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Mumbai (Bombay) |
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Mumbai[1], earlier known as Bombay, is the largest city in India and the capital of Maharashtra state. Mumbai was originally a conglomeration of 7 islands on the Konkan coastline which over time were joined to form the island city of Bombay. The island was in turn joined with the neighbouring island of Salsette to form Greater Bombay. The city has an estimated metropolitan population of 17 million (2005), making it one of the largest cities in the world. Mumbai is the only major city in India which has the largest slum population. Mumbai is also one of India's largest port cities and looms large as the commercial capital of India. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolised in the presence of Bollywood within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries.
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SEE DO EAT
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 SEE
The game of names
The names of Mumbai's monuments tell us the story of which way political winds were blowing when they were built. In the late 19th century the British named everything after their Queen, so we had Victoria terminus, Victoria Gardens and the Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (built in 1887 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty's coronation). In the early 20th century, they named everything after the Prince of Wales.
After independence the colonial names could not be retained of course, so they were renamed . Depending on whether the city was suffering from bouts of nationalistic pride or Marathi pride at that time, they were named after either Jawaharlal Nehru (the first Prime Minister of India) or Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj (King Shivaji, who founded the Maratha empire in the 18th century). Often, they were named after Shivaji's mother, Jijabai. The advantage of this was that using Veermata Jijabai ("Courageous mother Jijabai") for a place that was earlier named for Victoria maintains the same abbreviation, so "Veermata Jijabai Technical Institute" is still VJTI.
For a traveller, the practical problem would be that many places have multiple names, as locals haven't got the memo that the official names have changed. There is also the problem that there are multiple places named after Nehru, Shivaji or Jijabai, so you need to be careful about specifying which place you need to get to.
There is a lot to see in Mumbai, but the typical "tourist" sights are concentrated in South Mumbai.
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DO
There is a lot to do in Mumbai, but lack of space means that for outdoorsy activities, you need to head north, often outside city limits. In the Northwestern suburbs and Thane, you will find quite a bit of opportunities for water sports like H20[8] at Girgaum Chowpatty. There are two golf courses in the city, the more famous one in Chembur[9] in the Harbour suburbs.
Mumbai has a vibrant theatre scene with plays in many languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi. While South Mumbai has frequent performances, the best organized theatre effort is at Prithvi theatre, Juhu in the Western Suburbs. There are plenty of opportunities to enjoy Indian classical music and dance. While not a patch on the Sabhas of Chennai, you will find frequent performances of Carnatic music in Shanmukhananda Hall, Matunga in the South Central suburbs.
Mumbai is also usually the first stop for Western pop and rock stars visiting India, which they usually do when they are over 50. The Rock scene is very good in Mumbai. These are very safe to go to and are recommended for rock fans. Most bands cover heavy metal acts like Pantera, Six feet under, Slipknot etc. but at places like Not just jazz by the bay, there are treats for Jazz fans, as well. To try to find places with specific music tastes try asking students outside Mumbai's colleges.
Western classical music performances are rarer.
- Harbour Cruise, Gateway of India, +91 22 2202 3585. Cruises leave at 30 minutes frequency every day except during the monsoon season (June-September). Rs. 40.
- Heritage walks, Navyug Niketan, 185 Walkeshwar Road, Teenbatti, Mumbai 400 006 +91 22 2683 5856 +91 22 2369 0992 (Contact Brinda Gaitonde or Abha Bahl heritagewalks@hotmail.com) Organized by two architects, these walks take you around various historic and architecturally significant areas of the city. Walks are organized on the third sunday of every month (with a break from June through August for the monsoons) and the route varies each time. The walks last around 90 minutes. Rs. 100 (Discounted rates for students and the physically challenged)
- Enjoy the Mumbai Festival [10], held in January every year. In 2006, it took place between January 14-26. Sample the vibrant culture of the city. The festival covers theatre, sports, fashion, food and shopping.
- Banganga Festival The musical festival is organised by MTDC, every year at Banganga Tank on Malabar Hill in Jan.
- Elephanta Festival, Elephanta Island, Mumbai ( MTDC Reservation Division: +91 22 2202 6713, +91 22 2202 7762; Dadar, Near. Pritam Hotel: +91 22 2414 3200; Gateway of India: +91 22 2284 1877; Churchgate: +91 22 2209 3229; Rhythm House +91 222284 2835; Archies Gallery, Churchgate +91 22 2202 7511 Extn. 113, +9193246 35505) [11] of music and dance takes place around February every year. In 2006, it took place on February 11 and 12. The festival saw performances by renowned artists like Alarmel Valli, Sanjeev Abhyankar and Ananda Shankar. There will be traditional Koli dances and traditional food. 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. (both days. Ferries start 4 p.m. onwards), Rs. 300 (per day, includes to and fro journey by ferry from Gateway of India to Elephanta Island)
- It is a beautiful sight and experience to drive on Marine Drive.
- Also a very good place to hang out and take in the sea without the menacing crowds is Carter road and Bandstand in Mumbai's poshest suburb, Bandra .
- Kala Ghoda [12] The arts and crafts festival is held in the last week of January or first week of February every year in the historic precinct of Kala ghoda in Mumbai
- If you can afford it, at $300/hour (including drinks & meals), rent the Taj's private yacht (has 2 sun decks and 3 bedrooms) for a cruise around the Mumbai harbour.
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EAT
The dining experience at an upscale restaurant in Mumbai is more or less the same as anywhere else in the world. If you search hard enough, you will find cuisine from practically every part of the world represented in the city. But to get a real flavour of what's unique to Mumbai, you will have to go a little lower down the scale, and experience its street food and Irani cafes. That is what is described here. For individual restaurants and other places to eat, go to the individual district pages.
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