Lessons from Mumbai
It’s only when one visits a metropolis like Mumbai one realizes how fortunate we are to live in a city like Chennai. For Mumbai is not only bursting at the seams, but only getting worse with more high rises, taller buildings, more cars and people- all competing for the same inadequate infrastructure. Add to that the industrial grime compounded by the salt air of the sea on three sides, and you have a grey, grimy city where everything corrodes very fast. Doesn’t make for a pretty picture! So what are the lessons we can learn from Mumbai? That we need to not only set some minimum standards for density according to road capacity, we should never compromise on these standards; That we should always ensure adequate public spaces for people at periodic intervals; That mass transit is the urgent need of the hour like Delhi has managed to accomplish within a few years; That we should decentralize as much as possible; That the city shouldn’t come to a halt with a few hours of rain; That quality of life should be a key consideration if we are to attract more and better investments for a vibrant economy. In other words, we need to ensure that Chennai becomes everything that Mumbai isn’t!
@ David
Total Rubbish. Everything about a city isnt just the population density or grime that you see around you.
-Mumbai is possibly the most powerful city in India.
-Mumbai is the most vibrant, cosmopolitan, fun loving and colorful city in India.
-Mumbai pays for 40% of Indias taxes.
-Mumbai is 10 times more accepting of South Indians, than Chennai is accepting of North Indians.
-In Mumbai Women possibly enjoy the most freedom as compared to any city in India. Can women party alone at night and take a rickshaw home in chennai?
-Mumbai has alot more infrastructure than chennai does and makes far more efficient use of its infrastructure than chennai does. (It also has an order book of 5-6 Billion Dollars in Infrastrucure)
-Mumbai is probably just as big as chennai it houses close 7 times more money and 3 times more people than chennai
-There is just so much press freedom in Mumbai. As compared to Chennai, most media channels here sound like an extension of political parties. Save for the Hindu, which maybe the becon of journalism. But probably the most BORING one at that.
– Chennai can only dream of having the commercial variety, strength of citizen action groups, residential societies, multiplexes, shopping malls, spirit and resilience of society that Mumbai does.
-3% of Mumbais population is tamilian there are cut outs of Rajnikanth, vijaykanth in alot of Areas. Can someone put up a cut out of amitabh or Bal thackrey and get away with it in Chennai?
-The number of pretty women in Mumbai is probably 10000000 more times than in chennai. And its probably the most rocking place to party in India.
-MUMBAI ROCKS!!!
Chennai maybe a metro, but mumbai is definitely an Alpha metro.
There is no end to what any city can learn from Mumbai. We are probably 15 years behind mumbai in enconomic capability
chennai should become more cosmopolitan and outsiders friendly if it has to go up.
autorikshaw walas should be taught some manners and should speak in Hindi or English to outsiders.Police should organize some courses for this.
Side walks should be cleaned of the accumulated rubbish
Sure tsk tsk, I agree with you. Mind you, I lived in Mumbai for close to ten years and was very much a Mumbaikar. Pl dont think I dislike the city because I am a Tamil who has only lived in Chennai and has a myopic view of the city. Mumbai has all the good points you mentioned and probably more. In fact I still feel like I’m home when I go to Mumbai. But I also look forward to leaving and returning to Chennai because the quality of life in Mumbai has deteriorated so much in real terms. Sure, living in Mumbai, people just do not see it or understand it. But objectively speaking, quality of life in Mumbai is quite poor. (Unless you are super rich, live in Malabar Hill and have an office in Nariman Point.) Which is why I wouldn’t move back to Mumbai given the choice. Chennai offers far better quality of life and in many ways Chennai rocks too! The post was intended to look at doing some things right to make Chennai a better place as the Master development Plan is under discussion. We have the land to ensure we do not end up with the congestion and density that Mumbai experiences. We can certainly learn the good points of Mumbai too!
@david
Settled. Good, so we share a commonality that we have both lived in Mumbai and Chennai for long periods of time.
Mumbai has changed quite a bit. Water logging has reduced even in low lying areas like Juhu. Agreed the western express subways still suck, Sakinaka is hell & the bandra worli sea link is still unfinished. But you should go there for a bit this monsoon, to know what am saying
Cheers mate.
