City of Extremes
Mumbai is one city in India that can bring out a range of emotions in you. It can enervate, stimulate, rejuvenate the senses all at the same time. Mumbai evokes memories of clamorous streets packed with cars, bikes, rickshaws, with people and animals all going about their own business. Jostling marketplaces and the local trains with people and peddlers all vying for space that is at absolute premium in Mumbai, so what if it is just a train ride! The old Gothic buildings all over the city are a constant reminder of its glorious past. Set in the midst of all this is the blinding arclights of Bollywood.
Who can overlook the amazing finger-licking yummy street food of Mumbai. A must try are the Pav Bhaji, Vada Pav, Bhel Puri and the list goes on and on and to top it all, it is quite a sight to see tie-clad executives and taxi drivers in their khaki uniforms all digging into their favorite food under the same roof.
This beautiful, rich exterior still does not manage to hide the downtrodden and the poor in this city of many extremes. Dharavi- Asia's largest slum is home to over a million people. Narrow streets, open sewers, row of huts mark the area but despite of all the hardships, the resilience, resolve and the determination of these slum dwellers is to be admired. Contrary to the notion that it is too dangerous to venture into these slums, Dharavi is almost a city within a city with its own set of small scale industries, recycling factories.
All in all, Mumbai is definitely a must see place in India, where you can never tell what surprise holds for you at the corner of the street.