February 4th, 2010 by Patti Thurmond, CTBUH Operations Manager
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Victoria Station
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One of the most popular technical tours of the CTBUH 2010 Mumbai Conference was the Cultural Tour of South Mumbai. Delegates filled the coach bus with enthusiasm anticipating a full afternoon of sights and sounds. For many tour guests, this tour was their first venture away from the plush and secure Renaissance Hotel. This being my first trip to this country, I brought with me a clean slate for first impressions. Just outside of the Hotel compound gates, immersion into the culture of Mumbai began.
The Mumbai Cultural Tour was led by a local tour guide who began by explaining a few facts about the culture as we traveled. India being a country with many states, our tour was in the state of Maharashtra, with Mumbai as the capital. Mumbai is also considered the financial capital of India, with 1/3 of India’s tax returns coming from the city. It is considered the most cosmopolitan city of India with 16 million official residents and still growing, with new migrants entering the city daily in search of employment. Each state in India has its own official language. Among the 22 official languages, most residents speak the common language of Hindi and many speak English, making it an easy tourist destination. A multi-lingual and multi-cultural city, 65% of Mumbai is Hindi, and 15% is Muslim, with the remainder being Sikh, Christian, Jewish, Jain, or Buddhist.
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We quickly found that ‘Travel’ in itself is a large part of the Mumbai cultural experience. The Auto Rickshaw (or commonly called tuk tuk) populates a large part of the streets in outer Mumbai. With a very limited amount of traffic control (lane indicators, signage, street lights), it is every man (or tuk tuk) for himself. Any gap of three to four feet is an open invitation for a tuk tuk, motorcycle, or small car to make a new lane, announced by the honking of horns to let other drivers know that someone is coming through. With nearly 200,000 on the roads, tuk tuk are powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) to cut back on pollution. They are not, however, allowed in the actual city limits of Mumbai in an effort to control the traffic chaos.
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| Residential street, along the way to South Mumbai |
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Friendly boys in a public transportation bus pass by |
The overly congested roads came to a standstill early on in our cultural adventure, as we came upon a political demonstration blocking traffic in all directions. As the world’s largest democracy, having modeled their government on the British parliamentary system, Indians often practice their democratic freedom through peaceful protests. Since the Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was visiting the city, we were able to experience such a protest against inflation, and wait for crowds to clear before being free to continue our tour.
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| The Tuk-Tuk fill the streets |
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High-rise living |
The new 'Bandra-Worli Sea Link' cable-stayed bridge connects these two areas of Mumbai. Tuk tuk are not allowed to pass the bridge into the city proper, so one must not be surprised when the tuk tuks stop short on this multi-lane highway to drop off passengers for continuing on into the city by black/yellow taxi.
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| Everyone stops for the public demonstration |
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The new Sea Link bridge, linking Bandra and western suburbs with Worli and central Mumbai |
A city of contrasts, the very rich and very poor can be found in nearly adjacent properties. Just past the famous Mahalaxmi Racecourse and expensive luxury apartments overlooking the Arabian Sea, is one of the city’s four famous dobi ghats (open air laundry). The Mahalaxmi Dobi Ghat is the world’s largest laundromat. This dobi ghat is divided into nearly 1000 stone cubicles, which are owned by the city and rented by family business owners. Cubicles are passed down from generation to generation and employ 7-10 people each. With no minimum wage in India, many workers live in groups to share expenses. Cheaper than owning a washer/dryer facility, the dobi ghats provide wash for Mumbai’s hotels, restaurants, ready-made garment manufacturers and some residents.
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| The Dobi Ghat of Mahalaxmi |
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Laundry dries on rooftops |
For most of the day, launderers stand knee-deep in water, beating wet laundry against the stone. Water runs into the cubicles constantly, with dirty water being flushed out to the Arabian Sea. Late afternoon is delivery time, carried on shoulders by bike or nearby train. During Mumbai’s rainy season, loads are even heavier as laundry is delivered wet. Many tourists simply stop on the side of the busy highway to get out and view the Mahalaxmi dobi ghats, then immediately are swarmed by children and others boldly trying to sell their wares, taking advantage of this famous tourist stop.
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| Nearby public transit for ease of laundry delivery |
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The stone washing of the Dobi Ghat |
Our next stop on the Cultural Tour was the Gandhi Museum, called Mani Bhavan, the house where Mahatma Gandhi lived upon his return to India from studying law in England. This house belonged to his friend and served as Gandhi’s home for 17 years when in India. This humble Gujarati-style home in a quiet neighborhood was the site of many events that made Gandhi famous and revered even today.
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| Mahatma Gandhi museum |
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Remembering Mahatma Gandi |
Traveling on past this quiet neighborhood, we drove once again into a busy neighborhood filled with markets and vendors, and couldn’t miss the Indian version of fast food restaurants like McDonalds.
A necessary part of any Mumbai tour is a drive down Marine Drive, built on land rescued from the Sea in the 1920s. Here, a good number of Mumbai’s residents can be found at this water walkway attraction, enjoying the open air and taking long walks along the sea. At the north end of Marine Drive, we passed Chowpatty Beach. The site of many religious ceremonies, it is also famous for long lines of vendors selling foods that are native treats, though the guide revealed that tourists may choose to visit the indoor restaurants for more hygienic snacks. Along Chowpatty Beach one can visit shooting galleries, snake charmers, monkey trainers, balloon sellers, and masseurs.
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| The western influence |
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Tropical fruit markets |
Nighttime along Marine drive is particularly popular, as the semi-circle of lights appears along the drive like jewels. Indians and tourists alike travel to the shoreline to enjoy the cool night air and admire the view fondly called ‘the Queen’s Necklace’.
