On the Brink of Death

India's Big Apple. The city that never sleeps. The financial capital of India. The city of dreams. The city of gold. The city of slums. 'Slumbai'... There's a whole litany of sobriquets attributed to the dying city of Mumbai.

The last two, perhaps are the most apt for the Mumbai of today. Fly into Mumbai and if you just look out of the porthole, all you will see stretching for miles and miles around are slums, mostly covered with blue tarpaulins as protection against the sun and rain. In fact, the dhobighat at Mahalaxmi is a 'must see' for tourists. Former President of the US, Bill Clinton, visited this site. Although these occupy less than a tenth of the city's space, they eat into every aspect of Mumbai life. The inhuman conditions of the slum dwellers, with poor water, sanitation and health facilities, are in sharp contrast to those living in glass 'n brick apartment blocks, just round the corner. And yet nobody is doing anything to discourage the influx of migrants into the city.

The civic infrastructure for this 4,355 sq km city of slums and high-rises, has already been stretched to breaking point.The current population is 11 million, out of which 55% live in slums. The city is bursting at the seams. In Greater Mumbai over one million families live in slums, possibly the highest in any city in the world. By 2015, Mumbai will be the world's most populous city with projected numbers of 28.5 million.

Twenty years ago, Bombay was the city where dreams came true. It symbolized all that Indians aspired for - a good job, a decent life, modern sensibilities. Today, it is a nightmare. It is among the worst managed cities in the country, despite the fact that the BMC's budget of Rs 6,000 crore is higher than that of several state governments. Says Pramod Navalkar, Shiv Sena leader'The city is so filthy now that I cannot believe that there was a time when every nook and corner of this beautiful city was washed every day. Sweepers started at midnight and completed the job by 4 am.'

The closure of the textile mills in the late '70's started the downslide - 2,50,000 workers were rendered jobless - reducing the workforce by 80%. Of the 58 mills which once dominated industrial life in the city, just 11 private mills are still open and another 25 are working at 15 per cent capacity. Even now, everywhere, industries are closing down and jobs are difficult to come by. The suburbs, which once thrived on heavy engineering industries, chemical and petrochemical plants, are getting de-industrialized too. In the Saki Naka-Andheri belt, entire industries have vanished. The small scale sector, is almost extinct. In industry and commerce too, Mumbai is losing out to more competitive cities like Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad. In the real estate sector, although prices have fallen by 40%, there are no takers.

The rush hour traffic is a truly a nightmare. The suburban trains carry six million commuters daily over a distance of 300 km. It is so bad that it is faster to fly to Delhi than reach the airport from south Mumbai. Srushti, an LIC stenographer, who lives in Karjat says she has to stand for at least an hour till she catches a seat on the train.

Most Mumbaikars mourn the passing of the freedom and grace that was once Bombay. Yes, Mumbai exists, but the vibrant, multi-cultural, rich, happy Bombay is slowly but surely dying. The cosmopolitan spirit and the secular liberal outlook Bombay always prided itself on is today no more. Says Mrinal Gore, Janta Dal leader, about the cosmopolitan nature of Mumbai, 'Earlier, the various communities that came to Bombay and enriched its cultural life identified more strongly with their work than with their religion. Today, the rise of Hindutva forces has resulted in stronger divisions on the basis of religion.' The quality of life is deteriorating by the minute, especially for the not so fortunate. Says poet, Javed Akthar, 'somehow, somewhere down the line, the city began to lose its finer qualities.' Painter, Jehangir Sabavala points out that 'there is a general breakdown of gentlemanliness of the city that used to be its foremost character'.

In fact, the economic decline and rise of parochialism have diminished Bombay tragically in every sphere. Says Charles Correa, architect, 'Cities are much more than brick and mortar - they are networks of interaction, of people and institutions, of goods and services. Dividing them along communal lines is just about the dumbest thing that you can do.' The rise of the Shiv Sena and the two rounds of rioting after the Babri Masjid demolition have torn the city apart and left scars that can never be erased. Kekoo Gandhi, founder Gallery Chemould, staunchly upholds the great 'leaders' of yesteryear like Gokhale and Pherozeshah Mehta. He says, 'Today's politicians are not really thinking of the city.' All they care about is nurturing their vote banks. Crores of rupees are spent on infrastructure that benefits the rich, but nothing has been down for the upliftment of the poor and the downtrodden. The hawker with no other means of livelihood is evicted from the pavement. But who cares. As Vijay Tendulkar, playwright, rightly says, 'The politicians' priorities are not about improving life in the city. Political intolerance has marred the democratic fabric of Mumbai irreparably.'

But although right now Mumbai seems like a nightmare without end, there is light at the end of the tunnel. M F Hussain, says 'There is one thing alive in this city - the spirit of man.' Javed Akthar too believes that Mumbai is resilient and hopes that the city hasn't changed for the worse, forever. And Vijay Tendulkar also feels that despite the alarming growth rate of the city and political intolerance, culturally, Mumbai is still rich. So let us hope for the best.

Vive la Mumbai !

Source: Outlook