Hello world!

staying in Bandra west

Here’s a slightly different perspective. I spent the first two thirds of my life in Bandra West and the rest in the US, mainly in the Midwest. I visit Bandra every two years to see my family and escape the cold winters that I’m not quite a fan of.

Each time I return, I take about half the length of my two to four week trip to adjust to Mumbai (not just the jet lag, but the crowds, pollution, dust, traffic and noise). Once I’ve adjusted, I start to feel normal again and enjoy myself a little more. By the time I’m fully adjusted, it’s time to return. So I recognize that my experience is colored by my not being used to living in india anymore. I’ll try to be objective, but no matter if hard I try, I know I won’t ever see it with the same glasses that locals like my mom do.

Bandra had a lot going on. There have always been a lot of restaurants. There has always been a high churn in these restaurants. Every time I return, most restaurant or cafes I want to revisit has been replaced with something else. But that means there’s always something new to try out. Same with boutiques and other shops. Hill Road sells branded stuff, unbranded stuff and fake branded stuff and everything else in between. Bandra is by the ocean and there are (last time I checked) theee promenades by the ocean for walking or running on.

What I don’t like so much – the traffic increases exponentially. In the 80s there were hardly any vehicles on main streets. In the 90s I could ride my little cycle anywhere I wanted to any time or day of the week and remember there being very little traffic. Each time I return, traffic is worse. Cars are bigger. I enjoy walking and running. But that’s hard to do in Bandra. You need to constantly weave through traffic and listen to the constant beeping of horns.

All the quaint and tastefully maintained houses or bungalows have been razed and replaced with progressively taller high rises. I could watch the sunset over the ocean from my flat and now all I can see is the other high rises surrounding me. Logically, there should be a point for a person looking to move to a “quaint suburb” where it is no longer quaint because of the sheer number of people that now live there. It’s a metropolis to me now, not a quaint suburb. But to everyone who never moved out, it’s still a quaint suburb. It’s like the paradox about the twins, where one travels at the speed of light while the other stands still…

The cost of living in Bandra is insane. Property costs more than most places I’ve been in the US. Eating out costs the same or more than the Midwest. I had coffee yesterday for $3 and sizzlers for $15, but I could quite easily have spent four times as much had I picked a different place. Four years ago, I took my mother to a random nice looking little place for dinner on Hill Road which I’m sure no longer exists and paid $60 for two. In Bandra. The cost of branded clothes is higher than the US by a factor of 2 to 3 times, despite the fact that the clothes are made in India in both cases. It’s the British raj all over again from that perspective. I don’t understand how people afford to spend so much on everything.

As for cleanliness. I’m still adjusting (I’ve been here 3 days this trip). So while it’s fresh – the side walks are either non existent or unusable. Despite the sweepers, there’s always dog (hopefully) poop everywhere, there’s a constant haze in the air and random whiffs of sewage or garbage as you walk around. The Carter Road promenade I used to enjoy running on clearly has a sewage outflow pipe flowing into the ocean midway through its length that reeks.

Everyone likes to go out in the evenings. And when a population that is many times more than the streets were designed to support goes out together – were left with a densely packed river of cars and bikes all writhing and crawling trying to get somewhere in a chorus of beeps and honks. No one stops for pedestrians. You need to throw yourself in the midst of the traffic and hope not to be hit.

Anyway, in a week from now this will all seem normal. I won’t mind the traffic, I won’t notice the “aromas” and I’ll have enjoyed a few new random cafes. I’ll have adjusted to the price of things. I’ll be blissful and content being on vacation here – and it will be time for my flight back.

Review by Rlyan Fernandes