Travellerr:MadHouse Mumbai
I often wonder how people live in Mumbai. The city is chock-o-block.Streets congested to the brim, trains packed like sardines, people
living in houses that resemble a hens den, if at all they are lucky
enough to get a house that is. The unlucky 50% of Mumbai population live
in slums, where conditions, often, are unfit even for animals.
My most vivid memory of a Mumbai slum is the sight of the Mankhurd
slum, which can be seen from the windows of the local train traveling
the Harbour line. As the train approaches the slum, it slows down to a
crawl, as if to prepare itself for the gory sights ahead. As you begin
to take in the sight, you realize that the slum is not too far off. In
fact, its right next to the track, so close that the hutments are barely
a few feet away from the tracks! Children are playing, housewives
working, men folk staring at the passengers or playing cards amidst what
is literally, life in the gutter! Travel in India's economic capital is
harrowing at best. If you are an adventure sports buff, try traveling in
the Virar fast train at peak hour. If you survive, I can assure you that
you can survive anywhere in the world.
I once struck a conversation with a watchman of an ATM near Opera
House. It was night time and scores of people had occupied the footpath
at that late hour. The watchman said that these people were permanent
occupants of the street in the nighttime and that they worked the
streets, during the day. He wondered where they came from. I learned
later that he too lived in a slum in the suburbs, in conditions which
were only marginally better, in that, he had a roof over his head.
While I write this I am watching live visuals of serial blasts hitting
the Mumbai transportation network- almost definitely the handiwork of
terrorists. There is a definite sense that Mumbai has now almost become
used to events like this. Mumbaikars have learned to live their life on
the edge- one more blast is like just like another jostle at the local
station on their daily commute.
Its almost certain that Mumbai will record full attendance in offices
and the city will quickly jump to normal. Much has been written about
the amazing resilience of the Mumbaikars Psyche. Although laudable, its
high time Mumbaikars do not just suffer in silence and carry on with
their jobs. Its time to ask uncomfortable questions to our
representatives- what are they doing to avoid having Mumbai falling off into the abyss that is clearly staring in our collective faces.
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living in houses that resemble a hens den, if at all they are lucky
enough to get a house that is. The unlucky 50% of Mumbai population live
in slums, where conditions, often, are unfit even for animals.
My most vivid memory of a Mumbai slum is the sight of the Mankhurd
slum, which can be seen from the windows of the local train traveling
the Harbour line. As the train approaches the slum, it slows down to a
crawl, as if to prepare itself for the gory sights ahead. As you begin
to take in the sight, you realize that the slum is not too far off. In
fact, its right next to the track, so close that the hutments are barely
a few feet away from the tracks! Children are playing, housewives
working, men folk staring at the passengers or playing cards amidst what
is literally, life in the gutter! Travel in India's economic capital is
harrowing at best. If you are an adventure sports buff, try traveling in
the Virar fast train at peak hour. If you survive, I can assure you that
you can survive anywhere in the world.
I once struck a conversation with a watchman of an ATM near Opera
House. It was night time and scores of people had occupied the footpath
at that late hour. The watchman said that these people were permanent
occupants of the street in the nighttime and that they worked the
streets, during the day. He wondered where they came from. I learned
later that he too lived in a slum in the suburbs, in conditions which
were only marginally better, in that, he had a roof over his head.
While I write this I am watching live visuals of serial blasts hitting
the Mumbai transportation network- almost definitely the handiwork of
terrorists. There is a definite sense that Mumbai has now almost become
used to events like this. Mumbaikars have learned to live their life on
the edge- one more blast is like just like another jostle at the local
station on their daily commute.
Its almost certain that Mumbai will record full attendance in offices
and the city will quickly jump to normal. Much has been written about
the amazing resilience of the Mumbaikars Psyche. Although laudable, its
high time Mumbaikars do not just suffer in silence and carry on with
their jobs. Its time to ask uncomfortable questions to our
representatives- what are they doing to avoid having Mumbai falling off into the abyss that is clearly staring in our collective faces.
