Mumbai Or Bangalore - which one would you choose?



Parks of Bangalore


"Bangalore is so full of trees,  and is rightly called The Garden City. You have greenery everywhere - accessible parks - Cubon Park, Lal Bagh, and even the widest roads have continuous canopy of trees. Can you find that anywhere in Mumbai. Even parks there is all about open gyms, walks and kids play - all except trees. Trees are just so rare there. It's all concrete. " - I say.

"Mumbai has the sea. A big plus. Where would you find such a vast water body in Bangalore? There's not even a river nearby. Shivasamudram and some other falls are far away. Mumbai has the beach, the Marine Drive, the Gateway of India, the ports, the ships - no sight can compare that." - He defends.

The Mumbai Skyline

"Of course. But we would stay in Navi Mumbai, right? The sea is as far from there, as Shivasamudram is from here. So what's the difference! You just cannot make time to visit the sea everyday. Only in the weekends you can. Plus, homes there do not even have a proper spacious balcony - and there's almost no access to terrace there. How do people live there without going to the terrace, without a clear view of the sky? Mumbai might have the sea, but Bangalore has the sky, I would say. We can walk on the terrace every evening after a hectic day at work. Sky is all the blue we need in a day, and doesn't require travelling. "

"Mumbai has culture, it has a vibe, you feel it in every corner. I say, Bangalore has none of it's own. Mumbai rains, the trains, dabeli, chai, poha - you won't find it here. And also the traffic there isn't as bad as Bangalore. I loved travelling in the local trains - so affordable. Observing people. A microcosm of the society itself. There's history there - and the excitement of underworld tales, Bollywood, so much gossip. Such a happening place. "

"Mumbai doesn't rain, it pours cats and dogs. You must also really like the floods. And have you seen the traffic then, nothing moves. Even your trains stop then. Plus water seeps everywhere. Drips from the ceiling. Clothes keep hanging everywhere for days. God, the humidity. You have the impression of Mumbai just as a seasonal traveller, not as someone who has lived there for a year - rain and shine. We can't find a weather as moderate as Bangalore anywhere in the country.  And anyway trains weren't any advantageous to me as they were always crowded - I got almost choked once. It's like fighting a battle everyday.  Also, the rates of housing is sky high."

"That's here in Bangalore too. Rates in metro cities is always high..."

"But at least we get some spacious rooms here."

"This is going to be never ending. Let's leave it here...."


So that's a typical argument we have every once in a while. So what's your take on this. 

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon.

Comments

  1. I have not lived in Mumbai but I can relate to everything you've said about Bangalore.

    Well-written!

    ReplyDelete

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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju

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