The National Centre for the Performing Arts tops the list of places to visit for a culture vulture. Home of the Symphony Orchestra of India, and spread over 8 acres of reclaimed land at Nariman Point in South Bombay, the NCPA has three main theatres and two smaller ones. It is a central hub for plays, dance and music performances, musicals, operas and recitals. It also houses a studio, library, exhibition centre, and various centres for the arts.
Marine Drive offers a picture perfect frame of the Arabian Sea and a large chunk of Mumbai’s skyline. The lack of a shore means sitting on the concrete platform, one can dangle one’s feet right over the Sea and the odd shaped structures that hold the tide in. At night, look around and the host of streetlights for what’s popularly known as the Queen’s Necklace. Right behind you, will be Nariman Point, Mumbai’s busiest business centre, where most heads of offices are located.
Another jewel is the Haji Ali dargah or mosque, which is on the sea and connected to the mainland by a long passage that people use to walk across. This quiet place offers some peace and a beautiful view of the surrounding sea and Mumbai’s seafront. A short way from here is the famed Mahalakshmi Temple that requires some basic slope climbing to get to.
The arts district aka Kala Ghoda, is a must for anyone. Simply walking through the area is refreshing, let alone the many museums and galleries at arm’s distance of each other. The Jehangir Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastrahaliya (formerly the Prrince of Wales Museum) are three of the main places in this area that one can visit.
The Colaba area with Colaba Causeway as a long stretch of road, most famous for trinkets one can pick up, as well as excellent food at a variety of restaurants. Walk along this bustling street and pick up shawls, clothes, junk jewellery and antiques! Moreover, just a little way of is the magnificent Taj Mahal Hotel.
Mumbai is probably the only city in the world with a large national park bang in the middle of it, with wild leopards roaming free within. The Sanjay Gandhi National Park (also known as the Borivali National Park), is in Borivali, a suburb on the Western line of Mumbai. A Sunday morning walk/trek through here, especially during the monsoons, is a wonderful way to refresh your senses and breathe in a bit of nature’s best, away from the city, while still being within its perimeters. If you have a little more energy, trek up to the Kanheri Caves, where a host of rock shelters can be explored, and a perpetually cool breeze, enjoyed.
A day’s trip can be planned to the Elephanta Caves, a ferry ride away from South Bombay, or to Gorai, where Asia’s largest Pagoda stands tall and silent amidst mangroves and fishing villages.
Author: Rajesh Thakur
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Piyush Shah, Ahmedabad
Travelled to Mumbai
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