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Mumbai is Mumbai Because of the Following 5 Things

by: Madhu

Maharashtra, The land of Marathas and Peshwas, is one of the most beautiful states of India. Maharashtra is home to two major and important cities of India. These cities are Mumbai and Pune. Mumbai is the financial capital of India where as Pune is one of the popular educational center in India.

Mumbai, The financial capital of India, is also home to Indian Film industry, which is called Bollywood. Mumbai as a tourist destination has so much to offer its visitors from across the world. The world renowned places are, The Gateway of India,Taj Hotel, Maha Laxmi Temple, Haji Ali Dargah, Elephanta Caves etc. The most attractive part of Mumbai is its nightlife. It is popularly known as “The city that never sleeps”.

Mumbai is home to millions of people and is the most populous city in India. On one hand, the metropolitan city is home to millionaires, business tycoons and on the other hand, it has Asia’s second largest slum, which is home to 55% of the population of Mumbai, which cover only 6 - 8% of the city’s land. 72% of the population is illiterate and is below poverty line.

Image credit: http://www.gundekomiran.com/brusklog/wp-includes/images/mumbai-slums.jpg

City often called as “Swapn Nagri or City of Dreams” because the city generates thousands of employment opportunities and is the economic powerhouse of India. Many refer Mumbai as the Manhattan of India. Mumbai is India at its most contradictory, with its sharp contrasts: it can be aggressively modern yet some parts deeply rooted with the traditional bordering on medieval, from glamorous to rough-edged and raw…quintessentially Indian.

Image credit: http://www.photoatlas.com/photo/india_mumbai-01.jpg

1. Bollywood : The Indian Film Industry
Mumbai is known as the city where dreams come true esp. for those pursuing their career in Bollywood. The hub of the film making industry in India and the largest film industry in the world, Bollywood is a phenomenon in itself. The booming Bollywood industry constitutes of 250 studios in Mumbai alone. The most popular film studio, Mumbai film City is situated in Goregaon East, in the vicinity of Aarey Colony.

Image credit: http://www.bharatwaves.com/portal/uploads/original_Bollywood_47c00cf348c8f.jpg

2. Historic Sights of the City
A melting pot of religions, customs, people and culture Mumbai is best described as a place where traditional meets the modern in extremes. The City's historical sights are within the city and an everyday part of it's residents lives. From the Gateway of India to the Jehangir Art gallery you won't have to travel outside the city to visit its past and present glories.

Image credit: http://help.berberber.com/members/sajalarora/albums/monuments-india/1838-gateway-india.jpeg

3. The Six Sigma certified Mumbai Dabbawallas
Clad in dhotis and gandhi caps with large trays of steel tiffins scurrying in andout of Victoria Terminus (CST), Mumbai's busiest railway station are the unassuming dabbawalas of the city delivering lunch tiffins to lakhs of people across the city. More than 175,000 boxes are transported every day in the city. From picking up the tiffins from door to door -the point of origin to sorting out the tiffins to transportation through the busy Mumbai traffic, Local trains and bicycles, till delivering the right tiffin to the right person, it all moves quite punctually without any delay and the tiffins are delivered by around 12:30p.m. The Dabbawala is a common sight for Mumbaikars. But their precision and efficiency has been a case study for management students as well as gained acknowledgment from Prince Charles, Richard Branson among many others.

4. The duck that isn't a duck
Mumbai is defined by the sea. The original community of Koli fishermen still ply their trade at Sassoon Dock, laying out racks of prized Bombay duck to dry in the blistering sun. "Bombay duck" is not in fact, a waterfowl, but a foot-long, slimy-looking fish, more accurately known as bombil. The dried, salted fish are fried and served whole, and have an alternately crisp and mushy texture, reminiscent of the best soft-shell crab. Not a smell or favor to everyone's taste buds, but those who like it can't get enought of it.

Image credit: http://asiasociety.org/files/bombayduck.jpg

The World's Largest and Most Expensive Residence
Talk about extremes. Mumbai houses (pun intended) the World's Largest and Most Expensive Residence estimated over $1 billion. Yes, you read right that's BILLION and not million. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance and India's Richest Resident is building himself the world's most expensive home called- 'Antilia Residence' which is near completion in downtown Mumbai. But while the city is said to have more millionaires per square mile than Manhattan in the United States, 55% of Mumbai's population lives in slums and it also has the distinction of housing Asia’s largest slum Dharavi. Tallest Single Residence, Tallest Living Wall, Tallest Garden, Most Expensive Residence and a Revolution in Skyscraper design are a few to put this new project underway in Mumbai.

Image credit: http://dericktan.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/DSCF3818.jpg