Mumbai Mania

Its been our birthplace and we have spent 25 long years in this city. We have seen the city undergo a massive face-lift over the years, while some things remain the same. Join in as we take you through the ups and downs of the city we live in.

With population of 19 million and still growing. It is getting too crammed up, and is second only to Shanghai as the most populous city in the world.

More people means more infrastructure - buildings, residential complexes, commercial establishments and of course malls, which are coming up in every nook and corner of the city. The mall culture is taking up even the little empty space that the city has.

With this the cost of living in the city is spiraling like a space shot ride in Genting Highlands, which shoots up so high. Mumbai is one of the most expensive cities in the world too, this when you consider that nearly 60% of the population live in slums. Mumbai is the seventh dirtiest city to stay in, according to Forbes magazine. Garbage and sewage does flow freely here and poor drainage system doesn't help the cause either.

Poor infrastructure, bad roads causing traffic jams. I read in the papers today, that miscarriages in the city have increased in the past two years, the reason, terrible conditions of the roads. What a horrible way to kill a unborn child.

All said and done, Mumbai has been criticised heavily for the above mentioned reasons. But the city we live in also has taught us a lot in terms of resilience, spirit, perseverance and has given us an identity. The city is run by the people, who never give up, not by any one else, but we the people.

Today if some kind of a calamity, manmade or natural, strikes the city, we will mourn and crib, but few days later people start leading a normal life, as if nothing had ever happened. Women are still the safest in Mumbai as compared to any other place in India. Cosmopolitan in nature, where one has the right to do what they want, most of the times. Its the financial capital of the country, money is here, with better and varied career options available.

Not to forget Bollywood, the thriving industry which has changed a lot, attracts most immigrants, all trying to be actors or get on to television. There are pros and cons like Rahul Bose who is actively participating for social causes and Shahrukh Khan who collects glares and watches while thousands can't afford to feed themselves.

But the worst of all is the millions who loose their individuality by imitating what they see on television, this perhaps happens all around the world but here every second person wants to be a star. Unfortunately people like us can hardly see the stars with the amount of smog we have here. There is also a growing culture of people emulating the West, wearing designer clothes, diamond-encrusted jewelery, colored contact lenses, and an obsession with atrociously expensive labels.

But this is home, we do hope we can make a difference and make our home a better place by keeping you aware and ourselves aware of whats going down here in Mumbai!

Most people are aware of the name changes that have been taking place all over the country and especially in Maharashtra.

We have enlisted some of the major name changes that have taken place in and around Bombay and some not so important ones.

Important Name Changes:

Bombay to Mumbai

The name Bombay was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995. You may be interested in the history of Bombay to understand more about the name change.

Sahar International Airport to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport

Victoria Terminus (VT) to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST)

VT was changed to CST in 1996

Prince of Wales Museum to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

Victoria Gardens to Jijamata Udyaan

Bombay Municipal Corporation to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) (BMC)

New Bombay Municipal Corporation to Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC)

Flora Fountain to Hutatma Chowk

The square in which the fountain stands was officially renamed in 1960 as Hutatma Chowk, Hutatma Chowk means Martyr's Square.

Crawford Market to Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Market

Crawford market was renamed to Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Market when India got its Independance.

Bombay Central to Mumbai Central

Bombay Electric Supply and Transport to Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST)

Until 1995, BEST stood for Bombay Electricity Supply and Transport. After the name of the city was formally changed from Bombay to Mumbai, this was also reflected with the adjustment to Brihanmumbai, which means "Greater Mumbai".

New Bombay to Navi Mumbai

Other Name Changes in Mumbai

• Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute to Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI)
  
• Bombay Blues to Mumbai Blues (shop)
  

• Bombay Hospital to Mumbai Hospital (yet to be implemented)
  
