An Open Letter
Dear Mumbai,
People often scoff at me when I tell them I don’t like you.
Who doesn’t like Mumbai? You have an ascending skyline, efficient public
transport, delicious street food and most importantly, the Sea. What’s there to
not like?
You may be enshrined with the title of ‘City of Dreams’ but
I don’t see any stars in your sky. I see smog and increasing pollution levels.
You boast of efficient public transport but I don’t see how traveling in an
overcrowded train with creaking seats would be a convenient ride. I read news
of bridges collapsing or buildings that should have undergone redevelopment
years back. I watch fire escalating on most high rises every month and I find
myself stuck in traffic for hours. I witness this city being brought down to
its knees, every damn monsoon.
Being a filmy kid, I sit by the sea during sunset for
introspection but I run into plastic bags and garbage. I see a city whose
infrastructure crumbles and population only expands. I see a struggle so
incessant that it overshadows the otherwise beautiful city.
You see, I actually do love you enough to wish better things
for you.
I grew up in a city which beamed with the balance of
traditional and modern architecture. People defined the city’s moral compass as
sincere, safe, and homely.
Today, the lane outside my house is further deteriorated
with overflowing gutters and ongoing metro construction.
Give me back the Mumbai I loved. Your foundation was built
on 7 islands reclaimed and you eventually went on to be the financial capital
of the country.
Reclaim yourself again, Mumbai.
Yours truly,
A Mumbaikar.
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