Bombay, In Short

“You can take the BOY out of BOMBAY; you can't take BOMBAY out of the BOY, you know.” - Salman Rushdie

Mumbai (Bombay, the former name of it), the city that has hypnotized everyone with its peculiar things is a place where everyone wants to live in. It is also called the financial, commercial and entertainment capital of India. Whosoever comes to Mumbai calls himself/herself a 'Mumbaikar' and he/she will tell you that there is no place like Mumbai. It has become a love affair for the writers where as the artists call her their muse. The photographers want to capture every part of its exquisite and eye-catching beauty. There are many things unique to this city like Mono rail, Local trains, Vada Pav, BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange), Lalbaugcha Raja, Dabbawala lunch delivery men, Bandra Worli sea link, etc. It is the place where million of dreams are built or even shattered. In spite of it, Mumbai always remain an ultimate destination for the aspiring people. The place where gems like Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachan, Ratan Tata, Zubin Mehta, Salman Rushdie, etc. have tried their fortune and today they are regarded as one of the best persons in this world. It is the dream city for the young minds of India. 'AAMCHI MUMBAI'- the word that is popularly associated with Mumbai.

Here are 10 beautiful images on the enigmatic land that is Mumbai.

   The Taj Mahal hotel

The Taj Mahal hotel is a five star hotel which is the ultimate tourist destination for foreigners. The structure resembles the famous historical monument, Taj Mahal. It has hosted many big personalities like Barrack Obama, The Beatles, The Prince of Wales, etc. Hotel Grand Palace is the other name for Taj Mahal Hotel.

                    Chariot in front of Gateway of India.

This particular vehicle known as chariot is right in front of Gateway of India. This image shows the traditional Indian vehicle used in earlier times by the warriors. And also seen is the the monument built during the British rule in India. It is among one of the favourite tourist destination in India.

                          Dabbawalla in Dadar, Mumbai

Dabbawalla which means 'Person with the box' is a very unique thing in Mumbai. Everyday thousands of dabbawalla deliver the lunch box that has fresh cooked food at the work place and then return the empty box to family as well. This tradition of 'Dabbawalla' has been going on for the last 100 years.

                View from Bandup (West), Mumbai

This image captures the three faces at the same time; first being the forest land that is rarely seen in Mumbai, second being the developed infrastructure and huge and tall buildings and third one as seen in the picture are the slums.

                            Vada Pav

Vada Pav, the staple food of Maharashtrians, is quite famous on the streets of Mumbai. People in this city usually have this stuff because they find themselves too busy and eat it while travelling in local train. It is also known as an Indian Burger.

               A view of the crowded places

Mumbai city without busy streets, market full of people, taxis and auto plying on the roads can never be imagined.

                         Rare view of the taxi

Taxi has always been the part and parcel of Mumbai. Also the writing on the taxi “JAI MAHARASHTRA” has been the trade mark not only for the Mumbaikars but also for the whole bunch of Marathi people. The colours of the word 'Bunty' shows the nationality part of it.

Women hanging from local train 

This might be a rare sight for the people living outside Mumbai, but for the city this is a common phenomena. Women can be seen hanging outside from the door of local train.

                         Monorail train 

The monorail train moves past a slum area between Wadala and Chembur. On one side of coin, the image speaks about the development in the city where as on the other side of coin, the slums are talking about a different story.

                              Cutting chai

In a city that’s always rushing, a “cutting” chai , or mini half cup of chai, is a quick any-time-of-day fix for people on the move. This again is a peculiar thing in Maharashtra especially in a city like Mumbai.

Conclusion:

Mumbai, as seen in the images, is not only about big and gigantic buildings but also about slums. It is about all the people coming from various parts of India who live in this city and become a 'Mumbaikar' for a life time. It becomes the home town for the people. As quoted by the famous film maker, Yash Chopra “Mumbai's infectious. Once you start living in Mumbai, working in Mumbai, I don't think you can live anywhere else.”

Mumbai city is unique in its own way. If women travelling hands free in train is extra ordinary then Dabbawalla men are the people to watch out for. Cutting chai with Vada Pav makes an awesome combination in Mumbai especially during monsoons. Everyone who enters this great city is mesmerized and drawn into its beauty. Everyone survives here in any weather; be it a businessman or be it a beggar. The entire city is programmed in a way because roads are always jammed, trains are always blocked, the streets and the shops or the restaurants are always crammed. But the people love it in every sense and in every way. They admire this place too much and in their words it is 'AAMCHI MUMBAI'. Mumbai, according to them is so beautiful with the atmosphere and breeze full of vibrant and zestful energy.

As nicely said by Jerry Pinto, “In this city, every deserted street corner conceals a crowd. It appears in a minute when something disrupts the way in which the world is supposed to work. It can disappear almost as instantaneously.”