazing for travellers. Imagine trying to get to a place you think you know and being dropped somewhere completely unknown and inevitably mysterious every time. Imagine the delight on those faces.