Two faces of Mumbai

February 08, 2010 05:20 pm | Updated 05:20 pm IST

Last year during Onam vacation, I had gone to Mumbai where my father works. I had never visited Mumbai before, though I had always wanted to see the city that is hailed as the economic capital of India. When we landed in Chatrapati Sivaji airport in Mumbai, it was already night. It took almost one hour to reach Malad, where my dad's apartment is situated. We did not visit many places in Mumbai mainly due to the rain. It rained cats and dogs most of the days.

But, I did get to visit Dharavi which has the dubious distinction of being Asia's largest slum. It is located near Andheri. An estimated 600,000 people live here, wedged within less than one square mile. Some alleys in Dharavi are so narrow that they are only passable by walking sideways. Small shacks made of bits of tarpaulin, tin and cardboard, house families of 12 or more people. Half-naked children and stray dogs run about, adding to the general cacophony. Most of the places in Dharavi stink, due to the poor drainage facilities, and the tanneries located nearby. Dharavi also has a large number of bakeries and sweet manufacturing centres.

If you travel just two miles from Dharavi, the surroundings undergo a startling change. The high buildings and sprawling malls are in sharp contrast to the poverty and suffering in Dharavi. Thus, Mumbai is a city of stark contrasts and differences. The city is dotted with tall, but old moss covered buildings. Both rich and poor go about their daily businesses, largely oblivious of each other.

Seeing the two faces of a single city, especially one as populous and lively as Mumbai was a unique and unforgettable experience for me, which I shall cherish forever.

Niranjana is a Std IX student at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Tripunithura

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.