Leading economic expert Jim Rogers traveled to 150 countries over 150,000 miles in three years - follow his adventures here on FentonReport.
In this video Jim and Paige see Dhobi Ghat, a laundering business in Bombay, India.
Copyright Jim Rogers - provided as a special contribution to The Fenton Report. http://www.fentonreport.com
Duration : 0:2:2
Surrounded on three sides by the sea, life in Mumbai draws much of its character from the beaches, seaside promenades and coastline. Beyond the central city are the beaches of Juhu, Versova, Madh Island, Marve, Manori and Gorai, one-time secluded seaside resorts.
Marine Drive (otherwise known as Netaji Sub-hash Road) links Malabar Hill to Fort and Colaba. This long, gracefully curving road along the buttressed sea-coast, viewed from the Hanging Gardens on Malabar Hill, provides at night a view of the glittering “Queen Victoria’s Necklace” and, by day and night, a panorama of Mumbai’s skyline.
Along Marine Drive runs a wide sidewalk, ideal for the early-morning jogger, evening walker and late-night stroller. During the monsoons the turbulent waves splash over the parapets.
In the south Marine Drive ends at Nariman Point. Close by are numerous offices, including those of Air India and Indian Airlines, but at the very tip of the promontory is the National Centre for the Performing Arts, set up by the Tata Trust in 1966. One of India’s premier cultural centres, it hosts exhibitions and puts on music, dance and drama performances. Chow-patti, at the north end of Marine Drive, is a stretch of sandy beach. In the evenings, it is crowded with people enjoying the cool sea breeze and stalls selling delicious Mumbai bhelpuri and other snacks. Chowpatti is famous also for its kulfi and ice creams. During the Ganesh Chaturthi festival processions from the city meet here with images of Ganesh, which are then immersed in the sea. The Taraporevala Aquarium, also on Marine Drive, has a good collection of tropical fish (open Tues-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 10am-8pm).
Sacred places
Gillian Tindall called her historical study of Mumbai City of Gold and, certainly, the pursuit of wealth is a major occupation here. But Mumbaikars do not forget the “temples of their gods”, though often in pursuit of equally material aims. Appropriately, a major shrine near the racecourse is dedicated to Mahalaksmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity. Many in this cosmopolitan city attend holy shrines, whether of their own religion or of others. Peoples of all faiths queue patiently on fixed days of the week to make their offerings, whether at the tomb of the Muslim saint, Haji Ali, on the tidal island off the shore opposite the Racecourse at Mahalaksmi; or for the Wednesday “Novenas” at St Michael’s Church at Mahim; or at the Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabhadevi on Tuesdays. Bandra’s Fair, in celebration of the feast of St Mary, is centred on an image of St Mary at the Mount Mary Shrine and attracts thousands of seekers of succour and favors - with no particular distinction of caste or creed.
Gujaratis from the state north of Mumbai constitute a substantial proportion of the city’s Hindu and Parsi populations, and especially of its business community. Fleeing persecution in Persia, the Parsis migrated to Gujarat and moved to Mumbai in large numbers in the 17th century. Being Zoroastrians, they built Fire Temples and a “Tower of Silence” on Malabar Hill. The tower is an isolated facility for the disposal of the dead (dokhura) by exposure to the elements and vultures. Burial and cremation are ruled out for Zoroastrians, since they hold both fire and earth sacred. This very private and sacred site is off limits to visitors.
The Fort (downtown) area in South Mumbai derives its name from the fact that the area fell within the former walled city, of which only a small fragment survives as part of the eastern boundary wall of St George’s Hospital.
Memories of this walled area were preserved in such names as Churchgate, Bazaargate and Rampart Row, all renamed in recent years. Within the Fort was the Castle, the headquarters of the Mumbai Government. Until India became independent, government orders were issued as from “Mumbai Castle”, though the castle itself had long ceased to exist.
Flora Fountain stands in a crowded square at the heart of the Fort area, now called Hutatma Chowk (Martyrs’ Square). The fountain was erected in honour of the governor, Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere, who built new Mumbai in the 1860s. The memorial that has given the square its new name - Hutatma - commemorates those who lost their lives in the cause of setting up a separate Maharashtra state in the Indian Union. This has traditionally been the business centre of Mumbai, with major banks and airline offices.