Mumbai was under British rule from the late 1600s to 1947, as evidenced by the architecture of civic and government buildings throughout the city. When winding through the crowded streets of South Mumbai, filled with its 55,000 old-style Fiat yellow and black taxis, one is almost taken aback when met with the grandeur of the colonial buildings in the city square.
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| Selling her hand-stitched wares |
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School girls in training to be teachers |
The coach bus took us on through the Colaba area, the Art district of Mumbai, featuring the most tourist sites of the city. From the gothic Victoria Station built in the early 1900s, and the Flora Fountain built in memory of Mumbai’s governor, to the Taj Mahal Hotel and the Gateway of India, Victorian and Gothic styles are seen with a strong Indian influence. The large open-air plaza fronting the monumental Gateway of India, is a favored attraction. Built to honor the visit of King George V and Queen Mary, the yellow basalt and reinforced concrete arch stands 85ft high in the Indo-Saracenic style, combining Islamic and Hindu themes. The port still hosts the movement of boat traffic that is the heritage of Mumbai’s industry. As the tour guide explained, before the English rule, the Portuguese ruled the marshy lands as mainly fishermen. These early fishermen worshipped the goddess ‘Mumba’, where the city gets its name today.
From St Xavier’s college, one of the most famous and best in India, to the University of Mumbai’s famous Rajabai Clock Tower, modeled after Big Ben and built in 1869, to a drive by the Sir JJ School of Art and Industry, where Lockwood Kipling (father of Rudyard Kipling) was president, there is an underscore of the importance of historical preservation in this colonial city. With just as much architectural emphasis, and need for attention, we pass a variety of art deco buildings, of which Mumbai has the 2nd largest number in the world.
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| Victoria Station's large ventilation pipes |
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Scaffolding marks repairs of the Colonial - Gothic structure |
After a stop for souvenirs at a local merchant shop, featuring Mumbai’s famous silk and pashmina shawls, carpets, precious stones, marble, and wood carvings, we were on our way back through the still-jammed highway to the quiet confines of the Conference hotel.
Though this Cultural tour lasted eight full hours, including traffic-jam time, the number of sites visited of architectural significance was quite impressive. Amidst the crumbling sidewalks and facades, behind the bamboo scaffolds and beyond the crowded and noisy city streets, there is a treasure of architectural heritage in Mumbai. Yet it feels at times like a gem that has been dropped on the ground and left lying in the mud.
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| Repairs continue from the 2009 terrorist attack at Taj Hotel |
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The Gateway of India, honoring the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India, completed in 1924 |
The people of the city are a sturdy breed, with a generally peaceful and gentle nature, content with their lot in life. However, when just trying to survive the pressures of daily living, there seems not much left for efforts to make things better. Acceptance of the status quo and looking out for number one are attitudes that seem to permeate from top to bottom in this society, with the results being evident from terminally uncompleted construction projects and roadways to vehicular mob mentality to traffic cop payoffs. It makes one wonder how long a city can exist on a shoestring.
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| Gateway of India plaza is pleasant for boat-watching |
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Lovely Indian natives |
For historical preservation and the beautification of the treasures of this city, an attitude to honor and care for what exists must prevail in the society – from leadership to common man. Beyond the hype on billboards of ‘Green and Sustainable’ programs, simple public cleanliness with trash cans and paint, the washing of buildings and sidewalks, pride and value and order applied to the public realm would go a long way to help Mumbai. But it cannot happen without genuine care for this microcosm and for the humanity that lives there, no matter the class of citizen. With the continually increasing number of migrants, city-wide infrastructural improvements must take place. But Mumbai will only shine if the leadership makes it shine by cleaning up the waterways, caring for the streets and buildings, caring for the common man of the city. With these changes, the rich culture, the rich heritage and traditions of this city could be celebrated with pride, and life could move from surviving to enjoying Mumbai.
The CTBUH would like to thank Megha Gupta and the staff of Remaking of Mumbai Federation, as well as our tour guide, for coordinating and leading the South Mumbai Cultural tour and providing an amazing introductory experience for many from around the globe.
Many thanks also go to Cultural Tour attendees, Yongku Kim of Samsung C & T, Korea, and Clive Robinson of Tekla Corporation, Finland, for providing photos to guide online viewers in this Cultural Tour of South Mumbai.
Attendees:
Farshad Berahman, W.S. Atkins; Santosh K. Choudhary, Hi-Tech Institute of Technology; Moohun Chung, Matthew Esther, W.S. Atkins; Qasim Farooqi, Al Ghurair Construction; James Fortune, Fortune Consultants; Francensca Galeazzi, Arup; Juergen Gnida, PERI; Marcus Hirsch, PERI; M. Hirsch; Claire Irwin, RWDI; Varsha Joshi; Anbu Kasinath, ROMF; Raj Lakhani, PERI; Dr. Dong Kyu Lee, RIST; Kevin Legenza, RMJM; Larry McGuiness, RMJM; Hong Sung Mok; Yangkeun Oh, Samsung C&T Corporation; Felino Palafox, Palafox Associates; Wilma Palafox; Clive Robinson, TEKLA; Jecemy Sayeder; Umesh Shurpali, Gujarat International Finance Tec-City; Patti Thurmond, CTBUH; Raj V.; Alisha Wadia; Richard Witt, RAW Architects; Graeme Wood, CPP Wind Engineering; Lee Pil Won, RIST; Cathy Yang, Taipei Financial Center Corporation; John Zerafa, Al Ghurair Construction; Ming Zhang, Mulvanny G2 Architecture.