“The first requisite to happiness is that man be born in a famous city.”
-Euripides
While for Rousseau cities were “the abyss of the human species”, for Shakespeare it was all about people. I can’t remember since when I caught a strange fascination towards cities, but maybe this has something to do with my changing cities very often every few years. (Thanks to my dad’s job and my education needs) Delhi was always special and intriguing for me only because I’ve had read a lot about it. As for Bombay, I could not find a reason well enough to be excited about, but still it was a muse of my excitements. Maybe Bombay represents a very basic dream to be among the betters for the bourgeoisie. Like Rio de Janeiro is for Brazilians and NYC is for people from second-world.
Some time back, I could not digest what an article said about Indian cities in Livemint. I just thought that the writer was pretending to be classy and unorthodox all just to create sensation to grab desperate attention. Writers do that. But now that I think of, I can’t construe any genuine ‘Indian’ city which is worth for its planning, architecture and class. Delhi was built by Moghuls who were not Indian, at least till that time and later by the British. Moghuls gave us Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Dhakha and others. Hyderabad was Kutb dynasty’s talent.
All major ports were conceived by traders who came from Europe. These include: Pondicherry, Goa, Madras and Calcutta. Shimla, Darjeeling and to a large extent Bangalore and Chandigarh in modern times, are all British. Jamshedpur, of which I get mixed reviews, was again an idea of a Parsi, a community not indigenous to India. All the rise of the ‘90s could give us were Gurgoan, Noida, Ahmedabad and the likes. Which by all means are just noise and pollution and glass and concrete. The Indian stamp on Delhi and Madras is nothing but debasing. Bangalore and Calcutta are mess now. This leaves us with cities of erstwhile southern kingdoms like Cochins and Vizaks but they are not world-class by any means. Cities of Ganges planes like Varanasis, Kashis and Patnas? Maybe. The Indian cities I can think of now are all former Rajputana fort-holds. Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Chittorgarh, Jaisalmer and every major city you can think of in Rajasthan are all, if not world class, hallmarks of proper planning and architecture, although of striking similarity. Mind you, I am not talking about the city-expansions beyond the ‘walls’ which are again dingy. The state of these cities inside the 'walls' is miserable though now. But then again, cities of Rajputana and Sikhs were heavily influenced by works of Moguls. In fact, the most recognized monument of Jodhpur and the largest private property in the world, Umaid Palace, was again designed by a British.So the truly world-class ‘Indian’city of its times belonged to Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, I guess.
Bombay is no different. From seven barren islands developed by Portuguese and later by British, all India could add to it was haphazardness and change in name of city and its landmarks. Bombay is no different from any other sloppy Indian city. The only part of the city where you are not ashamed to be in is South-Bombay. All British and heavily populated by Parsis. And it is world-class because it is not Indian. People from other parts of the city proud themselves in their cosmopolitan outlook and an unobservable , invisible and fancy-named ‘Mumbai-Spirit’. This Mumbai-Spirit, for as much I could observe over my stay of three days, refers to daily struggle for survival. Darwin, if alive, would have definitely cited Bombay to endorse his theories.
Don’t get me wrong. Bombay is awesome. But only if you are an Indian and are used to this way of living. It, arguably, it the best Indian city to live in. Although people pride themselves in being exotic and being able to speak fluent not-so-pedantic English, but to my pleasant surprise, it thankfully is devoid of fake, boring and pretentious intellectual intelligentsia. Like that of Delhi, if I were to mention. You have here, the best of both worlds. And once you get into the groove of it, you don’t want to live anywhere else. Bombay brings you out of your comfort zone and rewards you for it. I loved Bombay and would want to be there always. If we goes by Shakespeare's notion of judging a city by its people, this city is classy and cosmopolite. It has always opened arms for people of all caste, creed, religion, region and nationality. Even if you rape and debase it, it does not say No. Million dreams are conceived here everyday and twice that are shattered. This city has spice. And beyond all it's black murkiness, this city beats. This city has life.
The rise of the ‘90s, when most of us were actually born, has given us a false notion the India is the in-thing. The fact is that India and Indians are still and were always looked with contempt and disgust and associated with poverty and uncivilizedness all over the world. Most of us won’t know it because we are poor readers and poor travelers and won’t know how it is to live in a world-class civilized society. India can never give birth to London, Madrid, Venice, Rome, Vienna or Hong Kong. Not in these times at least.Till then, there is nothing to be proud of about 'Indian-ness' in Indian cities.
Post Scripts:
- It is awesome to be gifted a camera before you embark to Bombay. Not a cam-savy person, but thank god else I would have so much missed capturing the city. :)
- Also, it is cool to meet some online identities. It is cooler if you could avoid the taxing part. People in Bombay are suave, refined, sophisticated, classy, polished and recherché. At least people I know are. :)
- Also it is cool to stand next to SRKs Mannat and feel liked screaming. The watchman is very friendly. :)
- Don’t believe in Shantaram. He, like all foreign authors, is programmed to see shit and is biased. Slumdog Millionaire is crap.
- If you can’t create it, rename it. :)
- Oxford disappoints. It is less books and more dating. :)
- Taxi and Auto drivers are surprisingly friendly and honest. Go by meter and standard fare-chart. Autos are rickety. Not allowed in South-Bombay. :)
- Elephanta caves, though world heritage site, are not that majestic. Though the cheap to and fro ferry ride from Gateway of India to it is worth it :)
- Some interesting takes on Indian cities are here and here. :)
©Rakesh 2011
