From Bombayite to Mumbaikar

I landed in Mumbai (then Bombay) in 1991 with dreams in my eyes. More than two decades later this aspiring Bombayite is a full fledged Mumbaikar.

One of the first sights of Mumbai that has left a lasting impression was the sight of romancing couples with the fair one clad in traditional burkha on Marine drive. We stared gawkily at an alien sight. Conservatism, modernism, youth, progress, defiance, rebel, hope, love, tolerance – all rolled into one as two pairs of eyes locked into each other. That defined the quintessential spirit of Bombay, thankfully retained by Mumbai except minor disruptions.

Nearly twenty years later, on a pleasant December evening, I was sitting at Starters & More in Churchgate sipping an R&C when in walked four burkha clad women – unaccompanied by any male – and sat with panache out there sipping their non-alcoholic beverages, exchanging notes and devouring the mouth watering starters. Where else in India can you see a scene like this?

All these years haven’t changed the better things about Mumbai – the name change notwithstanding. And as the bard remarked, “What’s there in a name?”. As I look back, I focus on the changes for the better and mind you there have been many.

The good
Girgaum Chowpatty has been cleaned and how. What used to be a sleazy hang out place after dusk in 1991, is today a well lit place where family and friends (and not to forget the Dada-Dadi’s) can stay on till late at nite. Ditto in Bandra Band Stand and Jogger’s Park. If there is one thing that underlines both these initiatives it is the activism shown by concerned citizens and the citizen-government partnership. I believe such initiatives can change the face of Mumbai for all concerned for the better. Even as I write this, a group of citizens are putting finishing touches to the blue print for the development of Mumbai. AGNIs campaign ensured that more Mumbaikars came out to vote in the municipal elections held a few weeks back.

The could-be better
Mumbai year after year does see a gradual improvement in its infrastructure. Yes, it is still not anywhere close to what the denizens require. The roads have improved, there are many flyovers, we have the Mumbai-Pune expressway, there is at least one additional railway track for suburban trains and one for long distance trains, and there are more suburban trains with twelve coaches. The Western Express highway has been magically widened and further improvement work goes on thanks to the present CM and the MMRDA chairman. But has it eased the inconveniences? Not really since the population of the city has kept on increasing disproportionately.

Ten years back, a weekend meant spending time in a friends house or having five friends over. Today increasingly people spend their day out at shopping malls! Linking Road market is passé and InOrbit Mall, Life Style and Big Bazaar are in. But the city like India remains a city of contrasts and paradoxes. We have glitzy shopping malls vying for space with run down slums.

And the ugly
Even as thousands of shoppers throng the shopping malls on weekends, security guards brutally beat up a suspected shoplifter who later succumbs to his injuries. Has intolerance increased? Most definitely yes. Road rage is real and middle class and upper middle class people are more intolerant of other religions and regions. I understand there are leading Indian companies who do not have a single Moslem holiday in their calendars and thus, appear to be wearing their religion on their sleeves.

The more things change...
Mumbai has also had an immense influence across the country. The old lady of Boribunder has changed, probably forever, the way newspapers look. Today the Editor is no longer important, invitation price is in and the front page increasingly resembles Page 3, which anyway gets read the first.

If you have it, by all means flaunt it, is the new mantra of the chattering classes. And as someone remarked on the television channel, “If you can count it, then you don’t have it.” This is a sign of the changing times, pun intended. For the upcoming Valentine’s Day celebrations, you can hire a yacht from the Taj group and whisk your beloved to watch the sun setting on the Arabian Sea and a dinner afterwards – all for the princely sum of Rs100,000.

Culture and music have changed – redefined by the TV serials and the video remixes. A school teacher in distant Salem recently told me that most of her students aspired for modelling as a career and their role models had changed from the neighbourhood geek to Bips and Bebo (Bipasha and Kareena to those unfamiliar with Page 3).

Is all this wrong? Not really. Role models have changed, but look at the number of new career options that have opened up. Veejaying, DJing, modelling, teaching accents, TV newscasters – you don’t need to be just a doctor, engineer or a chartered accountant anymore. Rasna Pub has given way to Hard Rock Café.

...the more they remain the same
Many things have changed. But equal numbers of things haven’t. Mumbai still remains the land of hope and dreams. Kaun Banega Crorepati resurrected a has-been superstar into new iconic status and an unparalleled brand ambassador. Where else in India can you dream of that? Prithvi Theatre is still an outlet for some excellent theatrical fare (and also continues to serve a mean Irish Coffee), Nana Chudasma’s banner still flutters on Marine Drive and Amul hoardings still bring a smile on a dreary Monday morning as one drives to office.

Thank you Mumbai from this Mumbaikar!