I will say definitely… chennai is a better place to live than mumbai.. call it the commercial capital of india.. but chennai is both commercial and cultural.. Chennai has ranked 177th spot and Mumbai coming in at 209th in a global survey covering 215 cities that measures overall quality of life, chennai is the highest ranked city in the entire indian sub-continent..!!! why would i wanna live in a city that ranks 32 places down to my city in health and sanitation..!!?? the basics for better life than so called tall buildings and 40% incometax returns..!!??
people who dont believe.. here is the link check it..!!!
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070402/vancouver_survey_070402?s_name=&no_ads= – 36k
i love my chennai..!!?? proud to be a chennaite..!!?? chennai rocks..!!!
If it is Mumbai for North, it is Chennai for south..nobody can deny that and actually both cities share so many things in common and only because mumbai is the economical capital it has suffered and i strongly believe the above post from David is just a warning for chennai saying it shud not end up like mumbai and TSK and TSKs comments and comparisons are unnecessary…who said mumbai is not rocking…? dont get into comparison mode always…whatever cosmopolitan u r, chances are bright that u will end up losing..
cheers,
Nams
I don’t think anyone looking at Bombay would think the message to Madras is “decentralize” — considering Bombay’s own experience with decentralization.
Surprising someone is getting petty. Partying all night getting drunk and killing few pavement dwellers happens in Mumbai on a regular basis.Alistair Pereira and the 15year olds recently in carter road Bandra 2weeks back.
FYI, I am a hard core Bombayite since my birth. Quality of life is getting worse and the so called infrastructure…….TSK TSK do you know 30 – 50% of BMC project money is swindled by the leeches called BMC officials. A simple quadrupling of tracks on Borivli – Virar section is going on this past 17years……
Women are pretty allover dear. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder dont you know that??
What do you know about the linguistic animosity in Mumbai, it is very much a hot topic and time and again Shivsena & MNS (newly formed by Raj Thackarey)tries to bring the subject. Before I started operating home-office, couple of times Shivsainiks have barged into office to take stock of Aapli Marati Manoos census and I had to call security.
As regards for tax collection, FYI, all corporates having their HQ in Mumbai happen to pay the taxes of all employees in Bombay, this is as per the statement made by the Finance Ministry..
I would only like to die as a Bombayite no doubt but there are many short comings which is exacly what David is trying to tell.
I am told Madras schools are one of the best in the country….here in Bombay every child right from Jr. KG happens to go to tutions and whereas I was surprised to know from my sister who has just shifted to Madras that the first condition and advice the school, my nephew has been admitted to, was not to put the child in any coaching classes….
SO TSK or whatever instead of making comparison contribute in a better way and leave aside your comments about partying etc….only handful of people go for all these parties not the entire city……OK
Cheers…..
I too can relate to this. Having lived in Mumbai for sometime, I can say that Mumbai is better than Chennai in some respects – fashion trends, outward look, cosmo crowd, party culture, floating money etc. But cleanliness, hygiene, rich-poor divide and quality of life certainly can’t figure in that list – and this is where Chennai is miles ahead.
SRIVATSAN K IYENGAR
Unfortunately, I feel u are certainly getting petty urself. If your nephew were to all of a sudden become an intelligent guy if he went to chennai and suddenly did not need coaching classes,..(god bless him im sure he is an intelligent guy) then id say – i dunno what to say!!! Tution clasess are a big industry here in chennai too. Urs is a one off case.
If you were to take a single pot shot about alistair ferreira and carter road, then i would say that u are talking about an individual and not a city. Second of all, if alistair were a chennaite, no newspaper would give the case half the press that the mumbai papers give. Justice would certainly not be transparent. Press is not very transparent or interested in chennai. i agree on this with TSK TSK That Everything is either owned by political parties or is just too plain jane. We could use more competition in the press area.
Entertainment is where mumbai so great.. it has something for everybody and in great variety and for every budget
There is no doubt that chennai can learn alot from mumbai. I diagree with Davids statement – “In other words, we need to ensure that Chennai becomes everything that Mumbai isn’t!” However if the context is infrastructure.. then i agree that chennai must go the delhi way.
