Last week I started a new chapter in my life, I have moved to the Indian city of Mumbai (the former Bombay) and started working at CNN IBN, a 24/7 English news channel with (inter)national news, current affairs, sports, politics, and lots of investigative pieces. My first impressions? Big, noisy and busy. I discovered it is not too easy to describe the financial heart of India, the country’s biggest city (and one of the fastest growing in the world) and the home of the famous Gateway of India (left). I think Lonely Planet’s recipe for the Mumbai main course is one of the best I ever read:‘Measure out: one part Hollywood; six parts traffic; a bunch of rich power-moguls; stir in half a dozen colonial relics (use big ones); pour in six heaped cups of poverty; add a smattering of swish bars and restaurants (don’t skimp on quality here for best results); equal parts of mayhem and order; as many ancient bazaars as you have lying around; a handful of Hinduism; a dash of Islam; fold in your mixture with equal parts of India; throw it all in a blender on high (adding generous helpings of pollution to taste) and presto: Mumbai.’
CNN IBN's Mumbai newsroom and Marine Drive Beach (r)
