"Bombay--India in Fast Forward" a Mumbai Travel Page by travelmad478

At this point, I've been to Bombay more times than I can count. My first trip to the city was in early 1999, and I've been back many times on business trips that keep me running all over town. Over just the short span of time that I've been traveling to Bombay, the city has changed astonishingly in many ways, and in others, reminds me that the last 50 years don't count for much in a place as old as this one.

The territory that is now Bombay has been settled for more than a thousand years, but the city we now know really got started in the late 1600s. This was when the East India Company leased it from the British crown (who'd gotten it in 1661 from the Portuguese, who'd gotten it in 1534 from the sultan of nearby Ahmedabad). Given the city's genesis as the center of a trading empire, it's not surprising that Bombay became--and remains--the most important business and financial center in India. Bombay's culture is the most cosmopolitan, progressive, and outward-looking of any Indian city I've visited. Cutting-edge trends in India mostly originate here. At the same time, the focus on commerce, re-invention, and modernity mean that there's not much attention paid to maintaining historical sites or attracting tourists. There's plenty to see in Bombay, but for the most part, you'll have to find it yourself-- and if you're looking for the romantic Indian experience of ancient culture and religion, you'll be better off elsewhere. On the other hand, if you want to see the best of India in the 21st century (unfortunately, usually combined with infrastructure that seems to date from the 19th), Bombay is for you!