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Mumbai
is the hustling bustling city of India. The Commercial Capital where
the city works round the clock. The activity level reaches a frenzy.
Property prices soar sky high here. The city is densely populated
all across a radius of 40 Kms. The night life also is something to
look out for. Mumbai is the business centre of India. Bollywood -
Name mixed with Mumbai and Hollywood is also what Bombay used to be
called as. This is the city of Indian Film Stars. Travelers to India
should get a glimpse of this active city. |
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Mumbai
was transformed from 7 swampy fishing islands, is a rich mixture of
diverse cultures, religions and people. In 1534, the Portuguese took
over and named it Bombaim (Good Bay). The Islands were ruled by a
succession of Hindu Dynasties, invaded by Muslims in the 14th
Century and then ceded to Portugal by the Sultan of Gujarat in 1534.
The Portuguese did little to develop them before the major island of
the group was included in Catherine of Braganza's dowry when she
married England's Charles II in 1661. The British Government took
possession of all Seven Islands in 1665 but leased them three years
later to the East India Company for a meager annual rent of 10 pound
sterling. Bombay soon developed a trading port. It was the profit
minded British who converted it into a commercial centre. The
British Stamp is still seen in the "Fort" Area (named after the
British Built the St. George's Fort to protect the natural Harbour
at Colaba). |
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Highlights
- The
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal, earlier called Victoria
Terminus, is a universally acclaimed architectural
masterpiece. Built in 1888, it has the longest facade in the
world.
- The Prince of
Wales Museum, of the finest in the country, was used as a hospital
during World War I.
- The Gateway of
India was built in 1911 to commemorate the visit of King George V
and Queen Mary. The last British troop ceremoniously marched out
through the Gateway after Independence. Mumbai has a rich
cultural heritage too.
- The Banganga
tank, the spot where Rama is supposed to have shot an arrow to
get fresh water and quench his thirst, is an important heritage
site now and a music festival is held annually.
- An intrinsic and
unique part of Mumbai, are its "dabbawalas" who deliver
home cooked meals to millions of office goers. An efficient food
delivery system that works with coloured symbols and codes (since
most of them cant read or write) ensures that the right lunch box
reaches the right person.
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Getting
around Mumbai
- Taxi / Cabs : Mumbai has
a huge fleet of Black & Yellow Taxis. All Taxi's are metered. The
meter's installed on the cabs are old, but there is a conversions
scale card, which indicates actual cost as compared to the meter
reading.
There are the Silver and Blue - Air Conditioned Cool Cabs running
around the city. In a Black / Yellow taxi a drive from the
International Airport to the city center would not cost more than
Rs. 250 / 300. and it would be around 25% higher in a Silver /
Blue Cool Cab. Four Passengers are allowed in a cab.
- Auto rickshaws : These
are the three wheelers which accommodate 3 people (max) and are
only restricted to the suburbs.
Similar to Taxi's there is a conversion table to calculate actual
cost as compared to the meter fitted on each of them.
- Buses : Mumbai has the
BEST buses (BEST stands for the name of the company and though
they might not be the Best they do serve the purpose). There are
double decker buses for many routes. Also recently introduced are
the special air conditioned buses which are economical for long
routes.
- Trains : This is life
line of Mumbai for the residents. Train services start at 0400
hours and runs till 0100 hours in the late hours. Most of the city
is connected by this efficiently managed Train System. This is the
fastest means of transport from Station to Station, as the Traffic
Jams are totally avoided specially in the peak hours. Trains are
mostly on time. There are three networks of Railways connecting to
different Routes. There is the Western Railways, Central Railway
and Harbour Line. Mumbai is so reliant on the Railway System that
if there is a disturbance in RAIL SCHEDULES, most of the offices
are empty.
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