A Tale Of Two Cities – Mumbai & Delhi.
NO, I’m not talking about the IPL teams, I’m talking about two of the most dynamic cities of India.
Mumbai, is the Commercial Capital of India. This city of dreams, has something to offer for everyone. It’s also known as the City which never sleeps, and being quite a party animal, I can vouch for that. Trust me, even if it is two in the morning and you need an auto, you will get it, and he will take you by the meter. For people in Mumbai (Mumbaikars) time is money. Everyone is busy in their own world, minding their own business and carrying on with their own lives. They are mostly workaholics, who do not have the time for leisure activities. They lead a highly stressful and competitive life, because in Mumbai, you have to be the best if you want to keep your job, it’s very rare that you pull some strings and you get your work done. (Unless you refer to your bank balance as your “strings”) Anyway, the Mumbaikars have a very different aura around them, which I haven’t seen anywhere else in India. They are open minded and passionate about their work. And one thing you’ve got to appreciate about them, is that no matter what the situation, be it terrorist attack(s), God’s anger via natural disasters, political debacle or any other crazy calamity you can think of, they have all survived it, gulped it down, and continued with their lives. They have become immune to such threats and have developed the survival instinct. This city, is also the birthplace of India’s biggest film industry – Bollywood. And maybe that’s why, the Mumbaikars have a brilliant sense of fashion and glamour. They will know exactly what is “IN” and what is “two months ago” in the fashion industry. The down side about Mumbai is the lack of space. You have got to agree it’s becoming harder and harder to look at the sky, with the number of skyscrapers increasing at a rapid pace. And to be fair, Mumbai is an island and there is no alternative because the graph for the number of immigrants in each year, is exponential, and the space is just not enough.
Delhi, the Capital City of our Country. Besides being home to some of the most powerful humans of India, it’s also the hotspot of many archaeological sites, monuments and headquarters of many international companies. The architecture of the houses and palaces, in Delhi is influenced by many cultures- both foreign and indigenous. This city is old, but full of stories and rich in cultural heritage, dating way back to the 3rd century BC, when it witnessed the glories of the Mauryan Empire. Now a bit about the people of Delhi (Delhiites), they take pride in flaunting their status in society, and love to display authority. They might not have the money to buy petrol, but they will definitely have a car, that too an expensive one. A very unique trait found most commonly in the Delhiites is their art of “Jugaad”. I’m not kidding, but they love using their connections and getting their work done. They all know people at high posts, who will bend the rules to get their way through. It’s not illegal as such, because you can always say it was a favour. It’s almost as if they are born with the ability to do “Jugaad” and trust me, they are brilliant at it. Besides that, they are very affectionate, and take friendships very seriously. Unlike Mumbaikars, they have all the time in the world to have kitty parties and get togethers and host house parties, because they all live in huge bungalows, with a pool AND a massive garden! Also, the neighbours are very friendly, if you’ve recently moved to Delhi, trust me, your best help would be your neighbours, actually, wait for a day, and they’d turn up at your house with some sweets as a welcoming gesture. But sadly, off late the city has become the key victim of eve-teasing, and with the number of rape cases increasing by leaps and bounds, the streets of Delhi are no longer safe. Unlike Mumbai, stepping out of home after the sun sets, is considered to be dangerous.
To sum up, you wouldn’t want to leave either of the cities for the other one. It all depends on your perspective of the entire thing, you might want to live in Delhi and have an amazing group of friends and have loads of connections, or you could live in Mumbai and be surrounded by strangers and film stars and have a huge salary with many zeros. Likewise, have loads of house parties in Delhi, or live in Mumbai for ages and still not know your neighbours name. So, both the cities have their own pro’s and con’s, one is like Washington DC while the other is like a combination of NYC and LA. It just depends on whether you are appreciative of the pro’s or just look down upon the con’s.
