Mumbai: Back To The World

I have come to notice how uncompromisingly Indian things are in this country: Indian music, Indian TV, Indian films, Indian food, Indian fashion, and Indian mannerisms are omnipresent. I have barely heard any Western music, rarely seen any TV shows that I'm familiar with, and I have only eaten Western food in tourist areas. I've only seen about 5 McDonald's in the past two months, and they are only in the bigger cities. This country is obsessed with itself, which I find very impressive! At times I think that it doesn't need the rest of the world (except for the economy). Even when Indians emulate the Western world, they do it with a thoroughly Indian twist. So having been in this country for well over a month, I was beginning to get pulled into the whirlpool- India was beginning to overpower my awareness of the outside world. Just when I had nearly forgotten about this world, I arrived in Mumbai...

The mere mention of Mumbai (or Bombay) has always been extremely intimidating to me, invoking images of a dark, dirty, putrid tangle of buildings and streets full of mean faces and aggression. New Delhi was the only other mega-city that I had been to at this point, and I was not impressed by its harsh intensity. So it was only natural for me to expect Mumbai to be much the same, if not bigger and meaner. After all, it does have an official population of 19-20 million people (though I believe it is much higher in reality) and it is easily one of the biggest cities in the world. In fact, more people live in Mumbai than Norway, Denmark, and Finland combined! It is the home of India's stock exchange and the legendary Bollywood film industry. About 38% of India's taxes are generated in this city alone. It is a powerhouse, to say the least. Therefore, I was officially a bundle of nerves as I rode into town. I had no clue what to expect...

Wow! I cannot believe how welcoming Mumbai actually is!

Old colonial and Victorian buildings are everywhere, showcasing the city's long history, while along the beach there are Art Deco apartments to lend a more funky vibe. Victoria Terminus is the busiest train station in Asia, and it is easily the most beautiful train station I have ever seen. Same with the Central Post Office, which is housed in a grand Victorian building. The University of Mumbai is breathtaking, and the Taj Mahal Palace is among the most stunning and luxurious hotels that I have had the pleasure to enter. The gate of India is also a very memorable monument, straddling the ocean that laps only feet away. The streets themselves, full of charming black and yellow Fiat cabs, are lined with various trees like Banyans and Palms, providing pedestrians with shade and aesthetic, natural beauty. The Oval Maiden (thank the Brits for that name) is an open green field surrounded by palm trees where boys play cricket and people relax during the middle of the day. An ocean breeze occasionally flows through town, rustling the palm fronds, and briefly chilling the hot, humid air.

After staying in so many ugly cities in India, I was now very confused, especially since this was the city I expected be the ugliest! But the overall city plan is very logical, developed, and mature- it is clear that Mumbai has had time to get things right and work out the kinks. I got a very warm, easy-going feeling while walking through town. The traffic doesn't even seem to rage at the typical Indian pace. Picture the grandiosity of a New York or London, combined with a seafront and a semi-tropical atmosphere reminiscent of Miami.

What I find most interesting about the city is how international and cosmopolitan it is. For the first time in India, I could hear a familiar song, or eat familiar food. For the first time I could see stores like Nike, Adidas, Bulgari, Dolce & Gabbana, etc. And the restaurants, bars, and lounges here are top notch. I was very shocked by how the women act here. They seem like a different species altogether from the typical Indian women I have encountered. Instead of every female dressing in traditional Indian clothing, many are dressed in very fashionable clothes - they have no problem looking good and showing off their bodies. Rather than a slow, rigid way of moving, they walk with confidence. Instead of soft voices, guarded eyes and plain expressions, they are quicker to smile or look somebody in the eye, and they talk in a louder, more casual voice than the typical Indian woman. They seem much more liberated from tradition, which can be good or bad depending on how one looks at it. Many men are smartly dressed in nice suits, and walk with purpose and swagger. Everybody seems to be on a cell phone, and half the people are even talking in English. People do not stop to talk to me every second here, and frankly they don't seem to even notice me much of the time - foreigners are not a strange sight to the locals here, who seem to have things to do and therefore can't be bothered. This is a far cry from the parochial atmosphere of most places I have visited in India, where people just stare at me or approach me all day. My time here quickly reminded me that I was on planet Earth again, rather than just planet India.

I did notice a darker side to the city however. South Mumbai (including the Fort and Colaba areas) is the nicer part of town, and that's where I mainly stayed. But I did take a trip to North Mumbai, particularly the Dharavi slum (the biggest slum in Asia). Sadly, over half of the population in this city lives in either slums or shantytowns. It was too dangerous for me to really penetrate (people were warning me not to go inside), but I walked around the edge and peeked in. While some of the richest people in the world live in this city, millions of the poorest also call Bombay home, and they do not lead nice lives. In these parts of town beggars abound, often holding a child as a prop for sympathy points. I could see many dirty, barefooted children walking around, collecting money under the instruction of their parents or the local mafia boss - kids grow up very fast here, and there is no time or money for a true childhood. I also ran into lots of guys trying to sell me drugs and trying to talk to me through a cocaine haze, their eyes bloodshot and their jaws working overtime. They were not pleasant people, and I certainly did not want to make them angry. I got the feeling that many horrible things happen in this city, but in places hidden from the public, where nobody can see them. But perhaps this is true in every major city- one can never truly know...

Mumbai provided me with one of the greatest surprises of my life. Contrary to my expectations, it ranks among the most memorable and eye-opening cities I have visited. The absolute poorest people live near some of the richest people in the world. Some of the nicest hotels in the world are miles away from the biggest and dirtiest slums in the world. You will hear each of India's 23 languages spoken here, and you will see people of every ethnicity in the world wearing every type of clothing, and eating every kind of food. I admit that New Delhi initially soured me on big Indian cities, but Mumbai ended that - comparing Delhi to Mumbai is like comparing fish oil to honey. Bombay is like a rich curry, with many different ingredients that combine to make a wonderful flavor, greater than the sum of its parts. It combines physical beauty with cultural integrity. As far as mega-cities go, Mumbai is difficult to beat in terms of ambiance, sophistication, complexity, and historical legacy. It is truly one of the most unforgettable cities in the world...