Mumbai... meri jaan... Whenever I walk out of the Churchgate railway station in Mumbai, I hear the words "Mumbai nagri... sapnon ki nagri" ("Mumbai city - the city of dreams")- replayed from hundreds of Bollywood films (usually in Om Puri's tone). More recently, this playback also leads to a recurring question - What drives Mumbai? Why do more and more aspirants still head for Mumbai when they now have multiple other options which did not exist earlier?

Mumbai has a lot of things going against it - high costs of living, long commutes, over-crowded suburbs, Asia's largest slum etc. Still, a significant number of my top-ranking batchmates from IIM B work in some of the most prominent companies in India in Mumbai and swear by the place. Being a Mumbai-kar to the core - this does make me happy but the question remains unanswered.

I could also think of several reasons in favor of Mumbai - Mumbai, the most cosmopolitan city in the country, accepts and assimilates people from all economic and social backgrounds much better than other cities. Also, the Marwaris, the Gujratis and the Sindhis in Mumbai have created a fertile ground and positive perception for entrepreneurship, a vital requirement for economic development. Or, being the financial capital of India with most banks and two major stock exchanges based in the city makes Mumbai the best place to source capital. Also, it could possibly be a virtuous cycle - good, skilled manpower which already exists in the city attracts and draws more good-quality manpower. And, finally, the success could also be attributed to historical and geographical reasons.

While all the above factors would probably have contributed to Mumbai's success - none of them provide an entirely convincing answer or a solution that is not replicable elsewhere. The answer I believe is right stuck me in a flash of insight - I was speaking to my father and he was telling me about how he plans to take his property business forward and he made the following statement: "If Dhirubhai can become India's biggest businessman after being a lower class worker, I am sure I can at least do 10% of that". It was then that it stuck me - the petrol pump attendant who turned into a business tycoon, the waiter who turned into a movie superstar, the swampy island that turned into the country's largest business district, all define the soul of Mumbai. The primary attraction of Mumbai for most people coming from outside is encapsulated in one word - aspiration. For most people, Mumbai is the place where dreams can, practically, be chased and realized. The exhilaration of being part of a city on the move, of being part of a society of people who are venturing and achieving, spending long hours at workplaces, doing all they can to achieve their aspirations; draws a significant proportion of the nations best.

This quality of Mumbai also explains why Mumbai has the most service-oriented firms, is an extremely competitive place, and is the seat of the financial and film industries of the country along with the ubiquitous Mumbai underworld. The rest of the things that I mentioned before - along with the country's best party scene, Mid-day and the insomniac lifestyle - add to the legend.

It is not uncommon for a Mumbai-kar to be filmi and I, being a proud true Mumbai-kar am no different, so here goes -

Rafi: Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Aye dil hai..
(Kahin building kahin traame, kahin motor kahin mill
Milta hai yahan sab kuchh ik milta nahin dil) -2

Insaan ka nahin kahin naam-o-nishaan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Aye dil hai..
(Kahin satta, kahin patta kahin chori kahin res
Kahin daaka, kahin phaaka kahin thokar kahin thes) -2

Bekaaro ke hain kai kaam yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Aye dil hai..
(Beghar ko aawara yahan kehte has has
Khud kaate gale sabke kahe isko business) -2

Ik cheez ke hain kai naam yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan
Aye dil hai..

Geeta: (Bura duniya woh hai kehta aisa bhola tu na ban
Jo hai karta woh hai bharta hai yahan ka yeh chalan) -2
Tadbeer nahin chalne ki yahan
Yeh hai Bombay, yeh hai Bombay, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan

Rafi: Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan

Geeta: Aye dil hai aasaa jeena yahan
Suno mister, suno bandhu, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan

Rafi: Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahan
Zara hat ke zara bach ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan

Movie: C.I.D (1956)
Music: O.P Nayyar
Singers: Mohd. Rafi & Geetha Dutt  ¶ 12:17 AM