Saturday 19 JanuaryMUMBAI MERI JAAN - [Mumbai My Love]
Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city I have ever seen. A lot of people told me that the city is not the accurate reflection of India, but I think they are absolutely wrong. Actually, Bombay is rich with ethnic diversity, various ways of life are mixed there, you can find billionaires aside with the poorest persons in that extraordinary place, from the fanatics to the moderns...The city has a multilingual populace, the Mumbaikars can speak English, Marathi, Hindi at the same time. People of all religions and ethnicity, from various parts of the country are migrating, because Mumbai makes dreams come true, it is the land of the pursuit of happiness.
For ages the city has been the economic powerhouse and heart that supplies the Indian economy with investment and riches. Mumbai is well-known for its damaging pollution, its fast paced lifestyle, its claustrophobic atmosphere, its crazy traffic, and yet the city has always managed to charm people and they eventually fall in love with it.
From 19th to 28th December, I was in India, mostly in Mumbai. I visited there Haj-Ali, a Muslim holy place of pilgrimage for both Hindus and Muslims. It’s also the mausoleum of a Muslim merchant and saint named Haji Ali who renounced all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Legend has it that Haj Ali died on his way to Mecca and his body, floated back to Bombay.
I saw another famous mausoleum, the Taj Mahal in Agra on my 6th day in India. It was fabulous, the place is really wonderful, but Agra is a very poor city. The Taj Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The 7th day, I was in Delhi, the capital. I visited the Lotus temple of the Bahai faith, a Persian religion, the Indian gate and the Qutab Complex, site of ruins. I went to Coloba, a touristic district of Mumbai, well-known for the 26/11 attacks. I saw the Taj Mahal hotel, The Oberoi Trident and ate at Leopold cafe where the traces of bullets were still clear on the wall!
I went to an Indian wedding which shows how the Mumbaikars are tolerant and open-minded; the girl is Muslim, the boy Hindu and the two families were glad for this union.
In India, you can find, Hindus in Muslim places, everyone celebrates the other religion’s holidays. Indian people are peaceful, funny and nice, they are also so curious, that’s why they ask a lot of questions even if they don‘t know you. « Where are you from? », « Which languages are you talking? »…Most of the time, I could be understood but I had to practise my Hindi with the taxi driver, the policemen and merchants. I was using words like « Kitne? » which means « How much? » etc. In Mumbai, if you have money, you do nothing! There would be someone for opening the door, someone for serving you at the shop or the restaurant, someone in the lift etc, that’s why you feel like a Maharajah. I have seen a lot of poor children who beg but fewer than I had imagined because you feel the boom of the middle class.
It’s not recommended to give money to those kids because most of them are used by the Indian mafia. I have lived two strange experiences.
The first was in Hadj Ali, there were too many beggars, most of them disabled, it was so sad.
The second was on the train from Delhi to Agra, it was the third class so it was very dirty and disgusting. I will always remember Mumbai and this fabulous journey to a city where I was welcomed with a smile.
Inès
Mumbai is the most cosmopolitan city I have ever seen. A lot of people told me that the city is not the accurate reflection of India, but I think they are absolutely wrong. Actually, Bombay is rich with ethnic diversity, various ways of life are mixed there, you can find billionaires aside with the poorest persons in that extraordinary place, from the fanatics to the moderns...The city has a multilingual populace, the Mumbaikars can speak English, Marathi, Hindi at the same time. People of all religions and ethnicity, from various parts of the country are migrating, because Mumbai makes dreams come true, it is the land of the pursuit of happiness.
For ages the city has been the economic powerhouse and heart that supplies the Indian economy with investment and riches. Mumbai is well-known for its damaging pollution, its fast paced lifestyle, its claustrophobic atmosphere, its crazy traffic, and yet the city has always managed to charm people and they eventually fall in love with it.
From 19th to 28th December, I was in India, mostly in Mumbai. I visited there Haj-Ali, a Muslim holy place of pilgrimage for both Hindus and Muslims. It’s also the mausoleum of a Muslim merchant and saint named Haji Ali who renounced all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca. Legend has it that Haj Ali died on his way to Mecca and his body, floated back to Bombay.
I saw another famous mausoleum, the Taj Mahal in Agra on my 6th day in India. It was fabulous, the place is really wonderful, but Agra is a very poor city. The Taj Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The 7th day, I was in Delhi, the capital. I visited the Lotus temple of the Bahai faith, a Persian religion, the Indian gate and the Qutab Complex, site of ruins. I went to Coloba, a touristic district of Mumbai, well-known for the 26/11 attacks. I saw the Taj Mahal hotel, The Oberoi Trident and ate at Leopold cafe where the traces of bullets were still clear on the wall!
I went to an Indian wedding which shows how the Mumbaikars are tolerant and open-minded; the girl is Muslim, the boy Hindu and the two families were glad for this union.
