mumbai infuses motion in the mind >> coming from my native city to this behemoth during vacations at school, i experienced the 'local train' first hand. standing at the door of a moderately occupied coach as the rhythmic clatter of the wheels filled my ears and the evening sea breeze permeated the humid sun, i dwelt upon the 'greater purpose' of life. the pursuit of man for mere survival stood along side the pursuit of glory.
the giant city has immense movement patterns >> not that the grid doesn't lock up, in fact it comes to a standstill with amazing swiss like precision. the patterns collide at will and stagnate. on the expressways, the potholes and bottlenecks add no more to the rush hour than the lane changing and unpredictable driving. alas we indians carry on cursing each other and always wondering why the other lanes are moving fast.
was in mumbai recently and was heading into town. the skyline visible from reclamation on the western expressway is quiet breathtaking, and i agree with my cousin that it definitely is better than the famed skyline at marine drive. the bandra-worli sea link was a pleasure and so were the traffic cops checking for speeding on the link even on a sunday. but the fate of the original plan for the link remains in the balance, possibly forever. it was conceived to go further than the bottleneck at worli all the way to marine drive. with unprecedented cost escalations for getting up till worli, only time will tell if exemplary dedication and motivation(?) can get it any further in the near future. mumbai trans harbour link better watch out!
the delay(if i may call it) did help in refreshing landmarks, albeit with stunning new additions. a worli sea face penthouse would be a pleasure to own. a bright yellow ducati gleamed inside its showroom, haji ali dargah was seen at high and low tide. then came the big daddy of new landmarks. was on dr gopal rao deshmukh marg (a.k.a pedder road) and my vision is filled by a monstrosity. antilia, home for 6, as high as a 60 floor tower but having only 27, believed to have cost 1 to 2 billion US dollars(as if there ain't much of a difference there), 4 lakh sqft of living space, assaulted my view. you can see glimpses from the sea link itself and it is a sight to behold closer up. we can debate on the capitalism/socialism aspect forever, as we can about the building being an eyesore/marvel, the fact is that it stands there alright. maybe capitalism is the best way out, but it should be coupled with some moral initiatives. they have to come from within. i work for myself and i earn money for myself, who am i to question mukesh for what he does with his money. how much will i need to earn before i start helping others i cant really say at this age and time.
a little further stands kanchanjunga towers, a charles correa masterpiece. completed in the eighties the tower, a personal favorite of mine, houses 28 luxury apartments. there are a variety of units and the sectional changes within the apartments are a delight to study. the garden verandahs among other features sheild the tower from mumbai's relentless weather very effectively. i have heard that owners of the apartments have a hard time selling their much loved homes and moving somewhere else. why was this correa's only high rise project in the city? why did others not try and continue/evolve the design? because everywhere else in the city, the template for new residential high rises remains more or less the same, with maximum exploitation of space the foremost priority, glorified facades the norm and sustainable design being irrelevant.
has the contemporary(antilia) gone downhill after the modern(kanchanjunga)?
getting into hardcore 'town' is an automatic mood up-lifter. nostalgia, the colonial charm, the skyscrapers, marine drive, the maidans, the bullet hole still preserved at cafe leopold from 26/11, kala ghoda and everything else makes it a memorable experience. not to forget the gleaming black porsche 911 carrera that had heads turning. was at the garware club house for lunch with family, the same compound as the refurbished wankhede stadium and i couldn't help feel immense pride. not long ago at this very place mr dhoni hit a smashing six to deliver the world cup to india.
