A Tourist in Mayanagari: Mumbai Diaries
“In this city, every deserted street corner conceals a crowd. It appears in a minute when something disrupts the way in which the world is supposed to work. It can disappear almost as instantaneously.” ~ Jerry Pinto
I have made several trips to Mumbai over the last few years and I am truly enchanted by the anecdotes of life that can be seen darting around, in every nook and corner of this city.
It is difficult and quite debatable to conclude what forms the lifeline of Mumbai. Is it the people? or is it the well-connected network of trains of the city that have been since times memorable?
On some very rare occasions, in the dead of the night, on a footbridge over a deserted street, we find ourselves alone. The usual hullabaloo of the city is gone to other parts of the town. The streets have their own business brewing and the wanderer experiences a surreal beauty of the wagering silence. After a day of loud, exhausting run-around, the silence of the night wipes the sweat off you and gives you a sense of rejuvenation.
Tall buildings, multi-storeyed apartments in a residential society, Mumbai is the epitome of urbanization. Try standing near the window of one of these tall structures and you’ll see not just the towers but life go by for the slum dwellers nearby. The class divide, for a change, multiplies as years add.
A view away from the land. The Taj Hotel and the Gateway of India are adjacent to each other. This photo was taken on my way to the Elephanta Caves. You have to take a jetty to go to the caves. While you’re sailing on Arabian Sea, experiencing the cool breeze, you pause for a moment to mesmerize the magnificence of the city and the history it tells you.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Elephanta caves are a piece of vintage art with statues cut in rocks, predominantly featuring the Hindu god, Shiva. The caves were first discovered by the Portuguese but are now a very popular tourist destination. It is best to not visit the caves during peak summers as the rocks get heated and it gets extremely humid inside the caves.
The Gateway of India which oversees the Arabian Sea was the unofficial entry to the city, built when King George VI came to India. While the British are long gone, and no they did not exit through the Gateway (although it would have been dramatic), it still stands as a popular tourist spot in the city. Some lensmen have found a way to make a living in the area as tourists ensure they leave the spot with a memory.
Bombay was the name given to the city by the Portuguese and carried forward by the British. The city went to a great extent to lose that image and adopted a new name, Mumbai. Mumbai comes from the local goddess Mumba devi.
Another monument that underwent a name change is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), which was formerly known as VT or Victoria Terminus after the Queen Mother. This is the last station and also the first station, for some, who are travelling via local train. An architectural marvel, CST can be seen in a lot of Bollywood movies.
Fort area which lies in the southern part of Mumbai is a real treat because of its vintage buildings and traditional food eating places. I particularly fancied visiting Military Cafe, which is one of the oldest Irani cafes in the area, almost a century old, its offerings are not limited to just mouth-watering Parsi dishes but the ambiance of the cafe takes you back to the 80s. Another favorite eating place in southern Mumbai was Yazdani bakery which again is a parsi eating joint. You can actually munch on some bun-maska as you catch a glimpse of some old photos on the wall.
Mumbai currently stands on what was once a series of archipelagos, 7 to be precise. As human settlements grew and the land area fused, it gave birth to something that would become an integral part of the country. A major port, mega city, financial capital, film city and one of the most populated cities of India and even the world.
Travelling from one part of the city to another during peak office hours (8:30–11 AM) or (5:00–7:00 PM) is nothing short of a battle won or atleast survived. This image was taken near the most happening corporate area in the city, Bandra-Kurla Complex. From my personal experience, if you are outside BKC and not within the specific premises then finding a ride back home or something to take you to the nearest local station can be really tough.
The auto-rickshaws, along with the “kaali-peeli” taxis are the lifeline of Mumbai roads. Good thing is that you don’t have to negotiate the price as most vehicles run (and are supposed to run) on meter i.e. you pay the fixed charge for the kms. you travel. Good thing is you can keep a track of the charges as the meter faces you. While price is not negotiated, the location is always a bone of contention. The road transporters are very selective of where they would like to drive you. Getting stuck in traffic or finding a ride back to their area of residence can be a challenge for the “auto/cab wale boss”.
Most of the days, the weather is overcast while people fume with humidity. Once the monsoons onset, it goes on for a while and a while longer and often gets a little extreme for anyone’s liking.
From the depths of poverty to the towers of the rich and richest, there is an opportunity for all. Mumbai is many things, a lot of which is outlined in this note, but it is nothing without its people. The elixir of this city is the people that call this beautiful city their home. Even in the chaos, blood, sweat, exhaustion, poverty, this city gives you a reason to live each day and to dream. The dreams are usually full of illusions; illusions of making it big in this mayanagari.