In India, you can find, Hindus in Muslim places, everyone celebrates the other religion’s holidays. Indian people are peaceful, funny and nice, they are also so curious, that’s why they ask a lot of questions even if they don‘t know you. « Where are you from? », « Which languages are you talking? »…Most of the time, I could be understood but I had to practise my Hindi with the taxi driver, the policemen and merchants. I was using words like « Kitne? » which means « How much? » etc. In Mumbai, if you have money, you do nothing! There would be someone for opening the door, someone for serving you at the shop or the restaurant, someone in the lift etc, that’s why you feel like a Maharajah. I have seen a lot of poor children who beg but fewer than I had imagined because you feel the boom of the middle class.
It’s not recommended to give money to those kids because most of them are used by the Indian mafia. I have lived two strange experiences.
The first was in Hadj Ali, there were too many beggars, most of them disabled, it was so sad.
The second was on the train from Delhi to Agra, it was the third class so it was very dirty and disgusting. I will always remember Mumbai and this fabulous journey to a city where I was welcomed with a smile.
Inès
Samedi 19 Janvier
MUMBAI MERI JAAN - [Mumbai Mon Amour]
Mumbai est certainement la ville la plus cosmopolite au monde. Beaucoup de gens me disent que cette ville ne peut représenter l‘Inde, mais je pense qu‘ils ont totalement tort. Mumbai est si extraordinaire par sa richesse culturelle et sa diversité. On peut voir des milliardaires côtoyer les plus pauvres, des fanatiques, des modernes.
Les Mumbaikars sont polyglottes, ils peuvent parler anglais, hindi et marathi, la langue officielle de l’état de Bombay. Des gens de différentes religions et ethnies viennent à Mumbai, à la recherche de richesse et de bonheur car la ville est bien connue, elle rend possible les rêves de chacun. La capitale économique indienne est le cœur de la richesse du pays en terme d‘investissements. La ville est réputée pour sa forte pollution, son mode de vie rapide, une ambiance stressante et angoissante, ainsi que son trafic dément. Et pourtant la mégalopole semble charmer ses visiteurs, qui tombent bien évidement amoureux d’elle.
Du 19 au 28 décembre, j‘étais en Inde, la plupart du temps à Bombay où j‘ai visité Haj-Ali, une mosquée et lieu saint où Hindous et Musulmans viennent en pèlerinage. C‘est aussi le mausolée d’un saint marchant musulman du nom de Haj Ali qui a renoncé à toutes ces richesses avant d‘effectuer un pèlerinage à la Mecque. La légende raconte que Haj Ali est décédé en chemin et que son corps a flotté jusqu’à Bombay.
J’ai vu un autre mausolée très connu, le Taj Mahal durant mon 6ème jour en Inde. C’était merveilleux, l’endroit était si beau mais la ville d’Agra est vraiment pauvre. Le Taj Mahal a été construit par l’Empereur moghol Shah Jahan en mémoire de son épouse favorite, Mumtaz Mahal. Le 7ème jour, j‘étais à Delhi, la capitale de la république indienne. J’y ai visité le temple du Lotus de la religion bahai venue d’Iran, la porte de l’Inde, et le Qutab, un site de ruines musulmanes. Je suis allée à Colaba, un quartier touristique de Bombay, où ont eu lieu les attentats du 26/11. J’ai ainsi eu l’occasion de voir le Taj Mahal hotel, l’Oberoi Trident et pu manger au Café Leopold tout près des impacts de balles dans le mur.
Je suis allée à un mariage indien où j’ai pu remarquer à quel point les Mumbaikars sont tolérants et ouvert d’esprit; la mariée était musulmane, le marié hindou et les familles heureuses de cette union. En Inde, on peut trouver des Hindous dans des endroits musulmans et inversement, chacun célèbre les fêtes religieuses de l’autre. Les Indiens sont des gens pacifiques, amusants et très sympathiques. Ils sont aussi très curieux, c’est pourquoi, beaucoup vous posent des questions même s’ils ne vous connaissent pas. « D’où viens-tu? », « Quelles langues parles-tu? »… La plupart du temps, j‘ai pu me faire comprendre en utilisant mon hindi avec les chauffeurs de taxi, les policiers et les marchands. J‘utilisais des expressions comme « Kitne? » qui veut dire « Combien ça coûte? » etc.
A Bombay, si on a de l’argent, on ne fait plus rien. En effet, il y a quelqu’un pour vous ouvrir la porte, quelqu’un pour vous servir au restaurant et au magasin, quelqu’un dans l’ascenseur etc. C’est pourquoi on a l’impression d’être traité comme un Maharadjah. J’ai rencontré beaucoup d’enfants pauvres qui mendient, moins que ce que j'imaginais. En effet, on sent vraiment le boom de la classe moyenne. Il est déconseillé de leur donner de l’argent car la plupart de ces enfants sont utilisés par la mafia. J’ai vécu deux expériences étranges. La première fut à Haj-Ali, il y avait beaucoup trop de mendiants handicapés, triste spectacle. La deuxième fut dans le train qui relie Delhi-Agra, nous voyagions en 3ème classe et c’était particulièrement dégoutant.
Je me souviendrais cependant, de ce beau voyage où j’ai été accueilli avec le sourire.
Inès
