Mumbai - The City of Dreams and People

Mumbai Rocks! Mumbai Sizzles!

Chhatrapati_Shivaji_Terminus_Mumbai_or_CST-Mumbai

Mumbai roads are bustling with activity all the time. Even during night, one may find people on the road having a rollicking time. Bomb blasts, floods, communal riots - nothing can ever deter Mumbai's spirit. It is the city of dreams where thousands come in a day from different cities, states and villages to become something in life, to be successful. They have dreams in their eyes and hope in their hearts. Some are very ambitious and come here to make it big in the filmdom. They get so addicted to the fast pace life of Mumbai that they drop their plans to go back to their hometown. They might not get a job initially but the city makes them tough. They might even sleep on the roads for days for they have the faith that they can survive here or say an uncanny attachment to the city.    Mumbai is also known as the tinsel town of India. The city has a glamorous side to it. The who's who of the film industry and industrialists can be spotted at late night parties and become Page 3 celebrities. These same people are in the news for the wrong reasons as well.

However, the real heroes are the so called middle class of Mumbai. They travel by the crowded train and go to work. They juggle a lot of things in a day. Even if they are tired at the end of the day, it is the enthusiasm and energy in them that keeps their life kicking. The trains are the lifeline of Mumbai. They carry millions of people to work and back home. If the trains are disrupted even for an hour, the city comes to a halt.
If you are not travelling by train then you would be missing out on a whole lot of filmy hot gossips, daily soaps, the latest trends in dresses and accessories, office politics and so on. The city respects people for their hard work and sincerity irrespective of class, caste or status. Have you ever heard of dabbawalas giving speech to management students? It happens only in Mumbai. They give lectures on time management, as they are famous for delivering lunch boxes at the right time at different places and are never late. Their time management kissas are so famous that they were even invited for Prince Charles wedding.
  When you meet a Mumbaikar, you will not be able to make out where he or she is from. It is a cosmopolitan city. A Mumbaite is a mix of everything as they imbibe the culture and traditions of everyone. One can learn all the languages right from Tamil, Malayalam to Urdu, Bhojpuri, Nepali, Bengali and even know their culture and traditions.
The financial city of India is divided into two parts- South Mumbai and the suburbs. In South Mumbai only the rich and famous live while working class people dominate the suburbs. The difference is due to exorbitant real estate prices. Then there is the third area where people live in small and dilapidated huts near railway tracks, in large grounds and near building sites - the slum area.

The largest slum area in the world exists in Mumbai - Dharavi. There is no proper sanitation, not enough supply of drinking water, and the surrounding area is very unhygienic. Still people lead their life there with a smile on their face.

dharavi slum economy

Industry of dharavi

Slums in dharavi

Salting Animals skin

The governments dream to transform the city into Shanghai might be very difficult but it is not impossible. It might take a decade for the city to change, as it has to wipe off poverty and provide accommodation to thousands of people who enter the city everyday. For this, the citizens of Mumbai should lend a helping hand and provide support to slowly eradicate poverty and keep the city clean

When interviewed some of the people who came from the north east of India as students, from places like Shillong, Nagaland, and Assam etc. They said that they really liked Mumbai. After staying in Mumbai they have got so used to that when they go back home they feel bored. Though the situation was a bit different when they were new to the place, initially it was little difficult to adjust. But now Mumbai seems like a second home for them. They also believe that unlike other places in India it is much easier to search for places and we can never get lost even though it is so huge. They said that if given an opportunity to stay back in Mumbai they would love it and they could also get their family along. Some of the things which they dislike about Mumbai are the traffic, the noise, the overcrowding of public transport systems, the water clogging problems etc. They believe that if all these problems could be rectified then Mumbai will be a better place to live in. The youngsters like the lifestyle of Mumbai. They also pointed out that Mumbai is the safest city as compared to others. There are lot of things which we can do in our pastime like if you are a foodie than you can try different type of cuisines in various famous food joints all around the city. For people who love shopping they can enjoy street shopping as well as go to the branded stores in the malls. Even if you just wish to spend your time hanging out with friends you can do so in the malls or the various other hang out places like Marine drive, Bandra bandstand etc. If you love watching movies then also you have lot of option of theatres according to your budget. People who love partying they have lots of clubs in the city. So basically one can never get bored in the city of Mumbai.