Mumbai – The City and Around

Mumbai formerly known as Bombay, is the richest city in India and is the capital of one of the biggest states on the western coast of India, Maharashtra. Mumbai caters to a population of approximately 20.5 million who are united by their undying spirit – the spirit of Mumbai. Situated across seven islands, Mumbai is the entertainment and the financial capital of India.

Mumbai is often referred to as the city that never sleeps and therefore, finding an empty street is considered nothing but a myth. The home to bollywood, the biggest film production hub in South Asia, there are many who come in from different parts of India and the world belonging to different backgrounds and cultures to try their luck in this ‘City of Dreams’.

On a typical day in Mumbai, one is sure to witness a variety of colours and some typical activities which are exclusive to the city. Starting from the travelling and wrestling in the local trains to the swiftness of the ‘dabba-wallahs’, from the daily vendors on the trains and to the chic upper class, it is the various flavours from so many different people that makes Mumbai unique and easy to make a home of.

‘The Gateway of India’, Nariman Point, Juhu Beach, Marine Drive, Film City and Chowpatty make for some of the many sight-seeing spots in Mumbai. Many give their hearts out to shopping in Mumbai. With a variety of Malls available all across the city, Mumbai offers various street shopping experiences in places like the Bandra Linking Road, Fashion Street and Colaba Causeway which are preferred by majority of the crowds who look for trendy yet not so expensive things.

A number of bridges connect different parts of Mumbai but the latest and the longest one is the 8 kilometer long Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Although during peak hours, travelling on the Sea Link may take over a good 40 minutes but if one is lucky to find a traffic free Sea Link, then the experience is well worth it.

When discussing the daily life in Mumbai, the most significant people who know the city by their fingertips in terms of time and travel are the ‘dabbawallahs’ of Mumbai. They travel across the length, breadth and every diagonal of the city in an attempt to simplify the already complicated lives of the people. The dabbawallahs travel during peak hours delivering home-packed lunch from the families to the ones in offices. If one is able to catch their swiftness, then one can gauge the speed at which Mumbai moves daily.

Although travelling can prove to be a menace in Mumbai, the various modes of public transport makes life easier for those who require to travel daily for reasons related to work or leisure. The most popular are the trains of Mumbai as the city has a well connected network of the rails. Other than the trains are the buses and the taxis. A lot of private cab companies have also contributed towards making travelling easier to this cosmopolitan. Among the many the newest and the one which offers maximum convenience and comfort to its customer is Olacabs. People can book their cabs online in a hassle free manner without having to get on the streets and running behind already jam packed cabs, a sight which is pretty common in the city.

Mumbai is extremely self-sufficient a city. However, one can always get away from the city to distress for short trips around the city to places like Pune, Shirdi, Lonavla, Khandala, Alibaug, and Mahabaleshwar. The world famous Goa is also situated very close to Mumbai and on any long weekend pulls a lot of crowd.

Although ‘Live, and Let Live’ is the motto of Mumbai, ‘Unity in Diversity’ is evident in everyone who belongs here. Staying in Mumbai gives meaning to life as the city although is very easy going, imbibes its strong spirit to whosoever lives in it.