A good subject chosen for debate, but the real facts have not been included by the author. One thing he does mention is work ethics which are better in Mumbai than in Delhi. Now tell me, can a city better in work ethics can ever be beaten? I have been to Delhi some ten years ago and some three years ago, I have noticed lies everywhere around me! Everybody you meet is either a thug or an agent of even bigger thug! As a first timer just ask an auto driver to drop you to place A and he will take care of his own meter not the shortest possible distance. I haven't seen the urgency to go to work in Delhi as I have seen in Mumbai, every one in Delhi tries to be as lazy as possible to report to the office, be it government office or the private one. The fact that head quarters are located in Delhi doesn't mean that revenue is generated over there, the reason behind this is purely political nothing to do with financial equation. Can a common man servive on these? No way, and this explains why a hard working person prefers Mumbai over Delhi! Car sales in Delhi may be higher in Delhi than Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata put together, but even those who can affrod to have a car themselves prefer a much more dedicated Mumbai local system, why would you need a car when you have a local train every 2 minutes, is it the case in Delhi? Besides being financial hub Mumbai has the very best in education and medicals India has to offer. The technical and the medical staff in Mumbai is much much bette
RE:The present and the future story
by Abhijit Dongre on Jul 13, 2008 03:46 PM Permalink
....r than Delhi, aren't those part of infrastructure? Politicians in Delhi have always neglected Mumbai for their own sake.
Mumbai may have it's own problem, but once those are overcome Mumbai is impossible to beat much the say same way it is now!
RE:The present and the future story
by sibby mathews on Jul 13, 2008 04:22 PM Permalink
However, the trouble with the argument that Mumbai will eventually prevail over Delhi is that it is hard to imagine (given the evolving realities) Mumbai ever overcoming it's problems, as you appear to have assumed.
These realities are too numerous to be recounted here and are too well known to need recounting. But the one factor among these troubles that will certainly make Mumbai less and less relevant in times to come is the almost total indifference (indeed, it is acquiescence) the Mumbai commoner shows towards the mammoth and all pervading culture of corruption present in his city. This is true for the rest of the country as well, however, it is Mumbai that might first get convinced about the unsustainablity of a corrupt culture and the mutual incompatibility of true development and corruption.
The more bitter truth is that neither Delhi nor Mumbai nor any other city in India - given this trait of the commoner to wink at corruption - can sustain it's media managed and laboured image of an up and coming place in future.
The fact that Dubai has taken away from Mumbai the chance to be an international financial hub (despite it's over hyped work culture) is only one testimony for this truism.
RE:The present and the future story
by Abhijit Dongre on Jul 13, 2008 05:09 PM Permalink
I am not saying "Mumbai will eventually prevail" as you have presumed, I am saying Mumbai is superior right now and will stay that way, come what may! This means Mumbai is going to jump ahead further than Delhi in coming years once it's own problems are overcome.
At this point of time I am not counting Dubai as part of equation, simply because it is being developed by western coutries for their own business. In a truest sense it is an American city built in Asia with western technologies.
The corruption is existent in every city in India, Mumbai can not be an exception neither can Delhi be. Despite this brutal and bitter fact, the efficiency with which the civic bodies perform in Mumbai is far far superior to any city in India let alone Delhi. This is the true spirit of Mumbai!
RE:The present and the future story
by shripad dixit on Jul 13, 2008 05:48 PM Permalink
Dongre saaheb, Kaahi udyog naahi watat tumhala ..!! All the messages have reply from You ..!!
RE:The present and the future story
by deepak h on Jul 14, 2008 09:37 AM Permalink
Have you ever travelled in the Mumbai local on a weekday in the morning ..?