Mumbai is good however I do not agree with Tsk Tsk about the fact that a Tamilian is more accepted there, compared to Chennai where North Indians are not. What it it with people’s in India with cosmopolitanism I have relatives who live in Melbourne which is far better than Mumbai or Chennai combined people are not concerned about cosmopolitan. This city is more diverse that both our cities combined yet people tend to stay in there own groups here also. So I don’t see any point with becoming more cosmo, people in Mumbai are confused about what they area. Which is not the case in Melbourne people are more aware and promote there identity not like in India where everyone is brainwashed to behave one way, adopt one culture which has been created by Hindian government. Basic fact is be Hindian in your thoughts, culture etc then only will you be accepted in this country. Which is quite unfair so we can’t truly call ourselves a democracy when the government is ramming Hindi culture on non Hindian people for 60 years and this will continue.
Sachin,
Yeah the school in question is good one. My point of argument was every city has its own short comings, nothing to beat Bombay’s office culture, we really carry pride of that.
Worshipping of cine stars who at a later date turn to politics has been the trend in TN and the vested interest control the electronic and print media. Whatelse to expect from the press in TN….in that context our TOI would always play safe, The Hindu in Madras would always have left leanings and others are nothing but mouth piece of all major parties.
All said and done oh the notorious rickshaw guys really are the main nuisance in Madras…thank god I have not visited Madras last 2years but Madras is simply a very nice place to call it a home…..but slowly many rickshaw and cabbies are turning the Madras way which is scary.
Our BEST buses are the best in terms of aesthetics, conductors would come over to the passenger to issue the tickets and not vice versa,best part is conductors do not have a seat like Delhi/Madras…..
These are some areas Madras should definitely learn from Bombay.
@ TSK TSK
-Mumbai is possibly the most powerful city in India.
Of course it is because it has the underworld
-Mumbai is the most vibrant, cosmopolitan, fun loving and colorful city in India.
but if you are a mumbaikar then I would not want to live there because of ppl like you
-Mumbai pays for 40% of Indias taxes.
It would be more if people didnt keep their black money
-Mumbai is 10 times more accepting of South Indians, than Chennai is accepting of North Indians.
have you ever been to chennai ?
-In Mumbai Women possibly enjoy the most freedom as compared to any city in India. Can women party alone at night and take a rickshaw home in chennai?
have you ever heard women being raped / killed in chennai ?
-Mumbai has alot more infrastructure than chennai does and makes far more efficient use of its infrastructure than chennai does. (It also has an order book of 5-6 Billion Dollars in Infrastrucure)
Yeah but does that alone make mumbai a good city?
-Mumbai is probably just as big as chennai it houses close 7 times more money and 3 times more people than chennai
but when you see the quality of life then mumbai is way back
-There is just so much press freedom in Mumbai. As compared to Chennai, most media channels here sound like an extension of political parties. Save for the Hindu, which maybe the becon of journalism. But probably the most BORING one at that.
What do you think abt Mumbai for Mumbaikars ???
– Chennai can only dream of having the commercial variety, strength of citizen action groups, residential societies, multiplexes, shopping malls, spirit and resilience of society that Mumbai does.
You should stop dreaming first and wake up.
-3% of Mumbais population is tamilian there are cut outs of Rajnikanth, vijaykanth in alot of Areas. Can someone put up a cut out of amitabh or Bal thackrey and get away with it in Chennai?
Why did Bal Thackery come in to the picture?
-The number of pretty women in Mumbai is probably 10000000 more times than in chennai. And its probably the most rocking place to party in India.
Yeah Partying is all that we want to make our city a better place.
-MUMBAI ROCKS!!!
Can a mumbaikar ever make a national award movie about chennai ?
btw I hope that you are not stuck in the rains.
Also Get a life
@ Madrasi,
I have Lived in chennai and bbay for long time each. Im certainly qualified to comment on both &
doubt u are, hence dont get vindictive.
Any city has a lot of sides/points to it. good or bad. But the only point here is that – Bombay is not a city that no one can learn nothing from. Ther e are plenty positive things to learn from it. Simple.
Amen. Madrasi, I agree with tsk tsk. My post, as I have mentioned in it, is to provoke thought in the context of the Master Development Plan under discussion. Please see it in that light, as opposed to a Chennai vs Mumbai kind of stance. I have lived in Mumbai too, and it has very many good points that Chennai can adopt.