Thoughts Decoded

Mumbai- ‘the city that never sleeps’. Mumbai- ‘the city of dreams.’ Mumbai-‘the Bollywood headquarters’. So many titles have been given to this great jungle of concrete.

The people here are very co-operative. A resident of Mumbai is called a Mumbaikar, Mumbaite or Bombayite.During critical situations like 26/7 and 7/11 we have seen the whole city battle it out in unison. It is also a bit congested. Wait a minute, VERY congested! With more than ten million people living here, it is any thing but spaced out!It is the world fifth most populated metro. The slum areas have 10-12 people living in one room .The houses are getting so expensive many people cannot even afford one.

Mumbai is full of technological appliances, everyone from the business man to the “Mumbai mascot”, the ‘dabbawalla’ are seen with cell phones, children with iPod’s. mp3 and mp4 players are a common sight on the streets.

Mumbai is full of opportunities. Anyone here can pursue the career of their dreams. In almost any field that you can think of. Modeling, cinema, journalism, IT, you name it, we have it!

Unfortunately, Mumbai does see some bribery. When a traffic police catches some one for speeding or breaking the signal, we often see them offering money to be set free or not paying the full fine

Some other negative aspects besides this are you see people showing uncivilized behavior. You hear words which are definitely not pleasing to the ear on the traffic filled road. And more often than not, it is the people who make the mistake that scream at others. It is also quite a dirty city .Garbage is dumped at places where it shouldn’t be. Almost all of Mumbai’s daily refuse of 7,800 metric tonnes is transported to dumping grounds in Gorai in the northwest, Mulund in the northeast, and Deonar in the east. Sewage treatment is carried out at Worli and Bandra, and disposed off by two independent marine outfalls of 3.4 km (2.1 mi) and 3.7 km (2.3 mi) at Bandra and Worli respectively. A third outfall at Malad is in the planning stages.

The cuisine of Mumbai is said to be , in Mumbai talk , chatpata Some of the unique and famous palatable specialties include Dhan Sak, Khicheri, Bombli Batata Bhaji, Kamag Kakri, Solachi Kadhi, Min Vela Curry and Curried Bombay Duck. Local roadside fast food includes vada pav, panipuri, paav bhaji, and bhelpuri.

Not all is bad in Mumbai though .There are so many tourist attractions like the Gateway of India , Queen’s Necklace, Nariman Point, Juhu Beach and lots more.

With increasing and strengthening security, Mumbai is prepared as ever for any untoward incidents. With airports having strict rules about luggage, most possible threats are taken care of.
Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment center of India
But of course, when you say Mumbai, how can you forget Bollywood! Mumbai is the birthplace of Indian cinema With so many filmmakers having their head quarters here, it is common to see film shootings just across the road! With most film stars living here, it is one of Mumbai’s major claims to fame.

Mumbai is also the financial capital of India Mumbai is one of the world’s top ten centers of commerce by global financial flow,[3] home to such important financial institutions as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India and the corporate headquarters of many Indian companies and numerous multinational corporations

Cricket is the most popular sport with a mumbai variation called ‘galli cricket’ which is played in the narrow lanes. he Mumbai Indians of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is based in Mumbai. The city has two international cricket stadiums, the Wankhede Stadium and the Brabourne Stadium. The Wankhede stadium is set to host the final of 2011 Cricket World Cup. Eminent cricketers from Mumbai include Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar and Vijay Hazare.

Mumbai sees four main modes of public transport. The taxi, bus, train and the auto rickshaw. With well over half of Mumbai traveling daily by road, the roads are jam-packed round the clock. Some roads are so bad, that it takes thirty minutes to cover a mere one kilometer!It has one of the best transport systems in the world with a network of buses covering the whole city. It is connected to most major cities across India by the Indian railway system.The airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is the busiest in South Asia. It is also an important base for the Indian Navy, being the headquarters of the Western Naval Command. Ferries from Ferry Wharf allow cheap access to islands and beaches in the area.

Mumbai may be congested and dirty but to me it means just one thing- Home!