Travel Experience – The Myriad Moods of Mumbai
Photo credit: diciu from morguefile.com
The very first time we met, I hated you. We met many more times after that, my hatred lessened to dislike, to tolerable, to okay. But never could I bring myself to like, let alone love this particular city. One may ask why, and I have a myriad of reasons to offer.
How the airport is always so sleek and shiny and clean, but the railway station is always so filthy and grimy. There are such high buildings all over the place that you have to crane your neck to see to the top, yet right on the opposite side there’s slums as cosseted as one’s imagination goes. You’ll find plush BMW cars revving past you across the street at almost every interval and also uncomfortable local trains filled to the brim with sweating passengers every few minutes. Journey a few blocks and you are bound to find at least one ostentatious and large shopping mall brandishing the most sought after brands on display, and then you’ll find utterly crowded and cloistered roadside markets selling things at half the price, and if you have the might to bargain with the seller at the top of your lungs, then even cheaper!
If you stay there for awhile, you’ll come across people who are always so busy about their jobs, who don’t even seem to have adequate time to say a proper greeting if they pass by you but can find time to straighten their sleek ties or iron their exquisite blazer. Then again, you’ll find people who are so warm and hearty, who have all the time in the world to sit down and listen to your far fetched tales and share their own as well. Both dwell in the hustle bustle of this grand city, the only difference being the former is a wealthy office person with neat tidy clothes, the latter a meager shopkeeper or guard having on soiled clothes. This is Mumbai. This is the city they fondly call ‘The City that never sleeps’ and ‘The West of India.’ The city where there always have been two extremes, two parts of the city, divided by an invisible boundary, and one fails to find a midway. One part is so close and relatable, so familiar and used to, but the other part unreachable, unfamiliar and cannot be fathomed.
Growing up in Kolkata, that is something very unfamiliar. Maybe I had this preconceived notion in mind from my days of childhood that still lingered in the future visits, but surprisingly, this time was different. Perhaps because having a lot of days at our disposal we could actually go around and have a look at the real Mumbai rather than just visiting the nearby places, or perhaps because I’m all grown up now that I could perceive things better, or simply because my aunt, uncle and cousin, the main reason why we go to Mumbai so many times were more hospitable than previous times, finally having more time for family than being caught up with work.
To know the myriad moods of Mumbai, one must go into the depths. There are such extravagant places scattered across the city and each one so different from the other that you’re bound to be rapt. While New Mumbai has a modern outlook, with cascading high towers and sleek flyovers~ no wonder its called ‘The West of India’ for it certainly looks so. On the contrary, Old Mumbai has a distinct old English charm; it would uncannily remind you of old London~ the buildings, the pavements, the milieu. The three most famous (as well as most crowded) religious temples are always on the top on the list: The Siddhi Vinayak, the Mahalaxmi and the Haji Ali.
I, for one, found the imposing Haji Ali the most appealing; it is both a mosque and tomb built in 1431 by a wealthy Muslim merchant and Sufi saint and is situated in the middle of the ocean, Haji Ali is only accessible during low tide from a narrow, 500 yard long walkway. Anyone visiting Mumbai, a drive atop the Bandra-Worli sea link is a must! The biggest sea bridge in the world, surrounding the turbulent sea and overlooking the city with the wind whipping in your face and a setting sun in the distance~ those 20-30 minutes are indescribable! Everyone knows about the famous Marine Drive thanks to Bollywood movies, but having a look at it yourself is another thing altogether. Couples walking hand in hand, people sitting and chattering away at their heart’s content, paragliding and speed boating out in the open sea~ it’s perfect! Then there’s BandstandBeach and Shah Rukh Khan’s mansion opposite to it. Don’t be shy if you want to click a picture of yourself in front of one of the King of Bollywood’s house because there will be other people doing the very same! Marine Drive is also known as the ‘Queen’s Necklace’ because it is a C-shaped concrete road, and if viewed at night from an elevated point anywhere along the drive, the street lights resemble a string of pearls, forming a necklace. This is one sight that’ll remain embedded in your mind for long.
Elephanta Caves, 10.2 kilometres away from East Mumbai is another breathtaking journey. First you must hail a boat from the Mumbai harbor which will take you across the choppy waters of the Arabian Sea, making the boat sway to and fro, and then you get onto a toy train which will take you to the foot of a small hill. You must cross that hill to reach the caves. It indeed is a tiring journey, but the scenic beauty of the sea, the small island where the caves are located and the caves itself more than make up for the fatigue. The island, located on an arm of the Arabian, consists of two groups of caves—the first is a large group of five Hindu caves, the second, a smaller group of two Budhist caves. The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, representing the Hindu sect, dedicated to the god Shiva. Each sculpture, though mostly in ruins, would make you stare open mouthed, as you wonder in awe how rocks were cut down to such artistic perfection.
Mumbai has its share of captivating heritage buildings where you can marvel over staggering examples of intricate colonial architecture. Some of the best are the Gothic looking Prince of Wales Museum, Victoria Terminus railway station, and the Bombay High Court. From the multitude of colorful pavement vendors that line Colaba Causeway, to the fascinating Chor Bazaar Market, Mumbai is full of interesting places to go pocket friendly street shopping. Stock up on attractive souvenirs at Colaba Causeway, delight in cheap shoes and clothes at Linking Road (if you can manage the mulling crowds), scour the narrow alleyways of Chor Bazaar for antiques, and sample the fresh food while marveling at the architecture of Crawford Market. All these would make for wonderful souvenirs to reminisce on your stay in Mumbai!
And then, at the end of a tiring but happy day of sightseeing, relax with the locals on the beaches of Juhu, Chowpatty and Marine Drive, and gaze at at the sunset. If you’re feeling adventurous, you’ll also be able to feast on tasty snacks offered by the multitude of food stalls and mobile food vendors. Favorites include roasted corn on the cob, bhel puri, gola, vada pav, pani puri and pav bhaji.
You may think that wraps it up, but how can one forget Bollywood? Mumbai is the epicenter of India’s booming film industry. The architecturally resplendent Eros Cinema, adjacent to the Churchgate railway station, is a great place to take in a Bolly movie. Alternatively, it’s possible to go on a tour to the heart of the action in FilmCity, in Goregaon, although the tickets are a tad too expensive.
On the last day, as my parents were busy stowing away clothes and souvenirs into the suitcases, I was seated on the windowsill, on the 10th floor, sipping a steaming mug of black coffee. A mild breeze tickled my face as I looked at the city of Mumbai around me; the sky rises at one side, the cloistered slums on one, and a steady flow of mulling traffic on the other, with the majestic Western Ghats towering above everything in the distance. The two extremes were still there~ however, this trip made me realize that they both define Mumbai. The plush malls, the sleek BMWs, the high rises, the uncomfortable local trains, the slums, the busy people, the food, the beaches, the luxury of the upper class, the struggle of the middle class~ they go hand in hand, this is what Mumbai is! Its tough to get accustomed to this strange city, but once you do, there’s a myriad of reasons to fall in love with it.
However, there’s only one single drawback~ there always seems to be a crisis of fish, and we Bengalis cannot survive without it!
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