Paradox of Life
I have been born and brought up in Bombay (now, Mumbai) – a city that is full of contradictions. For the longest time, I used to be quite passionate about living in Bombay and couldn’t imagine living in any other town. I guess, somewhere down the line, that changed. Here are some interesting facts to ponder over :
Citizens of Bombay contribute over 40% of the entire nation’s taxes! Yet, enjoys some of the worst public infrastructure you will ever experience in India.
Bombay is the most populous city in the Indian subcontinent, with a population of over 18 million occupying merely 440 square kilometers.
Bombay is the largest port in western India, handling over half of India’s passenger traffic. It also houses Asia’s largest slum (aka shanty aka informal settlement).
Bombay is the industrial hub of everything from textiles to petrochemicals, and responsible for half of India’s foreign trade. It is also a magnet for India’s rural poor.
Sometimes, I cannot help but think that the most difficult part of living in Bombay is returning from a vacation, especially an International one. The contrast is so glaring, it’s not funny. As much as our politicians would like to refer to it as the Shanghai or Singapore or New York of India, I know that is simply not possible for Bombay to reach that level of development. Ever.
Take any standard of good living, and you will find Bombay lacking abysmally : The roads are in a pathetic condition. The public transport system is bursting at its seams. The bulk of its populations lacks basic sanitation facilities. The airports and railway stations are overcrowded and a nightmare to navigate. Water shortages and frequent power cuts are fast becoming the norm. The pollutants in the air are responsible for over a quarter of its population being asthmatic.
The population is simply too huge to manage… the politicians are too corrupt… the people (mostly migrants) too uneducated in the most basic of civic senses… And, every day that passes, those who know better, grow more and more…apathetic. It’s a wonder that people still flock to the city in hundreds, believing that they’re coming to the city of dreams!
If family considerations didn’t come in the way, I would’ve left Bombay a long time ago. I still nurture dreams of settling down in a small town, some time in the not-so-distant future. In the meanwhile, as long as I can insulate myself sufficiently from the ills of living in Bombay, life goes on. Right?
Trinadad Tobago is an archipelago, where life is measured. The families come back home in the evening. Eat supper together.Unlike Dallas, New Jersey, Karachi or Mumbai a.k.a Bombay, aspirations are measured not in the tradeable value of possession but the number of people who’ll bear obedience to the talk one gives. Grandpa would be the most sought person for advice, he wouldn’t explain of commodities to be traded on Dow but a measure of next year’s sow and reap.Grass carpets are woven through the earth and not on polished floors. Monsoon seaps through dusky coulds of laden with moisture.Trinadad hometowners talk of going to rest in the land that bore them, and not away from it. They come back home, from the city, from town.There is money to be made by transporting people out from Trinadad. But happiness is a thing to be kept back here. People come back. For life, for soul and in search of a lost identity.
Living in Bangalore celebrated as the hottest destination for anybody and everybody in the technology business, I find this place groaning and creaking under the pressure of rapid urban growth spiralling out of control of the planners if there are any. Famed once upon a time for its pleasant and moderate climate, the temperatures seem to have risen steadily breaking records year after year. Yet a few showers in the evenings bring relief from the “blistering” weather. Residential plots in cool,narrow avenues are getting eclipsed by the concrete towers making the homes of the rich and busy corporate workers. While growth is always welcome, the price at which it comes is not. If not for its apparently rich talent pool, bangalore would cease to differentiate itself from any other decaying city of modern india. Life is hurried and wasted wading through the traffic and inhaling noxious fumes. As we have more we also have less…We must give up sooner than we like to before the grim truth of a life wasted dawns upon us..