Mumbai.......

I generally take my time to form opinions about anything and probably this was the reason that I didn't blog about Mumbai, although, I've been here for more than eight days now. I've travelled far and wide, from Vasai Rd on WR to Thane on CR. And I've seen most of the places in between. And probably never more than today, I understand why many people think of India as a land of contradictions. In all likelihood, from wherever they might have formed their opinions but surely they would be reinforced (if not made) in Mumbai. As a pakka Delhiite, my natural instinct would be to write off Mumbai as a city with crumbling infrastructure. Travel on its local trains and you'd notice it pass through heaps of garbages on both sides, full of slum clusters, unkept and stinky beaches, bad traffic management, narrow roads, archaic buildings and what not. Compare this to the modern day Delhi: Swanky Cars all around, gleaming Metro, Wide roads and flyovers, much much cleaner, less polluted, still plenty of open spaces and thankfully not as vertically extended as Mumbai.

But when one tries to delve beneath the surface, the beauty of Mumbai emerges. Mumbai is much more of a melting pot than Delhi. Far more cosmopolitan and far more accomodating. Very easy for an outsider to dissolve in the crowd. And much better behaved people than what we get back home. Travellers looking to board the local would wait for the others to get down before boarding. Compare it with Metro or our local buses. Doesn't look like the taxiwallahs or the Ricks are there to loot you, they charge by the meter and generally don't refuse whatever be your destination. Compare it with our taxis and autos. And in whatever has been my interaction with businessmen here, ppl are much more simpler and professional. Comapare it with the game of one-upmanship that is the hallmark of Delhi. Astonishingly for me atleast, I found quite a few high rises just next to slum clusters. Had this been the case in Delhi, we would have used all our connections or sources to get those slums demolished, but it seems, Mumbaikars have a much better sense of co-existence. (Don't know but probably the need to travel by the local for most of the junta might have something to do with this tolerance.)

Culturally, it is totally different from Delhi. Delhi, most of it atleast, remains a feudal society. It has never learnt to respect its women. In contrast, Mumbai provides a lot of freedom to its women. You generally don't get to see cars full of 'fukras', loud music blaring out and chasing girls. I had heard that you could see females travelling at night in the local, and only today at around 11:30, there were many of them travelling alone whom I noticed when I got down at Churchgate. And just give a thought, what would you think of a female travelling alone at midnight in Delhi? I must say that despite of the fact that the quality of life for an average person would be much poorer in Mumbai compared to Delhi, I must say that he is culturally much better off. With a good education, he can be sure that his offspring would be tolerant and a well behaved citizen. I'm not sure if that can be said of Delhi. I hate to say it but its the truth nevertheless, Delhi has a long long way before it can be a patch on the socio-cultural life of Mumbai. Three or four weeks ago, Oulook had this cover story on Delhi, comparing it to a drunk, unshaven, and wife beating bully. It was quite a lop sided story. I was in Kolkata then and I was enraged. After mumbai, I'm much calmer.

P.S. For those of you interested, an article in the subsequent issue of Outlook by a Delhiite was a real good read. Do read it!