The New York Times, it seems has found out what many of us children of Indian immigrants have known for sometime, that Bombay or Mumbai, or whatever you want to call it, can compete with any city when it comes to nightlife, that Bombay is a great place to visit without your parents and with your “cool” cousins, and that Bombay is really, really expensive, even when you convert rupees to dollars.
The NYT recently published an interesting piece in their travel section discussing Bombay nightlife, including an informative and expensive “If you go” section as well.
The model-turned-actress Amrita Arora was there, along with her sister, Malaika Arora Khan, the spicy sex symbol of Bollywood. Nearby, the prodigal founder of Hotmail, Sabeer Bhatia, was holding court with several pretty young things in hip-hugging jeans and stiletto heels. Then all heads turned when the television personality Kamal Sidhu sauntered past the proverbial velvet rope, blowing kisses in all directions. “Everyone looks like they’re somebody,” said Jaimal Odedra, 40, a fashion designer from New York, as he scanned the candle-lighted terrace. “The scene is so Los Angeles.” Sure, there was valet parking, movie stars and plenty of over-the-shoulder gazing. But Mumbai (the official name for Bombay since 1995) is a megalopolis so grimy and congested that it makes the mean streets of Compton look like Beverly Hills. The air reeks of sewage and burning trash, cows roam the streets at will, and half of the city’s 18 million people live in mud-caked slums. And unlike the other filmmaking capital, it is also a city where night life was virtually nonexistent a decade ago.
I do like the article, but I am not sure that nightlife was nonexistent a decade ago. Bombay has been the film and financial capital of India for over 25 years, and where stars and wealth collide, so does partying (go ahead and say it with that Indian accent, you know you want to –“pahteeing”)
You can read the full article here.
Morning,
The NYT article most certainly sums up the current “trends” of/in Bombay. Although the descriptions seem accurate for the present day, I would say this, that it is inaccurate to a large degree in stating that the scene was non-existent merely a decade ago. The Bombay Lifestyle has juxtaposed all the existing elements in varied forms for many years now. Only, in the recent decade it has seen an exponential growth while keeping up with the global “trends†in music and food and fashion and all things that come with a lifestyle that money can afford. We (Bombay’ites – Indians) now have our own Wine labels and in my opinion, Indian food is more popular globally than the Indian Cinema (
which one would think would be popular by now since the Indian Film Industry produces the largest number of films per year. And thus, it goes to show that quantity may not always be a good measure.). These elements only further explain the current lifestyle scenario.
Pleasant Times. 🙂
Actually it was almost non existent about 15 years ago, other than the 5 star hotels, which were unaffordable, unless you were really really really rich(just really rich wouldnt cut it). I was in the F.Y.J.C. (11th grade) in ’91 when he Rasna Pub opened next to HR College. There were a few places to go before than, but thats when the Bombay nightlife really started to explode, cause it became easy and affordable for college students to go to the places. I remember before Rasna started 1900’s at the Taj had a 500 buck per person entry charge, than it went down to 300 almost as soon as it started. A night at rasna used to cost only a couple of hundred bucks.
I have never been to Bombay, but Delhi’s nightlife is pretty good too. In Delhi the nightclubs are pretty harassment free. One thing that surprised me about Delhi was that I was expecting the Delhi nightclubs to be much different than they actually were. When I was in Denmark and I also had the same experience in Sweden, I saw hoardes of Muslim Immigrant men (Turkish/Moroccan/Pakistanis) standing together and just staring at the women which was just creepy. I was kinda expecting the same thing in Delhi, but was pleasantly surprised to see the absence of that in Delhi.
Wow, those are some pricey eats for India. I expected meals to be a bit way cheaper considering the Indian cost of living.
Couple of years back my dad took me to his favorite haunts in Bangalore. Delicious food, and I was able to splurge for the equivalent of a couple of dollars 🙂 I hope I can do that again.
I worked in Hyderabad for a month last year and was slightly surprised at the nightlife there, in that I knew the bigger cities in India had “scenes,” but it was still somewhat strange to see women going to bars alone, etc. And that was Hyderabad, which apparently has a nightlife that pales in comparison to most larger Indian cities.
Usually when I go to India I spend most of my time in Kerala, reading lazily upon the hammocks and creaky porch swings of my relatives. Call me a geezer but I would probably rather stick to that and the free, delicious food that comes with it. If I wanted to pay exorbitant sums for sub-par food or see dudes wear weather- inappropriate clothes at clubs, I’ll go to L.A.
Still, it’s pretty neat to see the growth of the arts there too. It must be especially thrilling for the folks involved in the arts/nightlife community to see their budding, nascent scenes just boom like they apparently have over the last decade or so.
I’ll definitely have to lay-over in Mumbai for a few days next time I’m in India.
iam from london, england! i was actually born in california, USA. i have lived in usa for 15 years, and i go 2 london every year after sumar vacation from school. im in 10th grade.
DELHI ROCKS ,BALLS TO MUMBAI
I live in the UK and just got back from a stag-do in Mumbai and I have to say that it really is one hell of a place to party. It’s pretty wild. The bars and clubs are vibrant and happening. We all had a great time. The atmosphere is amazing. As one of the lads said, “If you go to Mumbai once, you just want to keep going back” and now I know what he means. It can be very expensive though. And the more popular spots can get crowded. But with a population of 12.5 million that’s hardly surprising.
It’s one of places you should experience. It’s a city of massive contrasts – appalling poverty and obscene decadence almost side by side. Nowhere have I been that made me realise more than ever just how fortunate I am. Seeing that kind of poverty really puts things in perspective.
Mumbai is all about energy..About working women who wake up @ 4am each day,about their struggle in the local trains and movies being their common source of entertainment. Its about women who feel safer here than any other Metro..its about young men who know its RUDE to stare!! Yeah..it has its flip side of stinking garbage, overflowing drains, poverty…But for someone who ha grown up there and is now in North America – MUMBAI ROCKS!!!
Sherie’s absolutely right. and ADE’s a nutter, because Delhi is a P for pathetic city. Nice, wide avenues. Right. But step out and you’ll be kidnapped. Now let’s look at Bombay. A truely cosmopolitain city. Dynamic. Always on the move. 18 million residents, half of them living in slums (real estate prices sky-high). But at least the crime rate is so low that I can walk around my neighbourhood without the fear of being kidnapped. That’s the difference. And that is what makes the Bombayite special. The city’s residents always stick up for another. I repeat, Delhi is pathetic. There’s only one thing in Delhi which is good, the restaurants!!! Nothing else.
So just a question…Can you party any night of the week in Mumbai or is it just limited to the weekends?
i been bombay last month. night life in bombay is very cool. lot and lots of girl. pls go bombay to its night life ones in ur life time.
I totally agree with Sherie, if you were born and brought up in Bombay and have moved to a North American city…life seems dull. Bombay is the BEST!!! the glitz the glamour, the life, the exuberance, the vibrance…WHOA!!! For the past decade I have lived in EUropean cities and am now in Canada, and not one city measures up to the nite life of Bombay. Bombay truly ROCKS!
i am going to bombay and have not been there since 96′ i hope it’s changed from the last time i was there as the nightlife was pathetic and most joints would only let you in as ‘couples only’ or if your white it’s also difficult. I went out in Chandigarh nice places but not much happening. I am always skeptical when i read these posts as in the U.K it’s proper banging everywhere and still i have never found a place in the world like it, in the USA, Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa and many more places don’t come close, so i take all these comments with a pinch of salt as most people don’t really know the meaning of party and if they are natives again it might be banging to them but not in the real world. i really hope i am wrong, but i doubt it !