The City of Dreams: Mumbai

Aamchi Mumbai!

Mumbai is the city of dreams. People from all over the country flock to this city every year in hopes of changing their life. How many of these dreams actually come true? I don’t know. But what I do know is, once you come here there is no leaving. The city makes you fall in love.

I live in Sobo (its sort of the Manhattan of Mumbai), I can hear all you burbies going tsk-tsk, but come on! I have lived here all my life and I really have no clue how this city functions. It’s a mass of chaos with people always hurrying from one place to another, loud noises, constant honking and what not. I know I’m not making it sound too pleasant but you have to be here to feel it. This city never sleeps. Even at 2 a.m. Marine Drive will be crowded with a load of people who have nothing better to do than stare at the sea.

The city is home to India’s own movie industry – Bollywood. The houses of Bollywood celebrities such as Sharukh’s Mannat, Amitabh Bacchan’s Jalsa, etc., are even more famous tourist spots than the Gateway of India! I have had tons of cousins visit me from all over India and not one of them has yet asked me to take them to the Gateway of India, although I have recieved quite a few requests to visit the famous pani puri wala outside Salman’s building!

There are a wide array of people who reside here. On one side you can see Ambani’s famous Antilla while the other side is inhabited by small slum shanties. The gap between poor and rich is extreme but no matter which part of the city you are in, you can always find some over-zealous person willing to help you out (sometimes more than you need).

There are times when you want to run away from this city, somwhere with peace and quite but trust me in the end you’ll always come back, you can never stay away for too long. Mumbai is not just a city, it’s completely addictive, it’s a drug that runs in the viens of every Mumbaikar.