A pal of mine, a diehard Mumbaikar who can’t stand ‘outsiders’ criticising his dear city, bracketed me with certain NRIs-turned-RIs who, he alleged, derive cheap thrills from constantly lambasting everything in India.
“Isn’t there a single thing about Mumbai that you can appreciate?” This was in response to what he called my fortnightly “rants” and “whining” via this column.
Well, this one is for him – buddy, you’d better read this.
Within a week, three things relating to Mumbai impressed me a lot. No, seriously; am not trying to appease my chum.
Despite its ugliness and bleakness, the city somehow sustains hope for a better morrow in countless aspirants – people to whom life may have dished out lemons, those are who are down but not out. I met one such person recently. A Tamil in the 35-40 age-group, he works as an LPG cylinder door delivery person. One warm sunny afternoon, while straining to pull his heavily loaded tri-cycle on an incline, he shared his story. A diploma-holder in electrical engineering, he came to Mumbai some 15 years back to build a life. His ‘uncle’ enticed him to the metro several years back, only to exploit his jobless situation. One thing led to another, and the struggle for sheer survival forced him to accept whatever odd jobs that came his way. And so he continues to lumber heavy gas cylinders to and from homes day in and day out. But he has no regrets. Why? “Mumbai is one place where if you persist, you will succeed one day,” he said cheerily, in spite of all the strain.
A similar sentiment was expressed by that consummate Bollywood ‘character’ actor Paresh Rawal at the DNA offices the other day. Showering fulsome praise on his co-artiste, the talented Rajeev Khandelwal (of Aamir fame), Rawal said Mumbai is one place where anyone gifted can make it big. In Bollywood, you don’t have to be a Khan, Khanna or Kapoor to thrive, he said. And predicted a bright future for Khandelwal. What Rawal said of Mumbai/Bollywood could well be true. What impressed me more, however, was a celebrated actor praising an artiste many years his junior so publicly and so wholeheartedly. Perhaps the sight of a genuine talent amid the seemingly all-pervasive mediocrity of Mumbai makes maestros protective and nurturing. I wonder if this trait can be found elsewhere.
Like a lotus that blooms amid filth, the Maharashtra Nature Park on the Bandra-Sion link road literally rises from the squalor of Dharavi and the Mahim creek. Its central, convenient location is comparable to, say, Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens in London. With help/funding from the MMRDA, WWF-India and HSBC, the erstwhile municipal dumping ground morphed into an amazing sanctuary for wild life, flora and fauna in just 11 years (1983-1994) and ever since has promised to go from strength to strength. (And it never used fertilisers and chemicals.)
Literature suggests there are 12,500 trees, 186 species of herbs, shrubs, climbers and grasses, 63 varieties of birds, 40 varieties of butter flies and several types of reptiles (snakes, frogs, lizards, chameleons, so on) in the park.
A recent visit convinced me that there is tremendous potential for this park to evolve into a truly world-class attraction for both the denizens of the concrete jungle and nature enthusiasts. Stroll just a few minutes into the park, and the city’s hustle-bustle fades in the background, giving way to a rare calm (except that the incessant caw-caw of the ubiquitous crows tends to drown out the calls of a variety of birds, unless you pay attention). The brick-laid trails crisscrossing the park sensitise you to the delightful woodland full of bushes, ponds, trees, plants, climbers, flowers. Reptiles are not uncommon. Butterflies and wild flowers galore.
It’s a multi-sensory experience indeed. And not just in the pleasant sense. The filthy, foul-smelling, litter-covered Mithi river / Mahim creek along the park’s backside edge and the corporate structures of the BKC that rise eerily beyond, look threatening and unwelcome, underlining even more the need to conserve and nurture eco-systems within city limits.
It’s not a perfect weekend getaway yet, but the park continues to attract a fair number of nature-lovers and birdwatchers. Be it Swiss Patrick Senn and Dane Christina of Cadbury’s, Bangladeshi and bioinformatics student Delip Das of the University of Mumbai, young photographer Mihir Shere, IT man Vinod of TCS or botanist and environment activist Shubhada Nikharge, they come armed with professional-grade cameras and can’t have enough of the park.
It’s magical here during the monsoons, some say. They also wonder why Mumbaikars don’t turn out in larger numbers, given the park’s convenient location, easy accessibility through trains and connecting buses, cabs and rickshaws (around Rs 30 from the Bandra station), designated picnic spots inside the park, low entry fee (just Rs 10 per adult), and the wide range of life forms that have made this space their home.
All that is needed to make the picture complete, from the visitors’ point of view, would be a cafeteria, water fountains at multiple locations, litterbins, bird-watching huts/posts, wood-board (rather than brick-laid) trails, weed-free ponds, a wall of creepers, climbers or trees that can cover the unsightly Mithi at the backside, adequate signposts, free maps, brochures and information booklets, and site guides (who are now available only on prior booking). Additional attractions could be in the form of trekking / camping gear for hire, medical assistance (just in case), sale of souvenirs, ointments for protection from insect bites, so on. Regular events like the ongoing Sunday farmers’ market can only help.
Oh yes, Mumbai does have some positives, after all.
 
Photographs by: Delip K Das