And for a Friday returning from weekend vacation at Alibagh via Mumbai, Some thoughts….. some musings…..
Life in Mumbai is changing; changing fast and for the better. In the early nineties Mumbaikars would get away to Lonavala and Karjat for relief from the congested flat life of Mumbai. Now that is passe. Alibagh has fast replaced as the most coveted destination and rightly so. About 110 kms by road, the trip that used to take almost 3 hours of traffic driving, now from Malabar Hill to the Alibagh holiday home is less than 75 minutes. Leave home at 6.30 am, drive by your car to Ferry Wharf (Bhaucha Dhakka), drive into the M2M ship, comfortably lounge around the cafés upper decks, 30 minutes later reach Mandwa jetty and drive out to the holiday home in time for breakfast. Alibagh has some lovely beaches and forts and the locals cook excellent Maharashtrian cuisine; all fresh Konkani sea food – Crab masala, Prawns fried, Lobster butter garlic or if you prefer, Kolhapuri Mutton with Jowar Rotis. Absolutely mouth watering food. Add to it the Pop-Up famous Mumbai Restaurants that come up during weekends and holidays; gorgeous!!
The Coastal road has changed South Mumbai in unimaginable ways. Worli to the Taj Mahal hotel which used to be an arduous drive negotiating Haji Ali, a blocked Peddar Road, Walkeshwar etc. etc. is all gone. Now you enter the Coastal road. Drive past with just the beautiful sea to your right, all the tall skyscrapers to your distant left, reach the tunnel and jiffy you pass under the Malabar Hills and the sea and out at Taraporevala Aquarium on Marine drive. All of 15 minutes, beautiful drive, a dream come true for most of us Mumbaikars who have struggled this route past four decades. And the most gratifying news, at last the biggest slum in Mumbai, Dharavi is going to completely transform into an Urban conglomerate wherein almost a million slum dwellers who are also artisans, skilled tanners, potters, tailors, cooks and every kind of skill set for small and micro industry is available. The redevelopment will give dignity to the people. The slum dwellers will get 300 sq feet flats all free of cost and most important, in Dharavi itself with opportunities to continue their own industries. A world model for slums rehabilitation is underway in Dharavi. Every Indian city can follow the Dharavi model.
Let us all be proud of the progress India has made. Mumbai leads the way. The city is remodelling with equitable growth. Let us all support the economic growth, the sustainable way, the inclusive way, the SEEGOS way.