Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, is India's most bustling metropolis with over fifteen million inhabitants. A spectrum of extremes--the very rich and the very poor jostle within its bursting Victorian fabric. The glitterati of Bollywood, vestiges of the Empire, the hip and the traditional constitute the paradox that is Mumbai. Claiming the world's largest movie industry, and almost 40 percent of the Nation's GNP, Mumbai symbolises India's aspirations for modernity, at least of the western kind.
Truly India's gateway to the West, more than half of India's foreign trade is handled by Mumbai's port. It is also the country's financial powerhouse, industrial heartland and its economic nerve center. Mumbai is situated on the western coast of India and was originally a cluster of seven islands around which the modern city has grown. The city derives its name from Mumbadevi, the patron Goddess of the Kolis, a fishing community and its oldest inhabitant.
SIGHT SEEING
The Gateway of India
The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit in 1911 of King George. It overlooks the sea on one side and the Taj Mahal Hotel on the other. J.N. Tata, one of the city's great Parsi patrons, built this hotel in 1903 supposedly after he was refused entry into the Watson's Hotel, for being 'a native'. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vaastu Sanghralaya (The Prince of Wales Museum) and the National Gallery of Modern Art are nearby.
Fort
This area occupies the site of the old British built fort and is the established commercial hub of Mumbai. The Victorian architecture in the area is reminiscent of the European roots of the city. Heritage walks in this area which has the finest concentration of heritage structures in the city, are very popular with tourists.
Chhatrapati Shivaji
Terminus (CST)
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus better known as Victoria Terminus, is a splendid example of Gothic architecture. Richly carved buttresses, domes, turrets, spires and stained-glass windows make it hard to believe that this grand building is one of the main stations of Mumbai and accommodate almost half a million commuters daily. Has been declared 'a world heritage site by UNESCO.
Crawford Market
This colourful market north of CST, also known as Mahatma Phule Market, was built in 1869. It used to be the city's wholesale produce market before it was strategically moved to New Bombay. Bas-reliefs by Rudyard Kipling's father, Lockwood Kipling, adorn the Norman-Gothic exterior.
Marine Drive
The Marine Drive runs along the shoreline of the Arabian Sea from Nariman Point all the way up to the foot of the Malabar Hill.
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Popularly known as the Queen's Necklace, this curved promenade is literally like one with its dazzling band of street lights. It was built on land reclaimed from Back Bay in 1920. It is one of Mumbai's favourite sunset-watching spots.
Pherozshah Mehta Gardens (Hanging Gardens)
Perched atop Malabar Hill, opposite the Kamla Nehru Park, these terraced gardens also known as Hanging Gardens provide a lovely sunset view over the Arabian Sea.
Chowpatty Beach
Quiet during the day, the Chowpatty Beach transforms into a magical fair ground in the evenings. A stroll down Chowpatty and its long string of food stalls is an essential part of the Mumbai experience. The beach was frequented by freedom fighters during the Quit India movement. A statue of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak marks the spot where the great leader was cremated.
Kamala Nehru Park
Laid in 1952 an the slopes of Malabar Hill the garden /children's park offers a panoramic. view of Marine Drive and Chowpatty Beach. It was named after the wife ofIndia's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
Haji Ali Mosque
The gleaming white mosque and tomb ofHaji Ali appears to be a fairy island in the Arabian Sea. In reality, it is situated at the tip of a causeway and can be approached only during low tide.
ManiBhavan
When Mahatma Gandhi visited Mumbai he made this old style building his home. The house belonged to his friend Shri Revashankar Jhaveri. Today Mani Bhavan has been converted into a museum and a research centre with a library and an auditorium. The room in which Gandhi lived, is open to visitors.
Elephanta Caves
The rich lore of the Hindu Trinity is timelessly carved on the peaceful rocks of Elphanta Island, offshore (10 km) from the Gateway of India. The trip is truly worth its while on boats that ply between the Island and Apollo Bunder, every hour till early afternoon. The caves were perhaps carved sometime be~en 450 AD and 750 AD. They depict the life of Shiva and his beloved Parvati in their Himalayan abode of Kailash. The Maheshmurti or the 20 ft high rock-cut Shiva - the destroyer as also Brahma - the creator, and Vishnu - the preserver, is among its many world renowned carvings that are on par with those of Ajanta and Ellora. The caves are included in the list of World Heritage Sites.
For more information, visit
www.incredibleindia.org
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India emerges 2nd in medical tourism race
India spends 1.2% of its GDP on health, but takes care of foreign patients — the country ranks second in medical tourism. In 2007, Indian hospitals treated 4.5 lakh patients from other countries against topper Thailand's 12 lakh. A two-year study by healthcare researchers Deloitte revealed there's always been an inflow of patients from neighbouring countries and West Asia, but now there's a significant rise in patients from the US, UK and Europe. Cheaper treatment is a huge attraction and, during recession, that's a big fact. But other factors, too, have contributed to the growth of medical tourism in India. "Indian clinical and paramedical talent is globally appreciated and with JCI accreditation of some hospitals, international standard is proven. Third-party intervention through health insurance has also given it a boost," said Vishal Bali, CEO, Wockhardt Group of Hospitals. "Thailand, which revolutionized medical tourism, is more into cosmetic surgery; India focuses on cardiac, neurological or orthopaedic problems," Bali said.
Another significant factor is long patient waiting list, especially in the UK and Europe. The per-capita healthcare expenditure in Korea is $720 against India's $94. Treatment cost is lowest in India — 20% of the average cost incurred in US; in Singapore, Thailand and South Africa, it's 30% of the US cost. Medical tourism showcases the potential of Indian healthcare sector to the world which dreaded India for the incidence of AIDS, tuberculosis, cancer, malaria and diabetes.
Source :
The Economic Times |
Amritsar gets air link with Bangalore and Mumbai
The tourism sector in Punjab is expected to get a boost as the Rajasansi international airport at Amritsar finally gets connected to Mumbai and Bangalore. Low-cost domestic airline GoAir started its daily connecting flights between Delhi-Banglore-Mumbai on Sunday. Gunbir Singh, vice-chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Punjab, said, “The new connectivity will provide a big relief to NRIs as it will be comfortable for them to travel to other destinations in India after visiting their home state of Punjab. “Tourism will certainly grow, adding to the state’s economy. The new services will also save the traveling time of the business fraternity,” Singh added.
Speaking with FE, Arun Talwar, airport director, AAI, Amritsar, said, “Earlier we had five departure and arrival flights and were connected only with Delhi.However, the Amritsar international airport has seen tremendous growth in domestic passenger traffic over the past five year. In the year 2003-04 the total domestic passengers registered with the airport were 6,249, while in the year 2007-08 the figure went up to 1,25,081.”
The director of the airport said there were no plans to add other destinations yet. However, Air Sylhet has obtained clearances for running two flights a week connecting Amritsar and Vienna. Air Sylhet is expected to start services from April.
Source :
The Financial Express |
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