Re-establishing Brand Mumbai

A GATEWAY TO THE LAND IN INDIA - MUMBAI – A land of dreams. A place where people all over India come and venture with their life in pursuit of money, some end up earning while rest end up losing. Mumbai has ample opportunities for people who can capture and capitalise on it. Money is something which has been closely associated with Mumbai from years. The Financial Capital of India, contributing almost forty percent to the tax kitty of the government, providing resources to create Infrastructure and services for the country. It has been the corporate hub of India right from the British Raj. With a population of approximately 13.66 million, it is the second most populous city in the world.
Mumbai, located on the west coast of India has a deep natural harbour. Mumbai's port handles over half of India's maritime cargo. Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment centre of India, generating 5% of India's GDP, 40% of maritime trade, and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy. Mumbai is one of the world's top ten centres of commerce by global financial flow, home to important financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India and the corporate headquarters of many Indian companies and numerous multinational corporations. The city also houses India's Hindi film and television industry, known as Bollywood. Mumbai's business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a better standard of living, attract migrants from all over India and, in turn, make the city a potpourri of many communities and cultures.
Mumbai has always been the city which has gone through a phase of transformation, the process of decongestion, providing shelter to people in all walks of life without any discrimination of caste, and creed without any gender biases. More and more corporate come to Mumbai as its Business Hub. A place where people keep on coming everyday from all over the world with the hope of making moolah so as to have a great future for themselves and their family. Mumbai has been attracting people and growing with the formation of Navi Mumbai. Mumbai is a place which has helped the neighbouring areas grows. Mumbai boasts of the busiest airport with planes landing every minute. Everyday approximately two hundred and fifty cars are added on the roads of Mumbai causing congestion and stress on the already stressed infrastructure of Mumbai. Pace of life in Mumbai does not get affected with any natural or manmade disaster.
Mumbai is a city of contrast and contradiction. Mumbai has the largest slum and also the richest person of India staying within its limits. Mumbai has been facing problems and coming up with the spirit of fighting back. It has always been associated with the never say die attitude. Mumbai has been targeted by the politicians, terrorist’s whose victim is the layman causing him all the trouble. It is one of the world’s costliest places to stay in the world. The common man is the one in Mumbai who is affected by anything and everything happening around. With all these troubles and problems Mumbai’s pace neither stop, nor its growth is hampered. Although there are some everyday problems which are faced by the people of Mumbai like water, electricity, accommodation, food, clothing, chocked drainage lines and the list goes on, but Mumbai never stops. Mumbai is unique. Mumbai is a brand, respected by people around the world.

Brand Mumbai has many problems. It is the a victim of the recent terror attacks including the serial train blasts in the past as well the MNS attacks on the North Indians. It has many other problems. Yet its problems can be solved systematically and with the help of the stakeholders.
Over 60% of air pollution is due to the 7 lakh vehicles on the roads. Space constraints have given rise to towering skyscrapers standing majestically next to sprawling slums. Haute cuisine besides hawker stalls. World renowned designer labels and brands to exquisite made in India items. People of various caste, culture, and religion inhabit the city, and due to this diversification the customs, languages, and even the food is of infinite variety. The city is multi religious, multi cultural, multilingual. Mumbai can be said to be a true secular place where people from varied culture stay together and enjoy every day life, let it be joy or sorrow. The major problem faced by Mumbai is congestion. There is a serious need to help Mumbai decongest as the infrastructure is not able to take the load of ever increasing problems. The basic necessity of food, clothing and shelter are to be satisfied. One of the main steps involved in decongestion of Mumbai would be help the neighbouring areas like Navi Mumbai, Thane, Virar and other adjoining areas to develop. Decentralising of corporate in other parts near Mumbai will boast the development of these areas. The development of these areas will create migration of population from Mumbai to these areas. Migration would help Mumbai to serve best with the available infrastructure. Infrastructure of a particular area can be developed to a certain extent over exertion would cause a breakage in the current service.
