A Taste of India

Two cows running loose on a busy cross-junction, kids running after them on bare feet. Stray dogs wandering on the streets. Donkeys pulling a cart. An elephant flapping its giant ears in the sun. A herd of goats painted in vivid colors grazing on the sidewalk. Crows reigning the sky. That about sums up the animals that I have encountered in this urban jungle called Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay).

Another business trip, a whole new experience. I was there on a project with two other colleagues; doing requirements for a fresh customer, a big asset reconstruction company, the office of which is located in Nariman Point, one of the most expensive business districts just across Marine Drive, a boulevard that separates the city from the Arabian Sea.

Mumbai is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the largest metropolis in India and the commercial centre of the country. Mumbai is also home to the bubblegum glamour of Bollywood, the famous film industry that produces over 1,000 movies per year. The first thing that caught my attention was how dusty and noisy everything is, especially when traffic is bad. Apparently, the honk is more important than the steering wheel; honking is a way of life, mercilessly damaging tourists’ ears. It takes quite some time to get used to it I guess.

The second thing that came to mind was how many people there is everywhere. Harboring almost 20 million people in and around the city, Mumbai ranks on the top five of the most populated cities in the world. Not to mention the thousands of commuters that travel everyday to Mumbai from elsewhere. Holland only has 17 million inhabitants. As a country. A crazy comparison really.

Another issue that I quickly became aware of was the huge contrast between the poor and the rich. Although development is booming, I read that the majority of Mumbai’s inhabitants live in slums and pavement dwellings, I saw them too: kids hardly older than one year wearing ragged clothes, their faces forever covered in dust, sitting on the road eating rice from dirty plates while cars, buses and trucks wheeling fast only a few centimeters away from them. Truly heartbreaking.

It was only for a short period but Mumbai left quite a distinct impression on me. I reckon India is a country full of greatness which can only be discovered if one has the luxury of time to explore. For now I leave you with the Lonely Planet’s recipe for the Mumbai main course (thanks to Michiel):

‘Measure out: one part Hollywood; six parts traffic; a bunch of rich power-moguls; stir in half a dozen colonial relics (use big ones); pour in six heaped cups of poverty; add a smattering of swish bars and restaurants (don’t skimp on quality here for best results); equal parts of mayhem and order; as many ancient bazaars as you have lying around; a handful of Hinduism; a dash of Islam; fold in your mixture with equal parts of India; throw it all in a blender on high (adding generous helpings of pollution to taste) and presto: Mumbai.’