mumbai an autobiography

1. MUMBAI- AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Mumbai is a city full of scandals, sex, controversies but over all of them a city full of dreams for many people. People come from small villages and towns for its celebrity status, its glamour, and the “SHEHERI BABU” syndrome. They come with big dreams where they see themselves as Sharukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai or for the matter of fact any other famous celebrity, but is Mumbai everything that they dreamt of? Mumbai is a golden city but as it is said that “All that glitters is not gold”, the harsh reality of Mumbai is learnt by these people on the very first day as they come to the city. The inflated prices, corruption, the problems of boarding and lodging etc prove to be an obstacle for these people. They get to the city but their dreams remain farfetched. Surviving in Mumbai is not an easy task for everyone. People struggle whether they are in the higher or the lower pedestal to stay in the race to reach to the top. Who is to be blamed for this? The tough competition or the population boom. Mumbai population is approximately 18 million and in the next two decades it is expected to reach to 28. 5 million that is more than Tokyo’s population which is currently the highest populous city in the world. Still people are migrating to Mumbai just to be termed as a Mumbaikar, like many Indians want to be termed as a British or an American. Mumbai is getting so populous that within few years the government will have to issue “visas” for coming into Mumbai. Increase in population has not only worsened the standard of living in Mumbai but has given rise to poverty and many anti-social crimes. Mumbai’s sky rocketing prices of properties, congestion, traffic, lack of space and greenery and many other factors have forced people to shift to suburban areas, but everything has its positive and negative aspects.

Mumbai may not be a perfect city but it is a city where all communities come together not on the division on their respective religions but as a Mumbaikar. During calamities people help each other on the basis of humanity and not on the basis of which religion they belong to. The Mumbai city has won many accolades from international borders too. This city has gone through many hard ships but has always proved victorious because of the “never say die” spirit of the people. The second most important aspect of Mumbai which comprises of what Mumbai actually is that whatever happens in Mumbai , this city is constantly on its feet trying to move forward . The clichéd saying that “Mumbai never stops” actually holds true for this city. The best example for this is the Mumbai bomb blasts which happened a few years ago where the city was back to normal within a few hours after the unfortunate blast. The “Aamchi Mumbai” attitude haunts a person from the very time he steps into Mumbai, thus making him feel as an integrated part of this famous city. Whether its day or night the mysteries of this wonderful city keep on unfolding itself by beautiful surprises with every experience in the city .

Mumbai a six letter city but on a deeper thought it is like an autobiographical book of memories and experiences of thousands of people. This city with its ups and downs has taught people the true purpose and meaning of life and to deal with the highly competitive world. Therefore this city resides in the heart and soul of every Mumbaikar. Probably that is why the city is considered as “MUMBAI MERI JAAN”.