• Apollo Pier Road to Chhatrapati Shivaji Marg
  
• Arthur Road to Sane Guruji Marg
  
• Apollo Street to Bombay Samachar Marg
  
• Andheri Versova Road to Jaiprakash Marg
  
• Azad Road to Veer M Manekar Marg
  
• Andheri Kurla Road to Sir Mathuradas V Marg
  
• Argyle (Part) to Sant Tukaram Marg
  
• Bhatia Baug (VT) to Nagar Chowk
  
• Ballard Road to Shoorjee Vallabhdas Marg
  
• Bastian Road to Amrit Keshav Naik Marg
  
• Bazar Gate Street to Perin Nariman Street
  
• Bellasis Road to Jehangir Behram Road
  
• Bombay Agra Road to Lal Bhadur Shastri Marg
  
• Bruce Street to Homi Modi Street
  
• Carnac Road to Lokmanya Tilak Marg
  
• Cadell Road to Veer Savarkar Marg
  
• Cruickshank Road to Mahapalika Marg
  
• Carnegy Road to Nathibai Thackersey Road
  
• Central Avenue Marg to Swami Dayanand Marg
  
• Charni Road to Rammohan Roy Marg
  
• Chakala Street to Sherif Devji Street
  
• Churchgate Street to Veer Nariman Marg
  
• Clark Road to Keshavrao Khadye Marg
  
• Duncan Road to Maulana Azad Marg
  
• Dougal Road to Narottam Morarji Marg
  
• Delisle Road to N M Joshi Marg
  
• Dadar M Road (North) to Dadasaheb Falke Marg
  
• Dhobi Talao to K Vasudeo B Fadke Choke
  
• Dugall Road to Narottam Morarji Marg
  

• Eliphistone Circle to Mahatma Gandhi Marg
  
• Explanade Road to P D Mello Marg
  
• Frere Road (Part) to Ganpatrao Kadam Marg
  
• Fergusson Road to General Bhonsle Marg
  
• Foreshore Road to Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg
  
• Forbes Street to Dr V B Gandhi Marg
  
• Foras Road to R S Nimbkar Marg
  
• Fort Street to Walchand Hirachand Road
  
• Girgaum Road to J Shankarseth Road
  
• Ghodbunder Road to S Vivekanand Marg
  
• Grant Road to M Shuakat Ali Road
  
• Graham Road to J N Herdia Marg
  
• Gowalia Tank Road to August Kranti Marg
  
• Ghatkopar Mohul Road to R Chembulkar Marg
  
• Homby Road to Dr Dadabhai Nawrojee Marg
  
• Horby Road to Lala Lajpat Rai Marg
  
• Huges Road to Nayaymurti L Patkar Marg
  
• Harvey Road to Pandit Ramabai Marg
  
• Haji Ali Chowk to Vatsala Bai Desai Chowk
  
• Home Street to Charanjit Rai Marg
  
• Hanes Street to Dr E Moses Marg
  
• Harkness Street to Jamnadas Mehta Road
  
• Jacob Circle to Gadge Maharaj Chowk
  
• Juhu Lane to C D Barfiwala Marg
  
• Kings Circle to Maheshwari Udyan
• Lamington Road to Dr A Nair Road
  
• Lohar Street to K M Sharma Road
  
• Lohar Street to N C Kelkar Marg
  
• Lady Jamshedji Road to Vithalbai Patel Marg
  
• Linking Road to Netaji Subhash Bose Marg
  
• Marine Lines Street to Sir Dinshaw Mulla Marg
  
• Medows Street to Nagindas Master Marg
  
• Mayo Road to Bhaurao Patil Marg
  
• Masjid Bunder Road to Yusuf Meherali Marg
  
• Military Road to Jawaharlal Nehru Marg
  
• Marine Drive to Netaji Subhash Marg
  
• New Queens Road to Mama Permanand Marg
  
• Napeansea Road to Jagmohandas Marg
  
• Parsee Bazar Street to Syed Abdullah Brelvi Marg
  
• Parel Groves Gate Road to Samaldas Gandhi Marg
  
• Portuguese Road to Raosaheb S K Bole Marg
  
• Peddar Road to Dr Deshmukh Road
  
• Pali Danda Marg to Ambedkar Marg
  
• Queens Road to Maharshi Karve Marg
  
• Ridge Road to Bal Gangadhar Kher Marg
  
• Rampat Road to Khushroo Dubash Marg
  
• Sandhurst Road to S V Patel Marg
  
• Sion Circle to M Laxmibai Chowk
  
• Tardeo Road to Jawjee Dadaji Marg
  
• Tulsi Pipe Road to Senapati Bapat Marg
  
• Thakurdwar Road to Dr Jaykar Marg
  
• Victoria Road to Sant Savtamali Road
  
• Warden Road to Bhulabai Desai Road
  
• Worli Road to Vir Savarkar Marg
  
• Wittet Road & Fort Street to Walchand Hirachand Marg
  
• Waudby Road to Hajarimal Somani Marg
  
• Dalal Street to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Marg (yet to be implemented)
  

Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, is in a bad situation. Due to scanty rainfall this season the city is facing 15% water shortage for the first time in 16 years. To add to the grim situation, Bhatsa lake, which supplies 60% of water to Mumbai, is contaminated and unfit for drinking.

