City: Mumbai

A few days before Christmas, we set up our tree, complete with ornaments and star, and decorated our house as we have done in the past. With the characteristic smells of Christmas season food, the festival was definitely in the air, but it was different. But, this Christmas was unlike any I remember in my life of 19 years. The Christmas tree at the Fernandes home in Mumbai. Pic: Krystel Fernandes Leading up to Christmas, there used to be days of partying, which continued until the new year. Church gatherings, group carol singing, guests in and out of our home…

During the scorching summer months of 2020, Indian TV media and websites broadcast visuals of migrant workers walking back to their villages. Commentators lamented how workers who shoulder the economic burden of the city remain tenuously compensated. Now - nine months after the lockdown was first announced - workers have returned to the city but the media spotlight has shifted. Details about available work, working conditions, and wages remain shrouded in mystery.  A city-based workers collective, Aajeevika Bureau, has mapped the informal workforce in Mumbai's Khairani road and nearby areas. Their research throws four broad findings: some returning migrants have…

Sometime in March this year the whole country went into a severe lockdown due to COVID-19. Life and the resultant travel came to a standstill for over a month. Most of our understanding of how travel in Mumbai has been since then, is largely empirical. Some key data points that we’ve seen published since the pandemic began are - bicycle sales have more than doubled since the lockdown began; automobile sales picked up after May; and as of early November, BEST daily ridership was back up to about 23 lakhs (almost 2018 levels).  For most of us, initial days of…

A quick mapping of urban reforms in India confirms that power largely still vests with the state and central governments. Despite the 74th Constitutional Amendment, no state has devolved all 18 functions mentioned in the twelfth schedule such as urban planning, forestry, or slum improvement to municipal corporations that run India’s large metropolises. Praja, a non profit, that advocates for policy changes in urban governance, released an Urban Governance Index which explores four themes to understand the extent of urban decentralisation in India. The themes are empowered city-elected representatives and legislative structure; empowered city administration; empowered citizens; and fiscal empowerment. The…

The coronavirus outbreak has shined a spotlight on the often overlooked underbelly of India’s ‘City of Dreams’ –– the slums and other informal settlements where about 49 percent of its population resides. Within these neighbourhoods, unusually high population densities - up to 350 families per hectare against the city average of 38 as per data from the 2011 Census - and poor drinking water and sanitation facilities give rise to unhealthy living conditions.  So what is the future of slums in a post-COVID-19 world? Can we formalise the informal? Migrating to urban centres Cities are envisaged as the hub of…

Sandwiched between the swanky Bandra Bandstand and posh Carter Road promenades lies the rocky patch of Chimbai beach, that continues to be a source of dirt and squalor. Though the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) regularly cleans the narrow sandy stretch with dumpers and JCB machines, the beach continues to stay dirty and unattractive, unlike the promenades on both sides, that have become vibrant and popular community spaces. A survey by NGO ReefWatch Marine Conservation had named it to be the filthiest of the ten beaches of Mumbai. Photo: Hepzi Anthony 46-year-old Pravin Gohil who has been staying here since his…

Once Diwali is over, is it 'Lights out!' for the lamps that gleefully decorate our homes and outdoors during the festival? "Certainly not!" All it takes is a little bit of effort to kindle another flame of life into these lamps. Possibly, a small change in mindset too. Diyas in the process of belng lit in an apartment lobby in Mumbai (Photo: Amy) Diwali, or Deepavali (row of lights), is synchronous with lights. It is one of the few festivals celebrated around Amavasya (new moon), when we don't have the light of the moon at night. This is possibly the…

Launched 15 years ago, Mumbai Mirror reportedly had a circulation of about 7,00,000 copies. The tabloid, which started as a daily, stopped publishing this month. It is all set to be re-launched as a weekly. Media observers and readers of the newspaper lamented this shift especially because Mumbai Mirror had a rather excellent coverage of a complex city. Officially Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited (BCCL), which owns the newspaper, blamed the losses on the pandemic. They even announced the closure of Pune Mirror. Curiously though, there was no mention of the status of Ahmedabad Mirror or Bangalore Mirror. A report…

I love the smell of the morning air and the quiet that allows the chirping of the birds to filter through. A morning walk is the best way to start the day "they" say. Exercising in the morning is good for the body's metabolism, makes you feel happy and energised, and ensures that you've got the exercise you need before you get busy with your daily chores. However, over the last few years, I return home after my morning walk, very disturbed by some of the sights around the neighbourhood. Statues and pictures of Gods and Goddesses, lie abandoned under…

Last week, Maharahstra's Cabinet Minister of Tourism and Environment, Aaditya Thackeray announced that Mumbai has been selected as a "C40 city"—a consortium of the world’s leading cities taking bold action against climate change. Thackeray also tweeted his belief that "cities can lead climate change initiatives", but this attribution seems like wishful thinking for Indian cities. Unlike New York City or Los Angeles in the United States, Mumbai is not empowered to lead climate change or any other initiative. Here are just a few lessons Mumbai can learn from Los Angeles (LA) whose mayor, Eric Garcetti, steered the committee that included…