SoBo- SOUTH BOMBAY : MUMBAI AS I KNOW IT

  

              SoBo- SOUTH BOMBAY : MUMBAI AS I KNOW IT

DISCLAIMER: Sorry for the delay and blurred pictures.This post took a long time to write, please excuse me for minor errors.    ए दिल  है मुश्किल  जीना  यहां  ये  है बॉम्बे  ये  है बॉम्बे   बॉम्बे  मेरी जान - This song sung by Mohammed Rafi and Geeta Dutt has a special meaning for many who simply have fallen in love with this city including me.

Flora fountain, Bombay Stock Exchange and old colonial buildings.

Introduction

Many people would correct me when I call Mumbai "Bombay" but  I  do not change my way of addressing the  "City Of  Dreams". Bombay is an emotion while Mumbai is a city.It gives it an archaic and colonial feel which is now uncommon in this era of technology. Every city is unique and has many feelings attached with it but nevertheless, I  do not hesitate to say that this is my favorite city and I feel to be a resident of it along with being close to it more than my own city. I travel to this city pretty frequently and have gradually developed a special bond for it. With the holidays starting I made a very sudden plan to go to Bombay but it turned out to be a pretty interesting adventure.This post concentrates on SoBo or South Bombay and how I think of it as I try to portray Mumbai from my eyes which I have been wishing to write about since a long time.

Towards Bombay on a long weekend-2nd November

This photograph gives you a brief idea of how crowded this train was.

The plan was a very bizarre one and required travelling in the general unreserved class as we planned this pretty late :). What we saw while entering  the train was a deluge of people which could not be imagined even in our wildest dreams.It later dawned to me that on a long weekend Friday(2nd November. Trivia- It was Shah Rukh Khan's birthday!)the train had to be that crowded.Taking turns I sat on the plank and managed to reach Dadar in one piece.-not exaggerating !(For those who do not know- this point serves as an interchange for long distance and suburban trains of the central and western line in Bombay).Taking a fast suburban train which was so crowded that I couldn't even manage to remove the cellphone to take a photograph. We reached Andheri (A major suburb- the International airport is located here.) As soon as I reached my Bua's house in a span of 30 minutes I was asleep and considering that I also had my annual function the same day for which I woke up at dawn, It wasn't surprising that I crashed down.

The suburban trains are pretty crowded at dusk and trust me the crowd makes no difference to the locals.

The South Bombay walk and drive-3rd November

Planning to visit the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya(formerly the Prince of Wales museum) we drove towards the Kala Ghoda area of Fort which also doubles as a business district along with being an art district. The drive covered most of SoBo and was interesting as there was no dearth  of colonial buildings along with glitzy skyscrapers with slums in the background which are rarely noticed. Mumbai has people from diverse backgrounds and standards of living dwelling peacefully and they never fail to put up a beautiful smile even as they slog to achieve their goal.The drive had many famous buildings on its route which I would write about shortly. The Arabian sea looked extremely gorgeous and attractive as the skyscrapers overlooked it.

People click photographs with the pristine sea as its background.

The water here seemed very clean and clear which is pretty rare these days.The sand was white and did not have  a lot of garbage around it.We saw the famous Haji Ali Dargah which is crowded at all times. We were near the Koliwada which is basically a colony of the original residents of the region who do fishing for a living.

A modern fishing boat with the impressive skyline as the background.

We drove towards the sealink which serves as a lifeline to the people wanting to skip the Mahim Causeway which is highly congested.

The Bandra-Worli sealink connecting the Hip and stylish suburb Bandra to the business district of Worli.

The sealink was beautiful as it offered stunning views of the bay and though it had a toll fee many including me think that it is worth every penny.

We reached Worli which had a myriad of buildings being constructed on redeveloped land. These buildings were residential and many were also being developed as business complexes.

Big buildings adore the sky.

Many celebrities have their residence in this precinct and we passed by quite a few like Mukesh Ambani's luxurious residence at Altamount Road which has skyrocketing real estate prices.

