Multidimensional Unidirectional (Part-1)

Mumbai, a town where only hustlers live and are alive, is on the verge of taking on a new Avatar. I was in Mumbai for about a month and this was after a gap of around 2 years. It seemed almost like 2 decade’s worth of change in a town know for its “chalta hai” attitude and wada-paav! Everything is on the rise….. including inflation. High rise, pay-rise, population rise and the likes!
Good riddance with the introduction paragraph and now I can get into the crux of tonight’s write-up. So I was in Mumbai for about a month and out of which this one day was a vivid display of the multi-dimensions of Mumbai. This city has been a thriving port since the times of Portuguese, Dutch and the British. It still has architectures that testify the imperial taste of European powers. Churchgate holds many such designs even today and those infact happen to be the economy centers of Mumbai and the country to some extent. Some of the spaces in those age old buildings have been taken up by giants like HSBC, Lawrence & Mayo etc.
This is the second day of my trip and to tackle jetlag, dad has pulled me out for Mumbai darshan and we happen to be on the sidewalks of one such building. Now those who have been to Churchgate will know that, hawkers with CD’s, belts, apparel, glares, zippos etc are all over the place. I am walking down once such “footpath” and this is what I see:
At the footstep of a multinational bank 3 hawkers with “Gandhi topi” are about to take lunch. They had spread a sheet of paper on the ground with their steel dabbas (with “3 containers “) ready by the side (oh… microwave…?? naah not required.. Mumbai was a boiler then!). A road-side entrepreneur forcibly draws my attention to his stall. Just then an “associate” all decked up in suit-boot-tie walks past me and while being engrossed in a discussion with his colleague, he drops his cell phone and phlaaatttt… its screen is gone! There go atleast 5K. He smiles picks up the debris and walks away again engrossed in the discussion.
Ok I don’t know if I saw what I actually saw…. There were people who still take food from home and find shade under a building although it seems to be crowded and unhygienic etc. Then there was a group of entrepreneurs hustling to sell any and everything that they had at any cost and finally the guy who represents the rising GDP! All of this under a building which is reminiscent of imperial powers! I love Mumbai…
That’s not it. The number of high rises, skywalks, wi-fi spots, mega-huge malls, cell phone users etc. is sky-rocketing. Friends with whom I shared “cutting” don’t mind sipping mocha in Barista or spend “some good time” in CCD. I go out for dinner assume 1k would be sufficient… it is not! People have money and the will to spend it. As such vendors are more than happy to siphon off it from them. But hang on… isn’t that the picture in metros all over Bharat??