Today HT headlines bestows upon Mumbai the honor of being amongst the least liveable cities. Clap clap, clap slap, slap slap!!.
FORGET SHANGHAI, Mumbai ranks just above Bogota, Tehran, Dhaka and Lagos: the worst cities in the world as far as liveability is concerned. A new survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) assessing the "liveability" of 127 cities worldwide has found that Mumbai is among the most wretched cities.
My proposal for "Resurrection of Mumbai". Meanwhile, run while you can. Practise in the 2006 Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon.
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
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8 comments:
This depends on what a person likes. Mumbai has fast life and everything is timed. You wont find peace on the road, on the way but that doesnt mean you wont find place of your likings. I like place where I stay and sleep, its peaceful.
Mumbai is more a commercial place than a residential place. People come here to make money and send to their native place. They dont come here to search for peace of life.
You will find all types of people and the living styles here, its just that you need to find and fit in what suits you.
Only problem I find is pollution and rush of people but again that I face mainly while running for money and plus I myself am part of that rush.
AM.
A city is more than your house. You need to paths to stroll along, gardens to relax in, beaches (where you have sea) for the cool evening breeze and a chat with your loved ones.
And if you have such spaces, you don't go about systematically eliminating then.
Borivli National Park invaded by huts
Aarey Milk Colony being slowly usurped by Royal Palms
Creeks filled in along the Western suburbs
Remaining gardens being used for dumping rubble (citizen's apathy rather than municipality's, but still) and encroached on.
Beach fronts used as a massive loo.
And more than that, the people. We unnecessarily sings peans to the greatness of the Mumbaikar. How considerate are we, socially - when we walk on the roads, drive our cars, use the public transport. Hardly.
What Mumbai allows is just to survive, not live a life.
So, once you have made it, get the hell out of there.
And you're where .. Norwich? Please, give me a break. Bombay is the most vibrant, exciting, charged, positive place I've ever lived in .. it makes most of the UK look like the dull, grey opinionated place it is. Its not all about infrastructure. Its also about being happy with what you have, and a sense of the collective and community. By the way your blog was published today in the Mumbai Mirror!
Dont judge me by where I am :-)) I am just here on a project. I will soon be back to my karmabhoomi.
Mumbai is where I have found the best, the smartest and most talented people. But my argument is just that. Why do we put these great people under so much of stress and make them go through so many hardships every working day. The results are there for you to see. They shout, rant, honk, swear, bully, argue, fight. Been in trains? You have groups formed which look after each other's interests, because every day, there are 1000 more people who have landed on Mumbai streets ready to take their last inch of space.
If there were fewer people (not all of Australia crammed on 7 tiny islands), better infra, I bet Mumbai would be a great place. It is not. And I dont say so. The survey does.
We cannot side-step this issue by saying "Look! there are other problems elsewhere". I dont care how it is here, because I dont belong here.
BTW, what about Mumbai Mirror. I didnt see my blog there
Heather in my opinion is right.
Mumbai is completely liveable.
Borivli National Park OR Aarey colony
DO NOT affect liveablilty of majority
of Mumbai residents.
No time to debate as it seems
everlasting.
AM.
Aarey and Borivli National Park directly affect the lives of Mumbai. When we destroy green areas like these, you face disastrous consequences as shown by Mumbai floods. They are your rain catchment areas (BTW, the Mithi river whose flow has been completely smothered, originates in Aarey)
Then these also act as a bio-filter purifying the nalas that flow into them.
Not to forget its immense contribution in improving air-quality.
Gardens, parks, forests are places of peace and tranquility. You want to unwind, go there. Without you knowing it, you will forget the daily grind and be transported to another world - more in tune with your true self.
People would be happier if we had more parks and greenery in Mumbai.
All I can hear everybody saying is 'there are problems with ..., ..., and ...' and possibly something on the lines of 'somebody should do ..., ..., and ...'. But hardly anybody comes up with 'I am doing ... to solve the ... problem'. Sad.
Its easy for people to target the protestors saying that they don't have anything better to do and just criticize.
That I protest means, I am doing something about it. I am raising my voice.
That I vote means I involve myself in the decision making process about who looks after the city.
There are people out there assigned to look after the city - maintain the roads, improve the infrastructure, provide basic amenities. You drill down to smallest task and there are people allocated in the government for that task. THEY are not doing THEIR job. How is that the fault of those who complain?
I pay taxes so all these people would do their jobs.
I am paid to do a job and if I were to start doing government's job, then I am in social service at the cost of my employer. Does that make sense?
I don't think so.
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