Mumbai is known as India’s financial capital. The metropolis contributes 35 per cent of the India’s GDP. Home to approximately One crore seventy lakh people, the city is also a known as the media and fashion capital. Thousands of people throng to the city in search of a decent lifestyle. The city moves at a fast pace and there is no time for anyone to stand and stare. Every Mumbaikar is busy in his own lives that he is involved in a rat race to fulfill his career aspirations.
From being an island city, Mumbai has expanded to suburbs like Bandra and Borivali in the western line and has further extended to far-flung areas like Virar. Earlier most of the industries and entertainment options were concentrated in south Mumbai. Imagine you had to travel to Eros theatre in Churchgate and New Excelsior in Fort and several theatres in CST and other locations to watch the latest flick. For watching a good English movie one had to go to Sterling and Regal theatres. Also for shopping one had to go all the way to Fashion Street, Colaba causeway or Dadar. Most of the people had to take a long ride to the city to shop for their favourite clothes and accessories.
With the globalization, rapid urbanization and huge disposable incomes there has been a shift in the city’s socio-economic status. The opening up of malls and entertainment centres has changed the way people shop. Nowadays, everything from pin to piano is available under a single roof of these malls. These days youngsters are earning a five figure salary and don’t mind shelling out a huge sum to purchase their favourite brand.
With the opening of several malls in the suburbs like Bandra, Andheri and Malad, there is no dearth of shopping options for the city’s residents. These days, residents need not go all the way to south Mumbai to carry out their shopping and recreational activities. Also with the opening of several multiplexes, the residents can catch their favourite movie in their own vicinity instead of going all the way to Churchgate or Colaba.
Also most of the construction activity too has started happening in suburban locations and citizens have begun opting for quality residential projects in suburban locations. The residents who were staying in the south and central Mumbai especially in the congested localities of these areas have started shifting to the suburbs in search of a better lifestyle. Some of the suburban locations offer an integrated housing projects which includes everything from housing, office, shops, banks, hospitals and other facilities required for a decent lifestyle, which every Mumbaikar long for.
So what does this mean for south Mumbai? Some people say that south Mumbai has been replaced by suburbs like Bandra and Andheri which have become Mumbai’s hip and happening areas. Since most of the pubs, discos and restaurants are located in Bandra and it is often referred to as the city’s pub capital. As south Mumbai has few pubs, youngsters have started flocking to suburbs to chill out after a hard day’s work. The employees working in these areas take a return train towards their home located in the suburbs after 6 pm. After 8 pm, the area looks like a deserted place as there are fewer people on the streets.
On the other hand, the suburbs are always filled with hustle and bustle activities of citizens. Lack of land and rising real estate prices too have forced the city planners to look for cheap locations in suburban areas. To make matters worse, south Mumbai does not have any space for further expansion. The only saving grace for the city was the defunct mill lands which were transformed into malls and other recreational centres. Finally, the suburbs have redefined themselves and become a part of mainstream Mumbai. So, where are you heading this weekend?
