Who beats Who? : Mumbai V/s Delhi

 

I have resided in Mumbai since the inception of my life and I won’t deny being envious of Delhi crowned as the nation’s capital. However since then things have changed a lot. I turned more mature, Mumbai became noisier than ever and Delhi earned the tag of ‘crime capital’ to its identity. Nevertheless, the idea of pitting these two megacities against each other is much induced through my recent trip to the national capital and the experiences that followed. Okay! Okay, I understand that both lie in India, are quite similar on the urban front, yet their dissimilarities leave room for some evident and rational comparisons. Comparisons that matter to choose between who is the numero uno city of India – Mumbai or Delhi ? So let the battle begin!

Influence

Delhi is the capital city of India acting as the nerve centre of the national politics. On the other hand, Mumbai is the country’s financial capital contributing more than 5% of the Indian GDP alone. Clearly the two factors ‘power’ and ‘money’ make these two cities tough contenders and hence in terms of influence both score 1-1 each.

Economic Prosperity

In terms of economic growth and prosperity, Mumbai leads with a whopping GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of $207 billion compared to Delhi’s $167 billion. Mumbai is home to the country’s largest bunch of taxpayers as well as 2700 multi-millionaires compared to 1350 in Delhi, making it 1-0 against the political capital.

Cost of Living 

Living in a mega metropolis is not everyone’s cup of tea, keeping in mind the exorbitant headwinds of urban living costs. Delhi outnumbers Mumbai in almost all aspects right from purchasing a 500 sq.ft. apartment to buying 1 kg of onions. A comprehensive study reveals that Rs. 1,20,000 needs to be spent in Mumbai to enjoy a similar standard of living in Delhi  at Rs 95,770, making the scorecard 0-1.

Transportation

A city’s liveliness and mobility are entirely dependent on its transportation and infrastructure. Mumbai can boast of its ‘Lifeline’ local trains, giant red BEST buses, and the evergreen Black-n-yellow Premier Padmini’s but wait, Kyonki…”Delhi Metro abhi baaki hai mere dost.” Yes, the large fleet of swift, swanky, air-conditioned trains has revolutionised the transport network and discipline, expanding over 6 lines connecting every nook and corner of the capital. No doubt it’s 0-1 again.

Weather and Geography

On one hand we have Aamchi Mumbai, an island city lying on the western coast of India amidst the rugged terrain of the Western Ghats bounded by the Arabian Sea. Whereas on the other we have Dilwali Delhi, situated on banks of the mighty river the Yamuna encircled by lush green northern plains. While the former experiences a tropical climate with moderate temperatures and abundant rain, the latter is known for its fiery summers and spine-chilling winters complementing each other due to interior temperate climate. Mumbai wins here marginally due to balanced topography dynamics and so a 1-0 it is.

Food

Truly, the duet of  Mumbai and Delhi have a lot to offer on your plate. To start with, Delhi is considered as the hub of North Indian delicacies right from Stuffed paranthas to Chole-Kulche, Shahi paneer to Tandoori naan and without a doubt Butter Chicken along with other non-veg dishes which you cannot resist. Mumbai, on the other hand, is famous for its street snacks like the spicy Vadapav, Usal-Misal and Sev-Puri to finger licking Pav Bhaji, Chinese and seafood dishes. However in this food fray, I must say Dilliwalas win it 1-0 due to easy access to ethnic munchies, and that too at a very economic rate in contrast to the western city.

Tourism and Nightlife

Delhi has been the capital for various ancient dynasties which in return gifted it the wonders of Mughal architecture like Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Tughlaqabad and much more. Mumbai was inspired more by British rule and English gothic architecture yielding some unmatchable sites like CST station and Gateway of India. Along with being the culture capital of India, its near proximity to Taj Mahal and other places of interests make Delhi more attractive than Mumbai in terms of tourism. But when it comes to nightlife, Mumbai beats Delhi, being the epicenter of pubs, discotheques, and short getaways, preferred by youngsters. Tough to decide which city overrules the other, I am going with a 1-1.

Women Safety and Crime Rates

Narrowing down to the issue of women safety which in recent times has taken a centre-stage, Mumbai is far more superior than Delhi. Citizens in Mumbai are pro-women and issues of eve-teasing, harassment and or sexual abuse are dealt very seriously. Unfortunately, the crime rate against women in Delhi is thrice more than the national average. Safety of women walking in the night stays as low as 25% in Delhi versus 49% in Mumbai. Definitely, it’s not ideal but Mumbai takes the credit away with 1-0.

Citizen Friendliness

Not being bias, but from my personal POV, the large cosmopolitan Mumbai is far more desirable for outsiders as people here are very helpful and won’t mind disrupting their own work for guiding others. Conversely, it seems the majority of the Delhites seem too engrossed in their slow lives an extent that they don’t give a damn even if their neighbour is being mercilessly butchered (or raped) by a mob. Without a doubt, I would choose a more cautious and welcoming community over a place where ‘anti-community’ prevails with forgotten aspects like helpfulness or gratitude or chivalry. Mumbai 1 Delhi 0.

Environment

Since our school days, we have learnt in our EVM classes that a brisk industrial progress should not be at the expense of natural environment reserves, but be integrated with it to harness sustainable development in the city. However, both the cities disappoint as neither Mumbai’s metaphorical  lungs called mangroves have been spared of widespread destruction nor the river Yamuna, which has nonchalantly born several tons of harmful wastes of the national capital. However, Delhi takes a minuscule lead of 1-0 over Mumbai, boasting of more green spaces and eco-friendly housing and transport measures, thanks to its expansion viability in directions all over unlike Mumbai.

MY OPINION

Taking the aggregates of both the cities judged on roughly 10 factors, it is a TIE (surprising) with both the metropolis scoring a 6-6 each. Wait..before you think that my opinionated result has succumbed to the pressure of diplomatically fulfilling ego needs of  the Mumbaikars and Dilliwalas, you are mistaken. You might agree or disagree with my views and might place one city over the other, but one unanimous thought that prevails (or should prevail) is that how far the chosen best city – Mumbai or Delhi fares if placed against their global counterparts like Sydney, London or Beijing?

Apparently, despite progressive development, both the Indian megacities undergo deep struggle to live, breathe and prove their might. Hence, we need to set the benchmarks high or else it would not be incorrect to say that the winner of this face-off is no more than a one-eyed king in the land of blinds.