A Walk through the City of Dreams

The wide alleys and cobbled streets in the sultry air of the Mumbai city did not present a scenic panorama with foliage and greenery. Nor was it a serene view that calms the soul and mind. In reality, it was an amalgamation of the present and past, a chunk of contemporary culture nestled in beautiful Gothic and Victorian architecture.

As I stood in front of the Gateway of India and realized how cosmic it was, my heart was filled with awe. Termed as the Taj Mahal of Mumbai, the colossal monument was built during the beginning of the 20th century to commemorate the arrival of King George V and Queen Mary. As crowds thronged the place and waited for their turn to embark on the boats that would carry them to Elephanta Island, I continued looking at the colossal architecture in front of me and imagined it was the early 1900s.

The South Mumbai visit will be incomplete without looking at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Formerly known as the Victoria Terminus Station, the edifice is a remarkable example of Victorian Gothic architecture.

The Taj Mahal Palace stood a little away overlooking the Arabian Sea and standing in front of it made me feel like I was in a famous Bollywood movie. Pigeons flocked the stone streets in front of the hotel and I couldn't help admiring the magnificent Indo-Saracenic architecture.

Eventually, my stomach growled, so I started looking for a place to eat. As I filled my tummy with mouth-watering 'Creamy Chicken Nachos' and 'Jalapeno Cheese Poppers,' I lost myself in the savoury delicacy. "Where to?" asked one of my friends. "Colaba Causeway," I answered while taking a sip from the colourful flavoured soda I had just ordered.

The ultimate shopper's paradise, Colaba Causeway consists of a long stretch of shops and street vendors that sell anything and everything from clothes to antiques. These streets also house some of the most famous and oldest cafes of Mumbai. Sadly, I managed to visit only one. I was indulging myself in the colourful spectacle of heirlooms and jewellery and had lost track of my friends when suddenly I discovered one of them digging into a scrumptious chocolate cake.

"Hey! How come you are eating without me?" I asked in indignation.

"I didn't think you would ever take your eyes off the shops, so I decided to go alone," she mumbled while chewing on her food.

Well, I couldn't really blame her. Being one of the oldest and finest cafes in Colaba, Leopold Café is immensely popular among tourists. Since its inception in 1871, the café has gained prominence for its authentic delicacies and also stands as a memoir of the 2008 attacks in the city.

The South Mumbai visit will be incomplete without looking at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Formerly known as the Victoria Terminus Station, the edifice is a remarkable example of Victorian Gothic architecture. Designed by the British architect F.W. Stevens, it has been termed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is a marvel one cannot miss.

As the warm afternoon slowly crawled towards a cooler evening, I turned toward the Marine Drive. The sun's rays were slackening and it was a long and arduous walk from the Chhatrapati Terminus, but the reward was amazing. The spectacular promenade offered views of the endless sea and the tall buildings in the distance looked like miniatures jutting out of an architect's scale model.

I sat in silence in front of the sea, watching the world coming to a standstill. I gazed in wonder at the large orange ball slowly dipping itself in the endless expanse of water. Images from Wake Up Sid flashed before my eyes. Shot extensively in Mumbai, the motion picture has a lot of seascapes in it and I chuckled at the thought that perhaps I was sitting in one of the spots where the movie was shot. Nonetheless, light was dimming around the horizon and as darkness fell, I dragged my exhausted body towards the nearby taxi stand and returned to the hotel.

I woke up to a hearty breakfast of Indian and Continental dishes the next day and ate to my heart's content before heading out to my next destination, Bandra. Sad to say, I did not run into any Bollywood celebrities.

A combination of Portuguese and British architecture, Bandra houses splendid structures and alluring churches, the most famous of them being Mount Mary's Church and St.Andrews. It also comes with a refreshing view of the sea with its shores lined with black basalt rocks.

A number of alluring bookstores lined the cobbled streets and I paused there for a while. I decided to keep things simple and picked a store that combined two of my heart's desires in one, books and coffee. I treated myself to a cup of delicious latte and proudly walked out of the store with my new copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban although I had read it a thousand times already!

After my short trip to 'Title Waves' I went on a shopping spree in Hill Road and Linking Road. The shopkeepers there seemed quite unhappy with my bargaining and I vaguely remember one of them yelling, "We don't want such haggling customers here."

The late afternoon saw me taking an auto-rickshaw towards Bandra Fort to catch the gorgeous sunset. I stood there and breathed in the salty evening air and let the breeze play with my hair. The massive Bandra-Worli Sea Link was standing erect on the water and it was a beautiful sight to behold, with the sun setting in the distance and foamy waves splashing down below.

As the sky turned from orange-red to lilac, I decided to leave Bandra and return to the other side of the city. I stayed indoors and lounged beside the hotel pool thinking of the City of Dreams as some call it. I knew I would be home in a day or two and on my way back, I would carry memories of the warm sea breeze, the winding stone streets, the buzzing life and a pervasive essence of Mumbai.

Shejuti Pasha is a newly minted English graduate from ULAB. Her interest lies in different genres of creative writing.