Experience Mumbai

Its been 3 weeks from the time I've come to Mumbai and I'm still amazed by the multi-faceted yet conservative lifestyle. Sometimes, it feels like I have moved to a different country and not just to another metro of India.

So far, I've seen the harshest of summer and the heaviest rainfall in the last 10 years! Remember the multi-faceted city I referred to earlier? I had heard and read about the way "life goes on" in Mumbai. It took a lot of getting used to the summer however, I saw people not being bogged down by the severe heat. It appears the heat adds a gusto to what they are out to accomplish. The rain has no dampening effect either. The metros are crowded, people still queue up for the buses and autos do not ask for double the price! Such a stark difference from what I had experienced in Bangalore.

I'm yet to experience the traffic in its true sense in Mumbai. In contrast to Bangalore traffic, there isn't a restriction of timings for the trucks to ply the roads. Don't be surprised if you happen to be behind two trucks trying to maneuver the uphill ride on the national highway at a speed of 5-10 KMPH! Add to it a slipper road on a rainy day, like today! Crawling would be the best word to express your speed behind these trucks.

I miss reading lots of international, generic and current news in the morning newspaper. I have seen that majority of the pages are dedicated to news of Mumbai/Navi Mumbai (mind you, they are treated as two separate states and not just two separate districts!). There are very limited sections of the paper with news related to science, auto etc. I remember reading the Wimbledon results or an exciting India-Pak cricket match result/review in the next morning newspaper, warming to a cup of chai - maybe a small section on the first page - do not get that anymore and I miss it!

Fashion and business sense is fabulous here. I wonder about the energy reserve and enthusiasm of people to be so fashion savvy here. Need to learn one or two things here.I'm sure there are a plethora of other tidbits about this fascinating city I need to explore. Just gives me more topics to blog. So, wait and watch this space.