The slums in Mumbai occupy a very huge area that can be given an elevation. The biggest slum of Asia is Dharavi occupying an area of 175 hectares could be utilised in the best possible way. The project Dharavi can be a huge success with creating a huge space for more development to happen. The people currently staying can be given an alternative place to stay. Vertical development is what Mumbai can look into as it will help accommodate more people in the same area. Government is working towards the development of the slum region but it takes very long time, creating dent in the pocket of the government as it increases the cost of the projects. While starting a new project the government sounds to be very enthusiastic but when the completion process approaches it takes a long time causing every project to be delayed and thus increasing the cost. This has been analysed in every other project which has been carried on, the problem is either the government is delaying the tender process or the private companies delay it. The best example is the Bandra - Worli Sea Link which was bound to be completed in 2008 and now it has been to be extended till the year 2009. The solution would be to have started creating deadlines for public and private sector for such projects as it can be used by the public early and if the project is not completed in time then the private or public, whichever organisation is involved is penalised for the delay. The other reason for congestion is the population.
People in the slum areas have a minimum of three to four kids on an average. Awareness about the population explosion and the mantra of “Hum Do Hamara Ek”. Population which migrates from other parts of India get settled in Mumbai causing more and more congestion. These people who come from outside Mumbai tend to do work on the construction site, roads etc. There are some people who don’t get work either become beggars on the road or join some underworld gang and form the bad part of society. These people are not able to feed their family and thus force their kids to become beggars. Slumdog Millionaire gave a great review of how’s life in Mumbai and particularly of the slum. The slum people also form a big part of the beggar community. We find a lot of kid begging on the road. The solution to the problem is the kids to be given education for a good future and some daily allowance for attending schools. It is known today that beggars approximately earns in the range of Rs100-Rs500 depending on the area in their purview. Child labour is another phenomenon of Mumbai which is rampantly knows as a part of Mumbai. The government tried to control child labour but it was not successful to major extent. A child working in a store is majorly because his family cannot afford his education or he has the responsibility of his family. The government can take the help of corporate and arrange night schools for such kids that would help them to grow, eliminating not only poverty but also enhancing the standard of living of such people and creating an educational base.
Education is one of the most required aspects for development of the economy. With education the basic evils of economy such as poverty and corruption can be eradicated. The other problem faced by Mumbai is the transport problem where all its modes i.e. road, railway and airport are congested. Looking at the roads of Mumbai they are over utilised with new cars add to the ever increasing pollution. There are approximately 250 cars added every day on the roads of Mumbai. Travelling in cars has become the most time consuming affair for the mumbaikars. Other than private cars there are taxis, auto rickshaws, government busses, private busses who add to the congestion on the roads. Despite of building so many flyovers the congestion on the roads instead of reducing has increased tremendously. The local busses are filled, carrying people more than their capacity. The pollution caused through these has increased tremendously leading to the depletion of natural resources.
The next mode of transport is the railways. Mumbai very famous for it’s over flowing local trains i.e. carrying more people than its capacity. Railway has been a life line of Mumbaikars for years and the backbone of transport. Approximately every day more than a million people are transported from home to work and vice-versa. The railways are jam packed during the peak hours. Every three minutes there is a local train which runs to different destination of Mumbai. During heavy rainfall the railways are the first mode of transport which turns dead. The water logging causes the railway line to slow down and then stop which causes the entire city to slow down at a snail’s pace. Railways in Mumbai have been improving giving good and timely service. Roads and railways are the majorly used mode of transport. Mumbai needs to develop a water transport because of its vast coastline it can boast on. If water transport in Mumbai is developed then the roads and railways will get a breather, it will create a mode of transport which is the most required in Mumbai. No doubt there is metro and sky bus route lined up but with water transport it will reduce the distance and also help in reducing the pollution which is hampering the environment.
