I am a migrant to Mumbai – close to 30 years ago I moved to Maximum City full of hope and stars in my eyes! Like it has done for millions of people, it accepted me with open arms and made me a part of it in a blink of an eye. When people tell me today that you are a Delhite, I have to remind them that I have spent more years of my life in Mumbai and I am quite proud to be a Mumbaikar!!
Mumbai gave me opportunities, it has always been a safe place for me to move around at any time of the day, it is always pulsating, it smells of a better tomorrow even if you have had the worst day.
While I have spent most of my years in the suburbs, I started my stint in the city with Colaba! What a beautiful part of the city this place is. I still feel at home there!
Delhi, has a lot of history to the city but as I have found out, Mumbai does too but we have not preserved it and we are not talking enough about it. It is important to talk about it passionately and regularly – it has forts, ports, temples, stories of early revolutionaries, beaches, hills, waterfalls, ferries, villages and more!
While many infrastructure projects are underway to make the city a better place to stay, I feel sad when I look at the city today. I feel my beautiful city is languishing and crying for help! There are so many who have become kings from being paupers – people from all walk of life – Professionals, Business owners, Self employed professionals, Politicians, Entertainment Industry, Hospitality, Road side vendors, shopkeepers and more. But why is it that none of those think about giving back to this city that has given them MAXIMUM?!
I feel this city needs someone with an eye for beauty and the passion to make it a better place for everyone!! At the same time I would like us citizens to come together and start demanding a better city….better roads for sure, better road discipline, clear footpaths, no encroachments, a beautiful river side, cleaner air and more.
Mumbai meri jaan hai aur jaan ko hum humesha sambhal ke rakhana chahiye!
Soniya (Mumbaikar)