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.
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.
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