Mumbai dhamaka

"From autorickshaw races,arm-wrestling competitions in colleges(?), street food fests, shopping,movie screenings,arts,marathons,culture and everything else that the city's image conjures up is going to be on display"
Yesss! The Mumbai festival is finally on the cards.Amazing, isn't it? Frankly, I never thought that I would get to be part of a public fest in mumbai at all. We're always the ones who've had to be contended with watching people lapping up the goodies at London's Hyde park, at the all famous Oktoberfest in Germany, the Mardi gras (although I wouldn't prefer to be part of such extremities in amchi mumbai frankly) or be it the Times square.

The news piece said that it's being planned as a ten day event beginning from the 7th of january and that industrialists,politicians, brand gurus, corporate czars etc are all supposed to be funding and taking the initiative here.

Anyway, I feel that the idea is great and Mumbai will finally be on the world map for such events. But does the city really have all the facilities and the infrastructure to hold such events? Movies, shopping, eating and all is Ok but to be really categorised as a public event, it will have to reach out to the masses at the street level. And I, for one really don't think that's going to be happening. And it won't be reaching the suburbs as well. So in the end I fear it will just turn out to be a money spinning and brand promoting exercise. But it's a good start nonetheless and I hope that a few years down the line, The london's and the new york's will be getting a run for their money.