The Maidan, just to the west of Hutatma Chowk, is a long stretch of park that runs from Colaba up to the end of M.G. Road. Facing the Maidan are some of Mumbai’s finest buildings. The Old Secretariat and the Public Works Department Secretariat on K. Baburao Patel Marg were designed and built by Colonel Orel Henry St Clair Wilkins during 1867-74, and are high Victorian Gothic in style. Also here are the University Hall, funded by Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Readymoney, and the Library and Florentine-style Rajabai Tower (Clock Tower), completed in 1878. On VeerNariman Road, which bisects the Maidan, is the imposing Western Railway Central office building at Churchgate, built in grey-blue basalt with bands of white in 1890, it has towers with oriental domes. West of Hutatma Chowk along Veer Nariman Road is Horniman Circle. Lined with elegant sandstone buildings, in the centre are very well-maintained gardens. On the southern side is St Thomas’s Cathedral (1672-1718). Inside there are some wonderful monuments to the British colonial great and good. South of Horniman Circle is the main financial district, centred around Dalai Street, now shorthand for the SENSEX, or Mumbai Stock Exchange. Also close by is the Town Hall, which now contains part of the State Central Library (open Mon-Sat 10am-7pm). Along with copies of every book printed in India, the archives include more than 10,000 rare antique manuscripts, among them a copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy rumoured to be worth US$3 million - Mussolini tried to buy it once but was turned down.
The most impressive High Victorian Gothic structure in Mumbai, designed by Frederick William Stevens, is Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST, formerly Victoria Terminus, VT) and the adjoining headquarters building of the Central Railway, known originally as the Great Indian Peninsular Railway. Just off Nagar Chowk, it was built between 1878 and 1887 using yellow sandstone and granite with polychromatic stones and blue-grey basalt for decoration.
The Municipal Corporation Building opposite CST is another Stevens masterpiece, especially the domed central staircase and the cusped arches in the arcaded storeys. Another building of note near CST is the General Post Office, designed by George Wittet. He also left his mark in the Ballard Estate area, where his office buildings reflect those of 19th-century London.
Jyotiba Phule Market (previously Crawford Market, built 1865-71), north of CST along Dr Dadabhai Naroji Road, was designed by William Emerson and has bas-reliefs by J.L. Kipling, Rudyard Kipling’s father. A fascinating place to explore, you can seemingly buy any kind of foodstuff here.
The Muslims of Mumbai, like the Parsis and Gujaratis, have merged with the rest in the melting pot of urban culture. Yet there are areas in Mumbai where their contributions to city life can still be observed and enjoyed. On Mohammed Ali Road, north of Jyotiba Phule Market, one can get kababs rolled up in rotis (unleavened bread), or hot jalebi sweets, at all hours. Close by is the highly ornate Jama Masjid. currently under armed guard to protect it from Hindu extremists. Between the Jama Masjid and Lokmanya Tilak Road is Man-galdas Market, a covered warren of little stalls selling a huge variety of fabrics.
The School of Art, on Lokmanya Tilak Road, was built at the same time as Crawford Market. Rudyard Kipling was born and spent his early years here. His father, John Lockwood Kipling, was principal of the school and under his guidance many local artisans prepared panels and motifs to adorn the new buildings of Mumbai. Elphinstone High School (1872), with its central tower and canopied balconies, and St Xavier’s College (1867) are further down. The latter has panels by J.L. Kipling.
The Gateway of India on the waterfront at P.J. Ramachandani Marg (previously Apollo Bunder) was conceived as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of Britain’s George V and Queen Mary for the Delhi Darbar in 1911. The honey-colored basalt of the arch, designed by George Wittet, faces the sea and catches the light of the rising and setting sun and changes from shades of gold to orange and pink. It was through this arch that the last of the British troops left India by sea. Opposite the Gateway is the Taj Hotel. After the industrialist J.N. Tata was refused entry to the “European” hotel Watson’s, he exacted revenge by constructing a far more opulent hotel nearby. It opened in 1903 and heads of state and celebrities have been passing through its doors ever since.
The foundation stone of the domed Maharaja Chatrapati Sivaji Museum (open Tues-Sun 10.15am-6pm, entrance fee), on M.G. Road, was laid by George V in 1905 during his visit to India as Prince of Wales. The museum contains some excellent examples of Indian miniature painting of the Mughal and Rajasthan schools. There are also collections of jade artefacts and chi-naware. The Jehangir Art Gallery, next to the museum, stages regular exhibitions of contemporary art and crafts. Some exhibits are for sale (open 1 am-7pm). Perhaps its greatest asset is the popular Samovar cafe. Opposite the museum, completing the cultural trilogy, is the National Gallery of Modern Art (open Tues-Sun llam-7pm, entrance fee).
The Afghan Memorial Church of St John the Evangelist is in south Colaba. The church, on Capt P. Pethe Marg, was established in 1847 and consecrated 11 years later as a memorial to those who fell in the First Afghan War. It is a lovely piece of architecture with Gothic arches and stained-glass windows.
Sassoon Docks is where the city’s trawler fleet lands its catch each morning. If you can cope with the overpowering stench, wander around the quays to watch the fish being flung into crates of ice balancing on the heads of waiting porters, who carry them at top speed to the adjacent auction halls for sale. Hundreds of boats tie up here during the day, their flags, masts and rigs forming one of Mumbai’s more arresting spectacles. This is also where you will see the city’s signature dish, ‘Bombay duck’, being dried in the salty breezes.
