CITYBREAK:Don't be put off by the crowds and the noise, Mumbai is a friendly, safe city in which to take the pulse of India, writes ARTHUR DEENY
THE CITY OF A billion dreams. If Delhi is the Washington of India, and Bangalore its Silicon Valley, then Mumbai is its New York and Hollywood combined, the centre of finance, film making and fantasy. Visiting India can seem a daunting prospect. Mumbai, the gateway to India, is part of the reason for that. People fear the beggars, the poverty, the noise and the sense of a world too alien for them. But if you dive into that river of humanity you will find rich rewards, and experience a sense of peace and harmony among the throng.
You’ll start your cheerful, noisy, confusing experience at the airport. You get a lot of rupees for your money at the currency exchange. Change a couple of hundred euro and you’ll get a wad of notes so thick it’s held together with staples. You then prepay for your taxi, which will cost less than €10 to anywhere in Mumbai.
Beep and bounce your way through the suburbs and enjoy the relief when you arrive safe and sound. Of course the driver will know a really nice shop that you really should visit along the way, but all you have to do is say no. Everyone speaks English, in a variety of accents, and they just want to do business, not ruin your day.
When you’re travelling around Mumbai, you can hire a decent car with a helpful driver for half a day for a thousand rupees or thereabouts. That’s €15 for being driven around all afternoon, from temple to cricket ground and on to a cocktail bar, by way of the driver’s cousin’s shop.
As you see new buildings shooting up on every side, you might be tempted to question the rather bockety appearance of the scaffolding. That’s because they use bamboo, as it’s stronger and lighter than steel tubing, for all but the mightiest skyscraper constructions. That doesn’t mean the buildings themselves lack proportion or sophistication. From massive colonial structures such as Victoria Terminus (now rebranded, like the airport after an unpronounceable king of Maharashtra, but still known commonly as VT), to the gleaming hotels and office towers in Colaba, Mumbai impresses while it charms.
The Taj Mahal Palace hotel beside India Gate is now restored to its former glory after the terrorist attack of a few years ago, and it exudes the charm of another era. The day we visited they had a row of elephants bearing gaily caparisoned howdahs out front.
If such transport is too vertiginous for you, there are always the horse-drawn Victorias, with elaborate hand carved silver decorations, that will sweep you along the curve of the bay on what was once Marine Road. Local politicians have made a name for themselves by renaming much of old Bombay after heroes of antiquity that predate the British Empire.
We felt safe everywhere we went. There are a lot of police around, dressed in military khaki, looking like soldiers, some of them shouldering old sten machine guns or .303 rifles, and others, even more strikingly, strolling in comradely affection, arm in arm.
You should visit a temple. They have them in bewildering profusion, and they’re not mausoleums to a vanished faith. In Mumbai every Hindu, Jain, Muslim and Parsee has a place to worship. In one busy street I saw 50 followers of the Prophet form a human traffic cone by kneeling in a triangular crowd to say their prayers. The world flowed with polite stiffness around them and the taxis only beeped the usual amount.
We visited the temple of Mahalakshmi, one of the oldest, built in the 18th century. India has shrines a thousand years older than this, but the reality is that Mumbai, like Dublin, is a port city whose structures date largely from the period of invasion. It was a holiday and the crowds were immense and friendly. We bought sweets from the stallholders and had our shoes removed by a woman squatting at our feet. Inside the temple we donated our sweets to the gods and were rewarded with garlands by the priests. Once outside again, the squatting woman recognised us at once among the masses and returned our shoes without any need for tickets or filing system.
For an even more spiritual experience, go to the Oval Maidan, south of Churchgate, and see those people who follow the highest calling of all, cricket. Half a dozen casual games can go on at once in its 22 green acres. Hardly anyone is there to watch, but everyone plays and the sun shines on batsman, bowler and fielder alike.
If you’re still looking for something to worship then go to Sachin Tendulkar’s restaurant in Colaba. The decor is all cool glass and sophistication and the food is almost as fabulous as the playing style of the world’s greatest living batsman.
