Mumbai is.......

Been living in Mumbai for nearly 2 years. In upmarket, snooty South Mumbai by virtue of being a resident of the Sophia Polytech hostel. And i'm starting to understand, if not assimilate(just a lil') the city culture, far removed from our laidback Puneri culture. Bombay is B I G- it's population probably matches that of Australia, geographically it's just enormous, takes you ages to travel anywhere, and everything in Bombay takes place on a mega-scale. Being a true-blue Puneite, I can't conform to all that Mumbai stands for, but i've made peace with a city that i semi-loathed. And i enjoy the city now.

Mumbai to me(an average outstation student) is:

• Walking side by side with a Gucci-clad, Louis Vuitton toting 'Townie'(South mumbaiite) and a eunuch wearing gajras, loud makeup and a torn sari can happen only here.
• Getting squeezed to a pulp in a local train during rush hour. Its so crowded, people flood that tiny compartment, you'll have about 10 people per square foot, people of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds. A couple of ladies selling cheap, plastic earrings will add to the utter chaos. Get used to hanging perilously over the tracks, and elbowing your way out of the train if you have no access to a car.
• The typical Mumbaiyya smell-a stench that pervades the city, reeking of leftovers, the sea, and a lot of unmentionable things.
• Mumbaiyya Hindi with it's 'tereko-mereko, karneka, wat lagana' etc.
• Hip and happening eateries like Waffles, Pizzeria, Relish, lounges like Lush, Bed Lounge(don't know a lot about the clubbing scene though i happen to know some of the good lounges)
• That the college crowd will never be homogeneous. The divide between the rich and the poor, the middle class and the upper class is probably the sharpest in Bombay. My group of college friends comprise those who thrive on brands and designer labels-Levis, Catwalk, Victoria's Secret, Mango you name it and those who pick up tees off the road. And yet noone's felt the difference.
• The Shiv Sena rules here. However the situation may be currently with Narayen Rane and Raj Thakeray, they have a claim on the hearts of thousands of Maharashtrians over here. In the cyber cafe that i frequent, the wall is adorned with a huge picture of Balasaheb
• Rubbing shoulders with celebs like Rahul Bose and John Abraham is a no-affair for a even the most crazed fan 'coz it can happen pretty often.
• The mega college fests- they totally live up to Bombay's standards of making entertainment larger than life. Mood Indigo is one example-they've got sponsorships worth 50 lakh or so. My own college's fest Kaleidoscope got Strings to perform last year and this year they plan to bring in Jal/Euphoria/Indian ocean. Entertainment-wise these fests score well, the literary events however get totally overshadowed a lot of the times.
• It sure is a safe city for girls. I've seen chicks wearing incredibly short skirts(I'd rather not describe how short ; ) ), super low-cut blouses, and they can casually gallivant all around town without men gawking at them. Of course it does depend on the locality to some extent but overall it's quite alright to be out pretty late without having to depend on a male escort.
• The city really never sleeps.