Mumbai Municipal Corporation provides primary and secondary education in at least 10 languages, including English. Mumbai has developed its own patter, “Bombay speak”, which regular Hindi/Urdu speakers find rather comical. It is often caricatured in Indian films and plays. The Hindu population of Mumbai is largely Marathi, though most non-Marathi Mumbaikars are also Hindus, with Jains among the Gujaratis, and neo-Buddhists among the Dalits.
Local Muslim nawabs ruled this region, but handed it over to the Portuguese in 1534 in exchange for support against the Mughals. This was the beginning of Mumbai’s large Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) population and its numerous churches, which led to two separate areas in Mumbai coming to be known as “Portuguese Church”. A few churches retain their Portuguese facades: St Andrew’s in the suburb of Bandra is a fine example. There are also minor remains of Portuguese fortifications both on the main island and the much larger island of Salsette north of the city and now mostly incorporated in Greater Mumbai. (Also being developed is a New Mumbai on the mainland, a few miles across Mumbai harbor.) At Vasai (Bassein), 50 km (30 miles) from Mumbai, there are ruins of a Portuguese walled settlement.
In 1662 Charles II of England married Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese princess. As part of the dowry, the British crown received the islands of Mumbai. This company of merchant-adventurers had for some time felt the need for an additional west-coast port, to supplement and ultimately to supplant Surat in Gujarat. Far-sighted governors of this period, such as Gerald Augiers, began the construction of the city and harbor, inviting the settlement of Gujarati merchants and Parsi, Muslim and Hindu manufacturers and traders to help develop the city. This led to the settlement of all these communities in Mumbai.
Cotton boom town
The slow transformation of the swampy islands during the 17th and 18th centuries gave way in the 19th century to rapid change. In 1858, the Honourable East India Company returned the islands to the British crown. In the 1850s came the steam engine and by the end of the century Mumbai was linked with central and northern India by the Great Indian Peninsular Railway and, some time later, with eastern India, too. During this period, Mumbai became an important cotton town. Raw cotton from Gujarat was shipped to Lancashire, spun and woven into cloth and brought back to Mumbai for sale all over the country. Notwithstanding this, Mumbai’s cotton textile industry was established in this period, thanks to the persistence of Mumbai’s entrepreneurs. The outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 and the opening of the Suez Canal gave further impetus to cotton exports. The city’s new-found wealth led to the construction of many impressive buildings.
Renamed Mumbai, India’s most populous city is the country’s glamorous commercial hub, a magnet to rich and poor, surrounded on three sides by the Arabian Sea.
The story of Mumbai is fascinating. From obscure, humble beginnings as a set of seven small islands with tidal creeks and marshes between them, the city has risen to such eminence that today it is India’s most important commercial and industrial centre. The seven islands have been merged by land reclamation into one and thus survive only as names of localities like Colaba, Mahim, Mazgaon, Parel, Worli, Girgaum and Dongri. Known until 1995 as Bombay, the Marathi name “Mumbai” derives from the local deity, Mumba Devi. The first Portuguese settlers called the area “Bom Baim” (Good Bay).
Today, Mumbai is booming. Home to the wealthy and the glamorous, it has long been India’s Hollywood (”Bollywood”), producing more films each year than any other city in the world. Nowadays, it is also the home of India’s own fast-growing satellite and television industries.
Like all big cities, Mumbai has its seamy side, its slums and its overcrowding, the foothills of poverty on which are built towering skyscrapers. And like all success stories, there have been chapters of intrigue, violence, happiness and calm, and the struggles of the pre-independence years, when Mumbai became the political capital of nationalist India. Some of its more disgraceful moments during the 1990s were communal riots between Hindus and Muslims, encouraged by the chauvinist Shiv Sena, and its shady founder, Bal Thackeray.
Mumbai is on India’s west coast, running down from Gujarat, through Mumbai to Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. South of Mumbai, narrow beaches and plains sweep up into the forested hills of the Western Ghats. The city has a natural harbour, which was developed by the British and, once the Suez Canal opened in the 19th century, the port never knew a dull moment. Today it handles more than 40 percent of India’s maritime trade.
India’s largest city now stretches 22 km (14 miles) into the Arabian Sea. The maximum width of the composite island that now constitutes metropolitan Mumbai is no more than 5 km (3 miles). Into this narrow strip are squeezed the majority of Mumbai’s 16.3 million people, its major business and commercial establishments, its docks and warehouses, and much of its industry - including almost the whole of its major textile industry, which employs thousands of workers.
Mumbai summers are hot and humid, the winters warm, while the sea breeze brings relief throughout the year. The monsoon hits between June and September, bringing curtains of heavy rain that obscure the view and flood the roads.
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