Early this month thousands of kilograms of dead fish were found in Bhatsa river, which is 86 km away from Mumbai in Thane district. The reason for the death - presence of 89mg of oil and grease per litre in the water - when the permissible limit is 10 mg.

When the water was sampled by the fisheries department said that the gills of the fish were clogged because of the consumption of oil effluents present in the water body. This is the second consecutive year that fish have died in Bhatsa. Check out the video of thousands of fish floating in the catchment area.

Locals of Thane district believe that oil companies release their chemical wastes during the rainy season when there is a heavy flow of water. On the other hand, the municipal corporation of Mumbai thinks that the water is safe for consumption and the locals have no reason to panic.

E. Coli Bacteria Found in the Water

We all know for a fact that the drinking water in Mumbai is not safe for consumption. If not the chemical waste, the pipelines that carry the water to various parts of the city are old and rusty. Recently, E. coli bacteria was detected in drinking water at eight locations in Mumbai including Parel, Byculla, Colaba, Walkeshwar, Goregaon, Juhu etc.

These water samples were tested by BMC, who have received more than 123 complaints of water contamination in 14 days from South Mumbai. E. Coli causes gastroenteritis, cholera infection and diarrhoea, and in the rains since pipelines can easily develop cracks, chances of sewage water mixing with drinking water is quite high.

Where's our Tax Money Going?

Living in Bombay we have to deal with certain aspects in our day to day life no matter what we are doing. For four years of my life I traveled from Andheri to South Mumbai, Nariman Point and Kemps Corner, by rail and by road.

Not only have I had other people's sweat drip on me but also had to endure smelling armpits and oily hair rubbed on my face. The overcrowded trains is a well known issue in Mumbai, what we are even more famous for is our potholed roads, you literally have to dodge potholes if you are going to drive even a kilometer in the city.

Read more on Where's our Tax Money Going?

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Kalbadevi, in Need of an Urgent Facelift

I was looking for a taxi from Kalbadevi road to go to Churchgate late in the evening yesterday, and saew that the whole road was cordoned off. No vehicles were allowed to pass by.

With curiosity I asked the cops blocking the road, what happened. One of them replied in a casual manner, that one of the buildings down the road caught fire.

This is not a rare occurrence in Kalbadevi, which is one of the oldest and the most populated neighbourhood in Mumbai.


Read more on Kalbadevi, in Need of an Urgent Facelift

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Mumbai Messed up due to Hoardings

Roaming around in the streets of Mumbai, you would have noticed the large number of hoardings dominating the skyline. Hoardings or posters of political parties running a campaign, or a company advertising their new product, TV channels promoting their show and so on, aren't just spoiling the face of the city but also wasting electricity. Now even mobile hoarding trucks are parked on the sides of roads for long hours.

Each hoarding in Mumbai has around three to six halogen lights on an average for the usual sizes. These lights consume a good amount of beneficial electricity, and at a time when load shedding has become more of a norm in Mumbai, consuming electricity for outdoor advertisement seems a waste.

Read more on Mumbai Messed up due to Hoardings

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Mumbai's Monsoon, Malaria Mayhem

The Monsoon is a pleasant season, beautiful skies filled with colour, fresh green trees and plants that get a wash, less pollution in the air, the sweet aroma of wet mud and the blossoms of love in the air. But like every thing in life the pros and cons come together, with the beauty of the monsoons disease is the beast.

Leptospirosis, Dengue and Malaria outbreaks are common in the rains, due to the garbage and stagnant water around the place. To top it all corrupt governance adds the nail to the coffin, this year though the Malaria menace has gotten out of control.

34 people have died in Mumbai in this month August 2008, with over 14,000 hospitalized since June when the monsoons started, in the last three weeks, more than 3,663 people have been admitted to various civic hospitals because of malaria.

