A Western View of Mumbai

Arriving in Mumba, there are three things that strikes me as a total foreigner.

The first thing is the Mumbai climate consists of three seasons; humid and hot, humid and temperate, and humid and rainy. Consequently, no matter what time of the year one may found oneself in Mumbai, one is wet most of the time.

The second thing one notices in Mumbai is the traffic. I have never been in a place where driving is easier. The “rules” for driving are really simple; one only has to look straight ahead and honk the horn whenever there is an obstacle. At the same time, this is expected from other drivers coming from behind; if you are in the way, it is their responsibility to honk at you and make you aware of this. Really, what can be more simple then just look straight ahead and honk the horn?

The third thing one quickly notices is the smell of Mumbai. Being a city by the sea and where one third of the population lives in slums, there is a constant combined smell of garbage, sewage, spices, and rotten seaweed.

The combination of humidity, extremely cacophonous traffic, and smells, make the first impression of Mumbai absolutely overwhelming. This is a city that is so rich of impressions that no matter where one walks, one is bound to experience something notable, whether it be images of richness or poorness. Mumbai is a city that has lots of everything and lots of nothing.

All these overwhelming impressions mean that every hour of walking feels like a whole day. Being out for seven hours and once back at the hotel, it feels like one has been out for a week.

In many cases Mumbai becomes a blend of much of India where the combination of nothing and everything has a rare and unexpected pulling power on the mind. Mumbai does certainly not embody all of India, yet India is very much represented by Mumbai.