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ShareWhat does it take to be a truly world class city? Think of a few across the world -- the obvious ones are New York, London or Paris; Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong would qualify too. They all have a buzz about them, an energy that comes not only from the crowds, the architecture and a general attitude that sets them apart from the run of the mill big city.
When you land in New York, you know that this is the capital of the world -- everything from art and culture to high finance and fashion at their finest can be found here.
How would we rate our own Mumbai with these above-mentioned cities? On a few criteria it compares well -- it is certainly expensive and there is an undeniable buzz about it, especially when compared to other Indian cities. Native Mumbaiites are convinced that their dirty, noisy, crowded and difficult city is a world class one.
But sometimes it helps to look at things from another point of view. What we take for granted is unappealing to someone else who has different standards and no emotional attachment. We may think our miserable traffic jams and potholed roads are a given; another might wonder why our civic services cannot be bettered.
We may say "we are like that only" when someone spits on the road, the visitor may find it very offensive.
One doesn't think about these things often, but the other evening, an expatriate professional who is packing his bags to leave Mumbai after less than two years emphasised them forcefully. "Many foreigners are quietly leaving this city and most of the reasons they give are similar," he said.
This was a surprise -- one was given to understand that India's booming economy and huge potential was pulling in people from all corners of the globe. Didn't they want to exploit the business opportunities India offered?
Not really, came the answer. Take this expat, whom we shall call C, as an example. A Person of Indian Origin, he and his family had jumped at the opportunity to move to India for a few years for his company, a global finance-related institution. The move offered a career growth opportunity, good money, an upmarket lifestyle and most of all, a chance for their daughter to connect with her Indian 'roots.'
Soon after landing they had their first jolt, when they set out to rent an apartment. The cost was scary enough, but the terms were even more shocking - the hefty deposit, the demand for cash, the poorly maintained property and the run down condition of the building in a fancy area.
Then came the struggle to find a good school; most schools wouldn't even meet them, much less discuss admission and the only international school had a huge waiting list and prohibitive fees.
They began settling in and coming to terms with the city's hardships. "Truth is, Mumbai has just no entertainment options - the restaurants close early, there are no night clubs, one small museum, no big public art galleries and not a single public library. These are important things every big city must have."
In our scheme of things, malls have become the cultural centres of our existence; libraries and art museums are seen as wasteful expenditure. "Everyday in the papers I read more news that to me reflected that Mumbai was becoming provincial and small-minded; a city is enriched by its migrants, here they are being driven out."
For C, the clincher came when his landlord hinted that the lease was ending and the rent would be increased "according to market rates now", which was about 40 per cent more. "It was simply not worth it and so we decided to get out." According to him, when the global economy was doing well, this kind of expense and hardship was bearable no longer.
It may not immediate register on our radar screens, but the departure of expats, especially those working for FIIs will have its own downstream effect on the economy.
But more than that, we need to rethink our pretensions; in our minds we may be Shanghai, but the world doesn't think so. A lot of things, tangible (good infrastructure, housing, schools) and intangibles (cultural life) go into making a world class city.
By those criteria, Mumbai is still a backwater, a mere hamlet in the global community. The sooner our moffusil-minded and short-sighted rulers, who have contributed in no small measure to the undermining of this city, realise it, the better.
Email: sidharth01@dnaindia.net