At some point you will encounter the Indian head wobble. In answer to your question, complaint or demand, it will mean precisely what the head shaker wants it to mean. Sometimes it’s yes, sometimes no, more often it’s a probable possibility. There is no way to tell.
You will be surrounded by the greatest vegetarian cuisine in the world, and it is meat eaters, not hippies, who are the tolerated eccentrics in this community. However our European need to have a death with every meal is catered for superbly. In hotels and restaurants they will moderate the level of spice, without being asked.
Mumbai grew from a group of fishing villages on islands that have causewayed together over time, so the seafood is fresh and fantastic. We loved the butter crab in Trishna’s. Later on that evening a group of transgender locals passed by in flowing saris. Some of them earn a living by attending family celebrations, others are paid to stay away, and still more follow a more ancient trade. Despite their marginal position they are vibrant fibres in the weave of Indian society – just like the woman washing her smiling baby on the pavement, because that is her bathroom.
The poorest women, including those digging stones on the road, wear costumes of brilliant colours. We bought a sari and took it home, but could not believe the transformation. What had gleamed with the colours of the peacock in Mumbai, faded to dull pastels in cloudy Dublin. It is only possible to really see India when you’re in India, and you cannot begin to comprehend Mumbai from anywhere else.
STAY, EAT, TAKE THE TRAIN
PLACES TO STAY
Value: Milan International, Mumbai First Road, Santacruz West, Mumbai, tel: 00-91-22-26117792, milanintl.com. A modern hotel that's so close to the airport you can hear the planes take off. It's also near Milan subway stop, for getting to town. Friendly, honest staff, though the taxis outside are optimistic in their pricing. Double rooms from €35.
Midmarket: Le Sutra — The Indian Art Hotel, 14 Union Park, Khar(W), Mumbai, tel: 00-91-22-26492997/5, lesutra.in. This boutique hotel is close to the University of Mumbai and Juhu beach. Air-conditioned rooms, free WiFi and 42 inch HDTV. It also has a bar, and can organise limo/town car services. Doubles from €120.
Upmarket: Taj Mahal Palace, Apollo Bunder, Mumbai, tel: 00-91-22-66653366, tajhotels.com. The Taj stands proudly beside India Gate, the monument through which the last British soldier left India. Vast yet charming, flawlessly polished yet ultimately relaxing, it is the jewel in the crown of India's hotels. Doubles from €200.
PLACES TO EAT
Value:The streets are full of food stalls serving hot, nutritious, meat-free treats. Vada Pav is a kind of chip butty, where a ball of mashed potato is deep fried and served in a bun. It's better than a burger, and costs about 10 cent. The stalls around VT – Chatrapathi Shivaji Railway Terminus, Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd, Dhobi Talao – are popular with busy commuters and visitors alike.
Midmarket: Trishna, 7, Sai Baba Marg, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, tel: 00-91-22703213, mumbai.burrp.com/area/fort. Massively popular and always crowded, the butter garlic crab and prawns are legendary and the service is faultless. Main courses from 150 rupees (€2). Expect to pay up to €30.
Upmarket: Indigo, 4 Mandlik Road, Colaba, Mumbai, tel: 00-91-22-66368981. Around the corner from the Taj Mahal, this is a fusion restaurant which spices up modern European and Pacific dishes with a delicate touch and is definitely the place to be seen. Expect to pay around €50 for your meal.
TAKE THE TRAIN
Like a local:30 million Indians take the train every day, most of them paying a few paise, a fraction of a euro. If you're backpacking, in casual clothes, and your backpack is not too ostentatious, you can join them and get the real feel of India. But it's probably best not to nod off if you're carrying valuables.
Like a tourist:Insist on First Class with air con. Mumbai to Delhi (1,300 kilometres) costs about €30. Your place is reserved and your bags are safe. But you must book well in advance. Trains get booked up all the time. Try the Indian Rail website or cleartrip.com. In the big stations there are special tickets booths for tourists. Use them, the queues for locals can be long.
Like a maharajah:The independent princely states were supported by the British Raj and their rulers lived in luxury. Most of them had their own railway carriages, and the finest of these have been brought together to offer you the ultimate way to see India by rail. From €2,000 per person for a week's journey. palaceonwheels.net