Bombay ... meri Jaan, my life!

The Gateway of India

The city that never sleeps, where the lights never go out, the east meets the west, poverty confluences with affluence, energy lashes alongside power and all the ordinary walks of life suddenly seem so extraordinary! Step into the most populous place in the world, the hub of anything and everything India, the heart of millions - Bombay (मुंबई, Mumbaī ) - the Maximum City.

So what concoctions really make up this city called Bombay?

The Lonely Planet has attempted to compose Bombay's constitutions in the following words. In my opinion, these lines have captured almost an excellent view of the city's social, economic and cultural landscape:

"Measure out: one part Hollywood; six parts traffic; a bunch of rich power-moguls; stir in half a dozen colonial relics (use big ones); pour in six heaped cups of poverty; add a smattering of swish bars and restaurants (don’t skimp on quality here for best results); equal parts of mayhem and order; as many ancient bazaars as you have lying around; a handful of Hinduism; a dash of Islam; fold in your mixture with equal parts India; throw it all in a blender on high (adding generous helpings of pollution to taste) and presto: Mumbai.

"An inebriating mix of all the above and more, this mass of humanity is a frantic melange of Inida’s extremes. It is the country’s financial powerhouse and its vogue centre of fashion, film and after-dark frolics. Glistening skyscrapers and malls mushroom amid slums and grinding poverty, and Mumbai slowly marches towards a brave new (air-conditioned) world. But not everyone made the guest list: more than half of the population lives in slums, and religious-based social unrest tugs at the skirt of Mumbai’s financial excess.

Only once the initial shell shock of Mumbai’s chaos subsides, can one start to appreciate the city’s allure: a wealth of Art Deco and grand colonial relics; cacophonic temples; warrens of bazaars; and the odd spiritual bastion of tranquility. In Mumbai you can dine at some of the finest restaurants in the country, and work off the appetite gyrating at ultra chic bars alongside Bollywood starlets and wannabes. With a pinch of gumption, a dash of adventure, an open wallet and a running start, there’s no excuse not to dive into the Mumbai madness head-first. "

Words probably can never do enough justice to a city that is as lively and abundant as Bombay. But having lived away from this city (that at least 18 million people still call home) for several years now, words and memories are all I have to solace the heart.

But hey, a picture they say is worth a thousand words! Here's a few of those shots that make up the life, the people and the moods in the city of Bombay.

Cricket match - Azad Maidan, Fort, Mumbai

People relaxing in the evening along the waterfront - Marine Drive, Mumbai

Procession on the streets during the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival celebrations

Drummers leading the procession during the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival celebrations

Crowds swarming on the beach for a relief of the cool breeze from the Arabian sea - Juhu beach, Mumbai

Full of activity - the Sassoon docks, Mumbai

Human Pyramid being formed to the slogans of "Govinda ala re ala" - festival of Govinda, Mumbai

Source of photos : Lonely Planet Photographers

A scene from the 1988 Hindi film Salaam Bombay! directed by Mira Nair. Most of the young actors who appeared in the film were actual street children from Bombay.

A scene from the 2008 British film Slumdog millionaire directed by Danny Boyle. Some of the child actors that appear in the film are children currently living in real slums in Bombay