Bombai: A Multipolis In A Metropolis

Locally, BOMbay + MumBAI = Bombai !!

Bombai Nagariya. The city that tenderly kisses the Arabian Sea at its one end and opens its arms wide on the other, life here is as romantic as it is accelerated. Thus, rightly christened the “Maximum City”. The city that has been personified at all levels.

If Mumbai would have been an young lass, we would have a long standing affair with each other. Thats my relation with the city.

Recently, I got an opportunity to reinvent my relationship with the city at newer levels. Thanks to Avid Learning’s initiative “Multipolis Mumbai”

Multipolis Mumbai is a series of dialogues on various aspects of Mumbai. The dialogues have been well assorted in various domains like Architecture, Dance, Songs, Food etc. It will host a panel discussion on the topics related to the city. The series plans to cover cultural aspects of the city in totality. And just by reading this, I can feel the adrenaline rush in me !

The series kicked off with a bang yesterday, with a dialogue on 'Architecture and our city'. This dialogue, brought by AVID Learning in association with Studio X and Time Out India is focused on the relationship between architecture and Mumbai, and their on one another – paying special attention to urban planning issues and its future.

The Panellists included :
Brinda Somaya
Architect and Urban Conservationist
Deepshikha Jain
Architect and professional photographer
Mustansir Dalvi
Professor at JJ School of Architecture and prolific writer on Architecture and the city

And was moderated by : Naresh Fernandes
Journalist and former Time Out Editor-in-Chief

I entered the venue late, being stuck in the never ending traffic. Ironically enough, I blamed the Mumbai traffic and the unplanned and  haphazard growth leading to this condition. All true Mumbaikars do that. And that is the relation we share with the city. We love it from the bottom of our hearts, yet never miss a chance to compare it with other cities of the world and sulk about it.

As the discussion started, and the various views brought by the panellists opened new perspectives at looking at the city. After each one presented their views, the talk gradually progressed to cultural and ethical norms in creating an architecture around the city.

Some of the perspectives included:

• Never be ashamed of what you see in the city ~ Brinda Somaya
• If you want to change the city, start by changing the definitions. Once you stop calling slums as slums, you start thinking of how to integrate it with the existing city ~ Mustansir Dalvi
• Governance has an ariel view and people have the street view. We need some who has the middle view and co ordinate between the both ~ Deepshikha Jain

Upon the conclusion, the audience was left energised and electrified. And wanting for more.

Special thanks to:

The Avid Learning team, for coordinating and managing this event.

The Time Out India Team for contributing to organise this.

Studio X for the amazing venue.

If you have missed this event, no worries. There are many more to come. Watch out this space for more news.

This series give us all an opportunity to relive the city. Are you ready to reinvent you affair with this beautiful city?

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