Using Mumbai’s coast will generate employment, reduce congestion and also make travelling easier for the people of Mumbai. Water transport will help ease the pressure and help the people to reach the work place more easily and in better shape. Developing of water transport can bring about a big boast in decongestion of Mumbai and helping it to transport more people at cheaper rate.
Mumbai is well linked to an international and domestic airport from where flights all across India and World fly at different interval. Due to pressure on the Mumbai airport the airport despite of its constant up gradation is still facing a congestion problem. A new domestic airport is being developed in Navi Mumbai which would help to reduce air traffic to a major extent. The other problem Mumbai is facing is cleanliness, only some areas in Mumbai are clean. We as a people and residents of Mumbai are to be blamed for the dirt and filth which is around. The Municipal Department does its work but what if the residents themselves do not help the corporation; their work would be a waste.
People travelling have pan and tobacco spit on the roads creating an unhealthy environment around. Smoking in public places is prohibited but still people smoke in these areas create pollution for people around them. Cleanliness is also an issue Mumbai needs to fight to prove itself as a great brand. Being a coastal city mangroves are an important aspects which save Mumbai of cyclone and tsunami. The cutting of mangroves leads to dying of the fauna. Mangroves play an important role for fish farming. With the cutting of mangroves the water gets polluted, destroying the coastal area of Mumbai. Corruption is again one of the main components that Mumbai has to tackle. Corruption is the worst disease any department can be affected of, it is the most contagious disease. In corruption both the giver and the receiver are to be blamed, as it is a two party transaction. Mumbai has been facing corruption since a long time especially in the government department. These are some of the ongoing issues faced by My Mumbai.
Brand Mumbai has been building itself from a long time to come and has enhanced its value from just being an ordinary city to what it is right now, which we mumbaikars are proud of. Although some external elements have tried to hamper the status of Brand Mumbai alas it didn’t help them to achieve their goals. The security has been a major concern for re-establishing the brand Mumbai back to its status which it hold and boasts. The first event to occur was the train blast which created the security which lacks in Mumbai and the second was the very recent terror attacks at CST Station, Taj Hotel, Trident Hotel, Cafe Leopold and the Nariman house. These are some of the places where we have foreigners and the elite class of the society present. With the first train blast, the lifeline of Mumbai was attacked and next the tourist destination. But hampering the brand Mumbai would be a very tough because the brand Mumbai is associated with trust, togetherness, growth, prosperity and diversity. Brand Mumbai has always helped to get India on the world map. It’s closer to getting “Financial Capital of Asia”. Known in the corporate where every MNC in the world which is present in India have an office in Mumbai, helping it to develop its hold in India, as Mumbai is connected to major destination in India through rail, road and air network. It’s when the whole of India sleep Mumbai wakes up known for its Night life. It is a relatively safe place; even women can go to a pub for a drink.
The Lunch of the mumbaikars is sent by a unique setup which has its presence only Mumbai. They are the awards winning “Dabawallahs” with its Six Sigma” Quality and has also contributed as a case study in worlds management institutes. Association of brand Mumbai is also with the hawkers, the road side food like the Pani Puri, Wada Pav, Sev Puri, Pav Bhaji and more, the list of these road side food items have never died and are evergreen to eat i.e. anytime eating. Mumbai is also associated with The Gateway of India, Jehangir Art Gallery, and Kala Ghoda Film Festival. It is known for its skyscrapers, the metro which is coming up, and the sky busses. Mumbai boast of Asia first stock exchange – Bombay Stock Exchange. Every part of Mumbai is a brand in itself famous for things from food to clothing to accessories. Re-Branding of Mumbai is not required as MUMBAI has and will never lose itself as a brand with the positive attributes it has and the way it handles the negative aspects which hamper it.
Mumbai is like a bouquet with many flowers. Spreading its fragrance all around with its flowers some bright and shining, some weathered, tattered and worn while some with thorns, yet is blissful. Now it’s our job to water this bouquet and keep it fresh and alive forever.

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