This is what happens, I suppose, when you live in small places all the time. I used to hate the much romanticized 'laid back' life. When not pushed, people tend to take things easy. You are pushed to the hilt in Mumbai. If you can't take grueling commute, forget Mumbai. What this inevitably leads to is a population with more grit. And thats what makes Mumbai unique. When there is a terrorist attack, the people bounce back so fast that the terrorists manage only to kill, not terrorize.
Dubai, while big, is not a city in that sense. There are no rural areas in UAE, so all people aggregate here, there is no selection. In the last few decades, the oil boom has also ensured that life is never too hard for most people. Thats why this city, though glamorous, is not vibrant.
MBA-wise, I'm working on my 'why MBA' generic essay. Being older and non-traditional means I need to be more specific than most people. Still trying to collect that specific information, and formulating it in a meaningful way.
2 comments:
"When there is a terrorist attack, the people bounce back so fast that the terrorists manage only to kill, not terrorize. "
I've lived in Mumbai for 20+ years and the above while true , is incorrectly attributed to Mumbai's grit. It is more a case of the 'chalta hai' attitude plus the fact that the population has become innured to such events because the administration can't seem to stop them. Such a attitude among Mumbaikars is no more than a way of life much like littering and honking.
yeah, thats one way to look at it, larryshw, but think about this.
If you've lived in Bombay for 20 years, presuming you saw some other part of India, you'll know that Mumbai is not exactly the most laid back of all Indian cities, but its the one most likely to bounce back, most likely to grow (not just numerically) after adversity. It can't all be the 'laidbackness"
Also, the attitudes to the ills are a kind of resignation and acceptance in India that frustrates me as much as it seems to frustrate you, and it seems to have wrought many wrongs, but to change that means changing the national character of a billion odd people.... no mean task
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