Mumbai: an insider’s guide

Richard Orange

This is a colourful city consumed by frenetic activity, says Richard Orange, but one where visitors become immersed in Victorian history and impassioned by wonderful food

What gets new arrivals to Mumbai gawping from their taxi windows is the crowd: no matter how much you prepare in advance, the concentration of humanity is always absolutely, fantastically overwhelming. At its peak density, Mumbai has more than 100,000 people packed into each square kilometre, out-populating almost anywhere else on the planet.

But the fascination for many British visitors is the fact that the city this crowd is invading, although crumbling, is one of the world’s great Victorian achievements. Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station is a more impressive example of Gothic revival than London’s St Pancras, and is just one of more than 20 Gothic public buildings within ten minutes’ walk. With these buildings come other survivors of the colonial past: umbrella shops, restaurants, libraries, and ice-cream parlours that look like they’ve been lifted from 1930s Britain. Overlaid on top of it all is the ‘New India’ of newly minted MBAs and Bollywood glitz. It’s an addictive mix.

As for the name of the place, foreigners are probably safer to stick with ‘Mumbai’. But remember that this was foisted on the city less than 15 years ago by Shiv Sena, an incendiary bunch of Hindu and regional nationalists. For the older communities, the great cosmopolitan mixing pot that nurtured them will always be Bombay.

Where to stay

The majority of Mumbaikers now live in sprawling concrete suburbs. But, unless you’ve got business up north, the historic centre in the south from Colaba up to Crawford Market is the place to stay. If your employer is still solvent enough to allow a five-star hotel, or you can afford it yourself, the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, with its combination of history and comfort, is the only place to stay. Several of its bars and restaurants, and all the guest rooms in the 105-year old ‘Heritage Wing’, are still being patched up after last year’s three-day terrorist siege. But it’s still one of the world’s great hotels, and you’ll find sipping a Kingfisher beer or gin and tonic in the poolside bar a welcome relaxant after a day in the chaotic streets. If it’s not too ghoulish, you can get staff to point out which rooms saw the main clashes between India’s National Security Guard and the terrorists.

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