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There is a perennial debate that exists between staunch Delhiites and equally steadfast Mumbaikars on which is the better city to live in. There is no debate over Pune or Bangalore, both if which are widely accepted as interesting young cities. But put a Mumbai born alongside a Delhi raised person and it is not just likely that a long drawn discussion begins, but even more likely that it would prove to be inconclusive.
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Delhi is the political capital of India. Mumbai is the business capital. Delhi has celebrity politicians. Mumbai has Bollywood. Delhi has evolved over the years in a circular fashion � ring road then outer ring road. Mumbai has evolved in one long straight line with settlement after settlement popping up. Delhi has what is fondly called �PUPPY� culture, influenced a great deal by Punjabi�s where weddings and the dozens of ceremonies surrounding them often take precedence over exams and studies. Mumbai has a cooler though more filmi crowd. Which hang outs you visit, who with and who all you know are terribly important. In Delhi you�re more likely to see a young happening guy wearing a black shirt on black jeans (tucked in, of course) with black shoes whereas in Mumbai you�d see a young guy wearing light blue jeans a white T-shirt and maybe a checked open shirt thrown on top. Very very different.
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What is it then about these two cities that generate such strong willed opinions? The answer I believe is status. Both cities command equal respect, as far as being India�s big cities or metros and yet both are completely different in lifestyles and attitudes the distinct nature of which then inevitably leads to debate.
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One of my friends who�d lived mostly in small towns for many years described living in these cities to me thus. �It�s like putting a frog into a bucket of water. If the water is boiling hot, it�ll jump out of the water in discomfort. But if you put it in, in normal water and then slowly keep raising the temperature, it�ll keep adjusting to the heat and pressure and remain as comfortable as it was when you had put it in�.
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Yes, living in Bombay and Delhi is tough. Most people travel at least an hour each way between their homes and work. In Delhi the upcoming metro is still not a patch on the extensive network of the Mumbai locals (trains) and people travel equally long distances to work. Infrastructure is now an issue at the top of the mind of most local authorities. Traffic is equally bad in both cities though in drastically different ways. In Mumbai you�ll find that the roads aren�t that broad and hence the car stopped next to you at a red light is merely 6 inches away. It is amazing at how close everyone drives and the precision required for this kind of driving can hardly be stress free. The traffic moves relatively slow. In Delhi the roads are wider but speed drives everyone. Overtaking from the left, honking incessantly and numerous incidents of road rage. The number of scratched and dented cars you see in Delhi is way beyond that in any other Indian city.
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Now, we come to the similarities. For students, both cities contain an equally wide range of well renowned schools and colleges. For corporates the property rates of setting up an office in both cities is equally tremendously high. In fact, it would be more expensive to set up shop in some localities of Delhi and Bombay than it would even in New York. For the culturally inclined, both cities offer a m�lange of activities from theatre to arts and crafts. Both cities have excellent dining experiences, pubs, discos, cinema halls and shopping malls. Both have their own sidekick holiday destinations. Lonavla and Khandala for Mumbai and Musoorie and Nainital for Delhi.
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What is it then that distinguishes one from another that could allow a non aligned candidate to actually chose between the two? I believe it�s the people. Another friend of mine who moved recently from Mumbai to Delhi ensures that he doesn�t lose a single opportunity to tell me how bad the people are the Indian capital.
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�They�re snobbish, rude and unfriendly,� he told me one day in a fit of anger. I smiled as I remembered another friend who�d moved in the other direction and promptly proclaimed of Mumbaikars, �They�re always in a hurry, most unhelpful and extremely selfish� I had explained to both that they just needed time to make friends and of course in any case you are always more likely to be attached to the place you�ve grown up in and where you have your friends and relatives.
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So back to the people of these two cities. If I may be allowed to generalize for just a moment I�d say that Delhiites are rather closed in their outlook. Their world revolves around Delhi and most don�t have much of a global perspective. They are more likely to know about a designer outlet that has opened somewhere in a corner of the city than what would currently be going on in an ASEAN meeting. Delhiites are also proud of their background. Put two together and within minutes they�d know in which locality the other stays and the school and college he or she has been to. They are extremely close to their childhood friends with whom they most likely continue to socialize on a regular basis. They are also loud, flashy and rather brand, fashion and trend conscious. More entrepreneurial than commercial in nature, keeping up with the Joneses forms an important part of their lives.
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Mumbaikars on the other hand are obsessed with moving higher up the value chain. Ambition, money and fame drive them to continuously struggle so that they can buy a flat in their preferred locality. They are resilient, down to earth and motivated. The pace of life in the city is so fast, the people so harried and hence selfish that getting into bed safe and sound at night is truly considered an achievement. Everybody is in the rat race, from the hawker selling alphonsos to the corporate bigwig trying to clinch a crore rupee deal. Most do not know their neighbors and use their time on the train to read the paper folded into an unusually thin strip rather than waste time chit chatting with the person seated across.
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Two different cities, two different cultures and two vastly different sets of residents. Neither easy to like and certainly neither easy to appreciate and understand. Still no matter where you end up living, slowly but surely, each distinct culture rubs off on you and before you know it, you�ve been converted into a local.
So finally, it�s not really the choice that matters or even the issue of which one is a better place to live in. Its all just about us frogs adjusting to the rising temperature of the water. The sooner we do it, the better.
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