Understanding Cities

You might have read in the papers about the ‘BMW Guggenheim Lab’ that is in town these days. This moving lab which has previously travelled to cities like New York and Berlin, before coming to the shores of Mumbai, likes to describe itself as urban think tank, a community center and a public gathering space. Its primary motive is to address issues pertaining to contemporary urban life through various programs and public discussions. We caught up with the Guggenheim Lab’s resident blogger ‘Christine Mclaren’, who has been trying to understand our magnificent city by unique ways like walking blind folded through the city and commuting in peak hour rush in a Virar local!

Christine McLaren

Queen of the Suburbs

‘Queen of the Suburbs’, that’s how the suburb of Bandra is descried, and rightly so! Everyone loves this suburb. It is the symbol of Mumbai’s cosmopolitan lifestyle. From the energetic nightlife, the seafronts of Bandstand and Carters Road and the celebrities, we are in awe of everything that Bandra has to offer. There’s so much happening in Bandra, so much life, so much excitement. It’s difficult to comprehend why just one suburb, in this huge a mega polis, has been blessed with so much. Well, we came across a Mumbaikar who is trying to understand what makes Bandra click. Discovering Mumbai presents Aalika who is working on a project, ‘The BandraProject’, which aims to unlock the mystery behind Bandra’s charm.

Photograph by 'The Bandra Project'

The Spirit of Mumbai

Mumbai and monsoons share a very puzzling relation. The average Mumbaikar beaten down by the summer heat, eagerly awaits its arrival. They also welcome its arrival by having fun in the first rains, to heading out to hill stations as soon as the first rains arrive. But this festive spirit is short lived, as the early light showers give way to heavy downpour, the citizens can be seen wearing a weary look. As an implied rule goes, Mumbai has to be brought to halt by heavy rains at least once every monsoon. Even after pumping in crores of funds and putting in years of efforts the solution to the problem of flooding seems far-fetched.