After spending quite some time at Mumbai recently, I had several thoughts which I wanted to pen down. During my visits to the city of dreams I met and talked with as many people from different walks of life on what they think of Bombay as it was earlier known as.
I talked about so called Mumbai Dreams with the girl sitting next to me on my flight to Mumbai, my chauffeur, my colleagues, clients, cook, vada pao seller, haji ali juice shop waiter, couple of folks at some fancy restaurants of the city and people at posh five star hotel lounges. I also talked with some social activists, a small time politician, a really brilliant boy who lives in the slum besides my building, and owner of a counterfeit designer goods shop.
It was not my curiosity to learn about the city or its culture, rather the urge to know why this city despite all its pain points, over used civil infrastructure, horrible traffic, occasional floods, and pollution still attracts hundreds of thousand of people from every corner of the country.
My impression about Mumbai when I visited for the very first time was – there goes all the hype. However, soon I went to South Mumbai and sat besides the sea, it changed to wow. Soon again when with my friends, just for the heck of it, I visited Dharavi (claimed to be the biggest slum area of the world) and my impression changed to – Oh My God!
Definitely a city of extremes!
And I concluded, much like India, it is not possible to have one specific view about the city. No wonder they say “if you’ve to experience India and you don’t have time to visit everywhere. Visit Mumbai!”
Mumbai – The city that once was!
What I absolutely loved about the city was its heritage which is depicted in form of buildings, and temples and mosques, which ironically is nearing a slow death. South Mumabi has some of the best buildings one can find. Chatrapati Shivjai Terminus, Blackie House, Maharastra Police Head Quarters, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, and almost every second building you’ll find on both sides of the road if you walk from the Regal Theater to CST.
They are marvels. Amazing creations. I can stare at the architecture for hours.
Unfortunately, I saw absolute disregard for these properties. The once beautiful stone, that carved these buildings is now black and rustic. No one cares.
I was standing in front of this old building which read “SUN LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY OF CANADA” with beautiful blue glass window and could only imagine how beautiful and majestic it must have looked in its prime. And I was saddened 
Mumbai – The city of common men
While I was at Mumbai, I witnessed how party workers of a very prominent political party of Maharastra “Shiv Sena” showed an act of aggression (it was not the first time someone did this) and confidently broke privtate properties at Hotel Intercontinental. A big punch on the face of law and order and nothing was done about it even after a week. Hello, some called Police? Are you listening?
I saw how people travel miles and miles hanging in the local train, sweating in someone else’s smell and odor. I cursed the city traffic after being caught in it almost every time I traveled from one part of Mumbai to another. To worsen it, the VIPs of the city get a special treatment and long queues of car wait while they are given a clear road to travel. Do they deserve it? Ofcourse not!
Mumbai definitely is not an easy city for every Tom, Dick, and Harry. You don’t live you survive in the city if you are barely meeting your ends meet.
Mumbai – The glamor, and the high risers
Without a doubt Mumbai has some of the best buildings in the country, the best of businesses, the best of posh hotels, restaurants, rich and famous people and ofcourse bollywood star. Like the next line of my post title would say “Ee hai Sone Chandi ki Nagariya tu dekh babaua.”
People start staying in buildings even when parts of it are under construction, offices are occupied even earlier. No one cares of personal security, but this is something that you’ll experience in every metro of India, it is just that at Mumbai it becomes very obvious.
No one is complaining because when you are trying to achieve everything in one life and do things quickly an ‘under construction’ building doesn’t bother anyone. Everyone wants to get a piece of pie.
My views as a non Mumbaikar
The city rocks, the spirit that media talks about is still somewhat alive. But, No one cares – True. What holds even more crystal is that at the end of the day everyone knows how to move on. City is back to normal life after 26/11 attacks.
That said, nothing has changed but a few places where security has been beefed up. No one is complaining.
Right from dabbawaala’s to a white collar worker, all are working their ass off to pay the rent, eat decent food, and sometime later in life maybe buy a car, a house, or go on an international holiday. The ambition to win is evident.
The slums are a classic example of undying passion, ambition to buy an apartment in the 20 floor building next door. The tightly knit and united folks of dhobi ghats, and slums of Mumbai are a classic example of how they rule the place no matter it is a slum but they rule it. Cops cannot enter the place, occasional visitors like me are questioned and they ask for money, I am glad I was not mobbed.
Personally, I am impressed how people survive, and sustain their modest and sometimes high ambitions for a long time. Kudos to the Mumbaikars.
The city infrastructure sucks and so does civil governance. It deserves a 10X faster process to improve both. One thing which I hated about the Mumbai folks was how they litter. They themselves don’t care about Mumbai being clean. That explains why government doesn’t care. This has to change soon if Mumbai has to continue to lead India as it’s super city. But again, in the mad race to earn your bread and butter is there really a time when Mumbaikars can think about being a responsible citizen. There is just too much going on too quickly.
My call of action for a great Mumbai is simple 5 points:
1. Restore/ Re-Build heritage buildings and improve civil infrastructure
2. Government should become more accountable and hold people responsible for spreading communal violence and bring them to justice, no matter he is a film star or slum mafia.
3. Social responsibility will come with education, however, government should initiate and start working with 100s of city NGOs to inculcate a sense of these responsibilities.
4. Clean the beaches, make them better, they are the high light of the city.
5. Each educated Mumbaikar should do something small about the city.
I know that their may be flaws in what I propose. It may not be the best way to go forward. However, I recently understood why Mumbai is the city of dreams, why people flock there, why it rocks, and also why it may not be a viable city to live in.
Though, I am not willing to relocate or live their anytime soon, for one I can’t afford the same luxurious life at Mumbai as I do at Hyderabad, and for second, I am happily settled at Hyderabad. I know that deep down inside me I hear Mumbai calling. I am absolutely smitten by what the city has to offer but I am not willing to live their and travel in local trains for my soft cushion loving ass doesn’t like that.
For now, Mumbai definitely helped me rekindle that fire under my ass to go out get what I want, no matter what it takes.
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