Happiness is having a life that you don’t need a vacation from, and Mumbai gives me that life. My family has been in this city for over one hundred years, and it has shaped the way my brother and I were raised and the opportunities we received to build successful lives.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Compared to any other city, Mumbai offers maximum diversity to a child to develop his character and talents. Our schools had children from various cultural backgrounds, and this melting pot of thoughts allowed us to appreciate what is good about each religion and background without judging and comparing with our own. If we’re at home when we travel  it’s because we have learnt to accept and appreciate all kinds of people, their habits, food and language early on in life.  Even studying in California became easy for me, because my early education in Mumbai gave me the environment to expand my mind.

The other thing that contributes to happiness in a person is depth. Depth of character is often built in subjects taught outside of the curriculum such as sports, arts, music and more. My brother has a diploma in classical piano and I have a teacher’s diploma in Ikebana. Only in Mumbai, would you get the opportunity to learn Japanese flower arrangement, Parkour, Mandarin or to play the Ukulele in easy and often, affordable avenues. What more, these activities are not just for children but also for adults who want to continue their learning even after they have entered the corporate world. Mumbai welcomes anything that is new and cultural.

Once you have had that exposure, happiness is finding a job that truly reflects your passion and skills. Since Mumbai has multiple industries being represented from finance to healthcare to entertainment to tech and more, citizens do not have to move out of town to look for the job of their dreams.  It isn’t always easy because Mumbai is one of the most competitive and expensive places to live and work, but if you are a domain expert , the city values you more than most other places. At Vu, we need to hire talent in engineering, design, retail, sales, finance, taxation and more and we don’t have to take too many people from outside the city because there isn’t a paucity of talent and expertise here.

At  the end of the day, happiness is at home. Compared to New York or Hong kong, Mumbai is rather safe as a city for women. I have a habit of going for a run at night  after work, along Marine Drive and to take in the beauty of the Queen’s necklace. When I travel for work, I usually remain ensconced in my hotel room in fear of being mugged at the same hour. Simple pleasures like this, make Mumbai my charmed home even though I have the option to live anywhere in the world.

(Devita Saraf is Founder & CEO, VU TVs)