Mumbai ,Bombay : The villages trapped in roads , trains and metro !

Mumbai keeps surprising, every time one visits it!
One other identity of Mumbai I realized this time very clearly is that Mumbai is essentially a huge group of very small villages connected together. Mumbai tries to pretend to be modern city simply because of the pace of the immigrant workers and being the center of financial activities.We all realize this but tend to believe that it is a cosmopolitan planned city, which it is definitely not.
I however do enjoy visiting it once in a while to experience the surprises !
During my recent visit , mainly for meetings and conferences, Mumbai surprised me pleasantly at the Juhu's  Silver beach  with the cleanliness and less crowded peacefulness like one experiences in a serene village beach..
Here are some nice pics and short videos of the silver beach near Juhu..(Facebook Album)


Previously I have written about Mumbai / Bombay as it fascinated me with its dichotomy , the spectrum of diversity and transformation .. from Mills to Malls .. from BKC to small coastal villages , the crowded Eastern and Harbor line to the Western suburbs! Everything fascinates and surprises me! I was a "Mumbaikar" for 2 years (1996-98 ) as "worker" for WHO and ICMR but have never dared to be back as resident. I do visit Mumbai now and then for business meetings and conferences and that is enjoyable and surprising simply because the stay is only for few days!!

Here are some of my previous blog posts about Mumbai (since 2014 till date )

Revisiting Mumbai 
 
A Western Trail : Photo-diary of walk along the western suburbs 

Bombay : The Mumbai of mill workers .. from mills to malls 

Girgaon : The forgotten heart of Mumbai

Bhendi Bazar : The area , gharana , the gayaki 

Three part series on History of Mumbai

History of Mumbai : Part I  A quick read compendium

History of Mumbai : Part II

History of Mumbai : Part III

Mumbai is a great place to visit , at least once a year especially for business and meetings. It is meant for "Business", people "exist" and survive here to make money. Living is altogether a different thing! I have seen Mumbai closely since 1996 or so ..very closely. I like it for the way it is, it gives me a good perspective of life. I however feel more proud and blessed that I was born as Punekar, raised in Pune and have been groomed in the culture of Pune. I must mention here that there is absolutely no comparison here. These are two different "cultures" and worlds separated by around 200kms !

Ken Burns : The West , The Civil War

Documentary making is one of the best forms of artistic expression and Ken Burns is one of the best in this practice ! Period !
In 2002 , I had bought my first DVD on @Amazon . It was Ken Burn's  "The West"
Had watched the series on PBS  in US and had decided to "invest" my money !!
This series of PBS is still one of my favorites ..
Every word , every sentence in the script , every note in the background music and every pause and silence takes the story ahead.. sprinkled with philosophy on facts and history, it is not just entertaining but enlightening !
I like these films and miniseries more because of my liking for the American West and Wild West along with History.  But besides that bias, they are one of the finest of documentaries otherwise.
The Series "The CivilWar" and "The West" are some of the finest creations and are a must watch for connoisseurs of History , art , film making , philosophy or literature.
The Civil War : Captures the times and history of the young nation called United State , between 1860 until 1867 , when it started maturing as a country from the early start as a collection of federal states.
The West is a story of Wild West, starting from the early Gold Rush to the settling of the modern cities of West from Kansas to California , from Texas to Oregon !
My strong recommendation to anyone who is interested in any of the faculties of film making , documentary making , history , philosophy , literature , English language , music , background scores of just human life and psychology.