The Life and Times of Mumbai City

Mumbai, earlier called as Bombay, is also termed as the ‘Dream City’ nowadays. It was renamed Mumbai in the year 1995. It is one of the most prosperous and rapid cities in India which lies on the western coastline of India. With a natural harbor, which was developed by the British people, it is the most flourishing centre of trade. According to current reports Mumbai is managing nearly 40% of India’s sea trade and is one of the most hectic ports in India. It is a captivating city filled with life and enthusiasm. It supports a population of around 14 million which accounts for a bulk of India’s total population. It is a well developed economic city of India.

Mumbai was formed by the combination of many islands namely- Bombay Island, Mazagaon, Colaba, Worli, Mahim, Parel and Old Women’s island. The archaeological studies done by Todd in 1939 of sediments found in the coastal areas around kandivali suggest that these places were colonized since the Stone Age. These small islands came under the rule of various kingdoms and native empires such as, Abhiras, Vakatakas, kalachuris, rashtrakutas, Konkan Mauryas, Satavahanas, Western Kshatrapas and chalukyas before being abandoned to Portuguese and afterwards to the British people. Bombay was restructured by the British people with the help of large scale engineering ventures, aspired to fuse together the seven islands into a single mass. Many other measures were taken by the British people such as improvement in the railways, roadways, infrastructure, industrialization etc. Though all these measures were conducted by the British people to meet their greed and to enhance their control over India, but somehow it contributed to the development of a new born city. Consequently Mumbai became a foundation for Indian freedom activities.

In the modern era Mumbai is regarded as the entertainment as well as commercial core of India. Mumbai is the place of birth as well as habitat of the Indian cinema industry renowned as the ‘Bollywood’. It was Dadasaheb Phalke who initiated the groundwork of Indian cinema with muted movies trailed by many more. Mumbai’s ethnicity is a mixture of food, music, theatre and customary festivals. The city offers a multi ethnic and varied lifestyle along with the facilities of enjoyment such as music, cinema, and night life, in plenty as compared to the other cities of the nation. The formation of Mumbai’s diverse culture can be attributed to the various kinds of people who migrated there from different regions of India since the British period.

Another important factor which adds on to the significance of this city is its climate. The city of Mumbai lies in the tropical zone and hence has a tropical type of weather. The summer season (March-June) is preceded by the winters (December to February). The period stretching from June to September end is marked by the south west monsoon season and from October-November by the post monsoon season. Such is said to be the beauty of Mumbai which is irresistible.

write by Halcyon