Antillia(Mukesh Ambani's residence)

A mixture of old and new buildings were found onward. Mumbai has a long history with the Cotton Textile Industry with many high rises which were built when the old mills were razed but still the areas are addressed as the "X mill compound" as the mills were extensively vast in area.There are still mills existing and sell items in wholesale. South central Bombay areas such as Parel were once only Textile mill areas.Tell this to someone new in Mumbai that the skyscrapers land had handlooms operating on it in the days of yore and he will surely raise an eyebrow.

Shakti Mills, Parel- Stands in ruins

Areas like Wadala and Chembur had a lot of crude oil related businesses and till date the unpleasant oil smell reeks in the Harbor area. Some may have got used to it but newcomers find it extremely difficult to breathe.

Bharat Petroleum Refinery,Chembur(E)

Towards Suburban Mumbai the smell is similar to hard water and mild fish reeking. You might find this surprising but I have grown attached to that particular smell since my childhood days.

A Koli woman selling fish with a pleasing smile.

The beaches of Mumbai are rugged and rocky but still are splendid in the evenings with a variety of people flocking to it. It won't be hard finding a group of teenagers playing Gully Cricket with intense passion with a relatively soft Tennis ball. Try asking them to let you in and you would be part of the mayhem in no time.

The famous Shivaji Park,Dadar

The Shivaji Park which is the biggest park in the seven island city is a haven for cricket lovers and the master blaster himself used to play here.

The metropolitan region and its localities are divided into east and west by the suburban railway line which has carved out a niche of its own in popular culture. The west which is represented by a (W) or (पश्चिम )  and the east which is represented by a (E) or  (पूर्व)  demarcate the area into almost two congruent parts with the western area focused generally for Residential purposes whereas the eastern area is for industrial and commercial purposes  with many of the eastern part of locales acted as business districts.

The infamous tracks which divide the city almost everywhere.

Matunga has a great number of South Indians dwelling since decades and there is no dearth of South Indian Cafes which give authentic food without burning a hole in your prized pocket.

Cafe Madras, an old eatery in Matunga catering for the Foodies and loyal customers alike.

The Southern precinct affectionately referred to as SoBo and its residents being referred to as townies in the local colloquial language are really the pride of the city.The Fort area boasts of the oldest stock exchange of India, some quintessential Parsi / Irani cafes which have been a part of the Mumbai culture since time immemorial along with the old Victorian style business district of Ballard estate.

The good old Ballard estate.

The people who have been to the city of Miami may find a lot of similarities here. Mumbai has a myriad of Art Deco buildings

only behind Miami,USA. The buildings along with a good sunset gives a beautiful scene reminding many of Miami.

The Art Deco constructions.

I saw these old business areas which still are hubs of commerce. Even on a hot warm and humid day the gave the basic what every Mumbaikar wants : SHADE!

I saw the RBI office along with the TATA headquarters and many more in the fort area which had a lot of Taxis and doubledecker buses.

Coming back to our journey :) , we reached the Sanghralaya and were lost in it four around 90 to 120 minutes and the relics were beautiful and really ancient and though we couldn't click photographs I managed to smuggle this one.

A reclining Buddha.

After the museum we had  food at Pizza by the bay which overlooked the Marine drive and went to a gaming arcade which isn't really intriguing :). The trip left me  desiring for more of SoBo and the townies are partially right it is actually a beautiful place.

                                            Marine Drive,Mumbai offering a calm view of the sea as the sun scorches.

Conclusion-

Mumbai even though may disgust you, Brighten you up, make you sad but it surely does two things : surprise you and teach you.

The people of Mumbai may be very nonchalant but they are as warm as the city :) when it comes for helping.The sea of people at a railway station who have all personal goals everyday make a journey for another logn day but as they go they connect with others in a casual and friendly manner.

As the train chugged towards home I smiled at the adventures I had.

This was a very small article on Bombay but I will surely write more and try to amaze and astonish you with the phenomena called BOMBAY later on:).

regards

famebythisname