Aamchi Mumbai

"असं म्हणतात की, शहरं वसतात पण मुंबई  धावते!"

The city of dreams, financial /entertainment capital of India, the city which never sleeps and so on...Whenever we hear such adjectives, the first thing which strikes our mind, are the visuals of 'AAMCHI MUMBAI'. On the occasion of 'Maharashtra Din' lets know more about the Capital of Maharashtra and my favorite city Mumbai. 

When India was under the British rule, the seven islands were gifted to the British Crown by the Portuguese as a part of the dowry of Queen Catherine of Braganza in 1661. That was the time when these islands got unified and finally took it's name as 'Bombay' under the colonial British rule. Around 360 years ago, these islands were just known for fishing activities, marshes, temples etc. It seems, Portugal failed to identify the city's potential because Bombay flourished marvelously after it came under the British rule. They had set up East India Company, many industries, mills and developed it's infrastructure. 

Since then a lot of people from other parts of the country migrated to Bombay for employment, this could be the reason that this city offers employment for thousands of people from all over the India even now. From that period, Bombay hugely developed itself with the contribution of a lot of people who worked tirelessly to earn their livelihood. 

Finally the Bombay city dissolved with the formation of Maharashtra on 1st May 1960 when Maharashtra was legally formed. This day is celebrated as 'Maharashtra Din' with a holiday across the state. 

The transition of Bombay into Mumbai came about in 1995 when the Shiv Sena Party came into power under the leadership of Late. Shri. Balasaheb Thackeray and during the tenure of Shri. Manohar Joshi as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. They saw Bombay as the name given by the undesirable colonial rulers i.e. the Britishers and made efforts to change it to 'Mumbai', which denotes the local Goddess 'Mumbadevi', with suffix 'Aai' which means the Mother in marathi. So together it represents 'Mumb-ai'. Mumbai is rightly regarded as the mother of all because many folks come to Mumbai with aspirations & dreams and Mumbai settles all of them with ease and love. 

The reasons to love Mumbai city are numerous. Its beautifully stated, " In a city where anything and everything can change - the sea is a constant." Mumbai is known for it's fast paced volatile life & chaotic beauty. The city offers a cosmopolitan and diverse lifestyle with a variety of food, entertainment, cultures etc. It's trendy fashion markets, food culture, the hustle-bustle, scenery etc makes it a kaleidoscopic city in India. Here the mother tongue is Marathi, in which you can get vast variety of literature, cinema, dramas, music etc. The famous 'Gateway of India' is situated in Mumbai. 

It's calm & soothing Marine drive a.k.a. Queen's necklace, shopping streets with modish fashion styles, film cities, places of worship etc are some of its major attractions which drives people crazy from all over the world. 

Here's something quite interesting. Although Mumbai is the home for most of the millionaires and billionaires from India in the stark contrast, the largest slum area is also situated in Mumbai. People of every religion, caste, status, background stay together in one land which comprises of several cultures, customs and so on.

Mumbai is famous for its Local trains network, millions of people commute daily through locals and rightly it is considered as the lifeline of 'Mumbaikars'. Taxis also referred to as 'Kaali peeli' and auto rickshaws run all around the city whole day and night. This metropolitan city is one of the most populous city in India. Mumbai's food culture is truly appreciated by all, the Vada pav, Bombay pav bhaji, cutting masala chai and the tempting spice of Maharashtrian cuisine adds to it's flavours. 

All festivals are celebrated here with devotion & religious fervour. Prominent festivals include, Ganesh Utsav, Janmastami, Shiv Jayanti etc. The atmosphere during the festive season definitely very cheerful. 

Whenever I visited Mumbai I have always had an amazing experience, it's crowded streets, hardworking people, and its busy yet pleasant environment have a great positive impact on me. It's dusty, noisy breeze while walking on the streets, enjoying the authentic street food, seeing citylights and skylines while roaming around at night is being missed the most. 

I like this city because it offers wide range of things & choices before you. I can connect with its Marathi language, culture, food etc. In this land you can turn your hobbies into passion and passion into occupation. You get the opportunity to turn your dreams into vision and vision into reality. There's scope for almost everything. There's no other city in India which is as vibrant as Mumbai hence its a home for about 22 million people!