I was in Mumbai a few days ago…and thoughts crowded around in my brain demanding expression. There is nothing vaguely coherent about these thoughts and so, I will put it down in bullet point. Just so that I can get the thoughts out of my brain!
- Everyone in Mumbai seems to know exactly where they’re going, what they’re doing. And they do all this in ONE BIG HURRY! I wondered why life was so fast-paced that one hardly had any time to pause and reflect. The price we pay for living in a metro perhaps?
- Traffic is truly insane. Only Bangalore can be worse! It took me close to 2 hours to go from Nariman Point to the airport! And my colleague tells me it’s a good day and that traffic is not that bad! Jeez!
- Every pedestrian seems to wait on the side of the road until the light turns green for the vehicles, and then tries to cross the road. If they want to kill themselves, they just need to throw themselves under the train. Isn’t that easier?
- The heat almost killed me the other day! It was unbearable and the traffic just made it worse! Getting into the Trident Nariman Point an hour ahead of the scheduled meeting was the best decision I took! And coming from Chennai, if I felt the heat was so bad, it really must have been bad!
- On the positive side, people really don’t care what you do, how you’re dressed and who you’re with. The last time I was there in 2004, and also this time a few days ago, I felt more secure in Mumbai than I have in Chennai in all the 26 years I have spent here.
- Another positive, the Mumbai airport is phenomenal. People tell me the Hyderabad one is better, but if it is anything like this, I am happy. I thought I would have to skip dinner as I got to the airport around 8. But, quite a lot of choice and plenty of stalls. Nice one! In fact, I liked it better than Paris. Less confusing.
- And finally, the view from Trident Nariman point almost made the traffic jams worth the effort. The bay looks breathtakingly beautiful. Here is a twitpic of a few days ago!
Category: Personal
” … I felt more secure in Mumbai than I have in Chennai.. “- Because you were able to wear a dress without being noticed? So whats the point in wearing it when no one cares? I thought its the other way round? That does say something about Chennai !
Ah no! Nothing to do with clothes…two unconnected thoughts. One about doing what we like and nobody is bothered, and second about security and safety, as a woman.
I’m happy to see you have lots of positives to take out of your Mumbai trip. My trip to Mumbai, my birth city, after a period of more than 29 years was met with wonder, bewilderment, and in the end, total depression, at witnessing the amount of homelessness that I witnessed.
I probably didn’t stay long enough. I was there only one day and that too in the poshest possible areas.
I remember the safe feeling too. Bombay basically just let’s you be!
One thing about Bombay that makes it an attractive destination is that the people even though they are in a hurry all the time there is an orderliness one can’t see in other indian cities.In bus stops and other places where there is a crowd they seem to form a queue on their own without anybody’s prodding or supervision.In spite of the heavy traffic a vast majority of the drivers follow the rules and take care not to hit anybody.I saw inside a bus a man being assaulted by a few burly north indians.Immediately all the passengers got up and forced the driver to take the vehicle to the nearest police station.
The way roads within the city is maintained is something one can’t see in any other Indian city.Pressures caused by ever increasing population due to migration from other parts of India are tackled in a planned manner.Another important fact about the city is that it almost represents India with all its languages,colors and habits.
My first impression of Mumbai was not good at all..hot and humid.. even at 4 am! 🙁