Mumbai. One of the world’s greatest cities. What can I say about this city that hasn’t been said before? That it’s bustling in the morning and comes alive at night? That it’s painted with different colors of trees, life, and people? That it’s one of the most diverse places I’ve ever been to? One can come up with millions of things to say about this 18 million populated city. It’s home to Film City, like Hollywood Studios or Universal Studios. It is in Mumbai that celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachhan make their residences. Mumbai, locally known as Bombay, is the heart of Bollywood. Since I absolutely love Bollywood movies, I had to go see Shah Rukh’s house as well as Amitabh Bachhan’s house. And I did! Not that the dozens of security let me in, but I got a glimpse of what appeared to be a mammoth sized mansion on the beach, in SRK’s case, and a quiet bungalow, in the heart of the city, named ‘Jalsa’, is where the Badshah, or ‘Emperor’ lives. I don’t know why I have a different take on Bombay…my mom hates it. As far as I know, most of the people who live there don’t exactly adore it. However, I think it’s a bit like New York – once you get a taste of life there, you won’t be able to live anywhere else. And I can see why. The bedlam on the roads, the crowds, the heat, the incessant sounds of a bustling, busy city – even I’m not a fan of that. However, the tall trees that line those roads, the rich culture of those crowds, the beautiful monsoons that makes the heat forgettable, and the quiet of an early morning – this can mostly negate the rest, don’t you think?
Marine Drive is quite a famous spot here for locals. About four clicks long, it’s a wide road full of shops, hotels, residences, and street food on one side, with an impossible stretch of glacier blue on the right side. I’ve always been a fan of the sea, for some reason. I know - I live in Phoenix, right?? Perhaps it’s because I lived in Florida for a good ten years. Or, that my hometown here in India, is a beach town. Whatever the reason, the minute I stepped in Bombay, I felt home. There’s so much to say about this city that cannot be expressed in words. You just have to get out here for yourself. How can I explain how it felt to see the grand Taj Hotel – the one that was overpowered by terrorists and where hundreds were killed? How it felt to see the Gateway of India about a hundred feet from this place? How it felt to see people begging on the streets, while industrialists and CEOs, movie stars and producers rode effortlessly in their BMWs and Mercedes’? It’s impossible to describe. India’s one of the few places where the ancient ways of the people meet the modern world of the youth. It’s where you can see miles and miles of ocean, and slums on the other side. It’s a magical city. You can see a guy sitting with his girlfriend on the ocean wall, you can see a man struggling to sell magazines through the streets, you can see children calling you ‘sister’, and saying that life will bless you if you give her something, anything, you can see the shed covered huts of hundreds of people on the same hill where Mukesh Ambani, one of the world’s most successful industrialists, resides in his twenty six floor mansion with his three helicopters. It’s madness, really. But yet, it’s this diversity that makes it famous for what it is – real.
