Monthly Issue

It's been already one month in Mumbai. I think I am starting to get used to it. You know, this is the sad part of the story. I think one needs a couple of months to say that he's been fully acclimatized to this city, and this is exactly the time when I ll have to leave. I have managed to do only two trips so far. Ahmedabad and Pune. I need to see more. But this country is huge, the destinations too far and the time so short. Too many things to do, too many miles to go, too little time to spend. There are so many place I d love to see: Elora Caves, the Taj, Delhi, Chandigarh,  Udaipur, Goa, Southern India, even Mumbai itself. The city is so huge and I haven’t seen many places yet. This weekend I decided not to leave town.

Mumbai is a very diverse city; a real metropolis. Slums and luxury towers, homeless and corporate businessmen, they all share the same busy streets with the distinct smell of garbage, coriander, curry and soaked earth. I hear people say that Mumbai is tough, even for Indians. It is a place that embraces everyone, as long as you can handle the city itself. You can ride the local train and pay 5 rupees, or you can ride a cab for the same distance and pay 70. You can eat a full meal in a street kiosk for only 30 rupees or try the restaurant right behind it and spend more than 500. The city accepts everyone, but not everyone accepts the city.  

This weekend I ll try to visit the national park in Mumbai, a huge area at the north edge of Mumbai, about an hour away from my place. Then I ll hit Collaba, and South Mumbai, where the heartbeat of highlife lies. Mumbai is a city found by British, therefore, not a regular Indian city. I was told during my first days here that Mumbai resembles New York, and that souned so wrong to my ears at the time. Now, I can see why. It is because, the same way New York is not a typical US city, Mumbai feels like nowhere else in India. Mumbai is an entirely contemporary metropolis that owes its fame and glory not to the monuments of a past civilization but to those of development and growth. There is no historic Mumbai, no old city. The only anachronistic ambiance  you get in Mumbai is the absurd story of the colonial times.  Everything was built after the second half of 18th century.  And the whole city still feels like a big construction site. Enormous developments are going on throughout the city. Mumbai is growing fast. Today the population has already reached the insane number of eighteen million. Think about it. That’s eighteen with several zeros on its tail.  And in some decades this number will only be a romantic memory of the past (!).

Some economist was comparing India to China as emerging global superpowers. Using the popular tale, he described China as the rabbit, and India as the turtle. If this is referring to the speed of growth, and after witnessing the speed of the turtle, I think what is going on in China right now is just scary. My friend Aditya who just got back from Nanjing, confirmed my assumption in the darkest colors. However, I believe that the economist was referring to the endurance of what is currently happening in India. That is to say, Indian economy may not follow the pace of China, but eventually it will prevail. Well, only time can tell.