The Mumbai that is so lively, as only it can be!

Bangalore may be the next Mumbai and Chennai may nurse some ambitions of becoming one such ten years down the line, but Mumbai is Mumbai. On a very recent visit, a found a great optimism, a great enthusiasm and, to be very sure, the real estate market going literally through the roof. Well, the IT revolution has happened, and the IT services revolution is just about happening, but this city seems to be riding the stock market wave. The money in the hands of hundreds of thousands of people flows into buying a huge variety of goods and services. All hotels, all over the city, irrespective of the fact that they charge Rs.2500/- per day, are booked, and the floating population keeps increasing, every month, am told.

The trains are crowded as they always have been. However, the biggest surprise are buses, which are somewhat less crowded. And then comes the fine print in the local newspaper -- yes, people do depend more on the trains to move about. The statistics printed says it all.

Those from the South head towards Mathunga, that small Tamil Nadu in Mumbai. There is one hotel here, near the flower bazar in Mathunga central, where the price of each South Indian dish is cheaper than in Chennai. And where on the first floor of this hotel, one can get a dormitory accommodation for just Rs.160/-, and a room for Rs.350/- per day. This is the hotel and lodge that is a heaven for the lower middle class people, in a city where hotel accommodation is the costliest in India.

Doing business on the pavements has always been a pleasure. One can find a very great variety of goods at fair prices, and am told, these are the very same goods that find their way to Bangalore and Chennai and Hyderabad, and sold for slightly higher prices in those cities.

My friend told me that he booked his flat at CBD Belapur in Navi Mumbai for just Rs.1000/- per square foot, some six years ago. Now, new flats get booked for Rs.6000/- per square foot. So, this six fold increase is there for all to see. There is some talk of the stock-market being over heated, and when there is a downslide, the rates could come down, by around Rs.500/- per square foot. But the Mumbai citizen continues to be the most risk taking person that he or she has always been. Several of my old friends proudly tell me the kind of huge money they have made in the stock market. They advise me to buy some stocks that are now quoting low, but with huge potential for growth. They support their arguments with detailed reports that have appeared in the local business newspapers. One does not get to read such reports -- they are sort of special to Mumbai, and to only Mumbai.

The pace of change is so lively, so infectious. It is a great thrill to enter any train or alight from it. It is just a superb experience; people who travel buy such trains talk about new courses, new avenues for growth, and new ways to make money. It does not mean that they have very little concern for people, even strangers. The people who wait for trains do so, in a very disciplined manner. Men stand up the moment they see a lady with a child, and offer to guide anyone who asks for directions in a new place. I never experienced any difficulty in Navi Mumbai, or anywhere else. Mumbai is India's number one city, and will always continue to be so. If you want to become street-smart, want to give your children a good opportunity to become street-smart, give them an opportunity. You will never regret it.

Children out here are so confident about themselves, they are multi-skilled, and know for sure, what to study, where to study and how to study. They also know how to pick up new skills. Each child is optimistic. Each child news how to be optimistic and talk optimistically.

There is more to Mumbai than what we normally think. It is the most cosmopolitan city in India, and is the Mecca of anything that is nmodern. It is the barometer of anything that is new in India. If one were to ask me for the best city to live in, in our country, compulsorily, at least for ten years, I would vote for Mumbai and Mumbai only. Three cheers to Mumbai!

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