Read more on Mumbai's Monsoon, Malaria Mayhem

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Mumbai's Waste Disposal Problems

The 110 hectare Deonar dumping ground rises up to seven stories high, the dumping ground was opened in 1927 and accepted approximately 1,450,000 tonnes of waste in 2006. Currently, the site has approximately 9.2 million tonnes of waste in place.

Dr Neelam Rane, vice-president of Smoke Affected Residents Forum (SARF), said, "Until now, we were agitated because garbage from all over the city was dumped but now we find even bio-medical waste is being incinerated here. This is injustice. Why is the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) not finding an alternate site to dump the city’s garbage?"

Read more on Mumbai's Waste Disposal Problems

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Cell Tower Radiation High in Mumbai

We often complain that we don't get good phone network in certain areas and blame the service provider. On calling the customer service, we are generally told that the company is coming up with a new phone (cell) tower to ensure good network all the time.

Now the fact is that there are too many cell towers in the city, leading to higher emission of electromagnetic radiations, way beyond safety levels, according to a study conducted by Cogent EMR Solutions.

Being exposed to such radiation, leads to problems like loss of appetite, irritation, fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, headaches, problems in vision, infertility and deformity of foetus. Medical experts feel it is a ‘slow and invisible killer’.

Read more on Cell Tower Radiation High in Mumbai

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Drinking Water Woes of Mumbai

Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, is in a bad situation. Due to scanty rainfall this season the city is facing 15% water shortage for the first time in 16 years. To add to the grim situation, Bhatsa lake, which supplies 60% of water to Mumbai, is contaminated and unfit for drinking.

Early this month thousands of kilograms of dead fish were found in Bhatsa river, which is 86 km away from Mumbai in Thane district. The reason for the death - presence of 89mg of oil and grease per litre in the water - when the permissible limit is 10 mg.

Read more on Drinking Water Woes of Mumbai

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Painting Mumbai's Walls with Art

A few months ago a couple of artists got together to paint a wall in Bandra, seeing this more artists joined in and painted a few more walls.

This bunch of artists, known as "The Wall Project" now periodically group up to paint walls not just limited to the queen of suburbs but spots all over Mumbai seem to come to life with colors.

Today the wall project comprises of not only artists but anyone who is willing to take up the brush to freshen up the dull walls around the city.

Read more on Painting Mumbai's Walls with Art


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Mumbai's Super and Vintage Car Rally

The vintage and super car rally in Mumbai had a line-up of beauties adorning the roads. The Supercar Show at Kala Ghoda had cars that cost Rs 1 crore and above, so you had the Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Maseratis, Porsches, Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, etc., on parade, much to the liking of the crowd.

While at Nariman Point, the gleaming vintages welcomed us with their big round eyes and long faces! We were fascinated to see so many beauties from the past and when I came across the vintage motorcycles, the Henderson, BSAs, Nortons and Triumphs I was excited, not to miss the Lambretta and Vespa scooters.

Read more on Vintage and Super Car Rally

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Ralli Jacob's Glass Art from Old Bottles

We talk about recycling, some people take advantage of this recycling chain to make their living, in Mumbai we have the raddi wallas who we sell our old newspapers, bottles of beer etc.

But there are innovators in every field, would you pay Rs. 25,000 for a couple of used beer bottles, you may end up doing so if you appreciate art. We visited Ralli Jacob's exhibition at the Ronak art gallery in Juhu, where he displayed his creation with used bottles.

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Pirate Cinema Bombay

The concept of pirate cinema is something that can shatter the boundaries of this society; Indian society has the largest film industry and is possible the highest revenue churning market in the country. But two guys from Germany have come here with a very interesting initiative that they started off in Germany called Pirate Cinema.

Pirate Cinema in a nutshell is watching movies that are downloaded off the Internet, but of course it’s not going to be something like the dark knight or escape from Madagascar. The movies are something that can let you go back thinking about an underlined or subtle message that they hope you get.

Read more on Pirate Cinema

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Asian Film Festival in Mumbai from Oct 16th

Film Festivals bridge the cultural divide between countries and build better understanding among people on peace, harmony, issues etc.

One such festival held in Mumbai was the Asian Film Festival to promote Asian cinema. Covering countries from Turkey, Japan, to Middle East, West Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and the Far East, the festival showed the diversity and at the same time cultural similarities through films. As many as 80 films were shown from 20 different countries.

Read more on Asian Film Festival

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