Mumbai Questions, Questionnaire Example

Mumbai Lecture Questions

1. How was Mumbai shaped by colonization?

During colonialism, Mumbai was a centre of business and industrialization. It was the largest cotton market in the world after New York and Liverpool. In the last decade of the nineteenth century, Mumbai was leading commercial and financial centre. There was a high cosmopolitan culture amongst the business elite. The poor in the city lived in the crowded, insanitary, ill-ventilated slums and filthy lanes.

2. What was the situation after independence in Mumbai?

After the independence of India, the Bombay Presidency was restructured into Bombay State. In 1947, hundreds of thousands of refugees arrived in Mumbai. There were frequent communal riots between Hindus and Muslims. Post-independence, the city expanded drastically and a number of suburban towns were incorporated within the city limits. Mumbai became the capital of Maharashtra in 1960. Unemployment, migration, congestion and crime are the most terrible problems Mumbai faced soon after independence.

3. What role did social democratic policies play in Mumbai’s problems?

In spite of slums and other related problems, Mumbai has turned out to be the most commercial, financial creative capital due to social democratic policies. Social democratic policies always stand to identify the problems of all sections of the society and aims to fulfill the needs of everyone.

4. What is the way that poor people have filtered into Mumbai? What are their problems? What problems do the squatter cities create for the city as a whole?

Poor people filtered into Mumbai due to distressed situation and natural calamities in villages. They came to Mumbai in search of work. They faced the problems like congestion, lack of proper sanitation facilities, unemployment etc. The whole city suffers due to squatter cities. Plenty of resources have to be used to uplift the communities in squatter cities. Due to squatter cities, the whole city looks congested and stinking.

5. What role does Mumbai play in the modern Indian economy?

Mumbai is the largest metropolis as well as the financial, commercial, industrial and celluloid capital of India. Foreign investors tend to look India through the prism of India. Mumbai makes significant contribution to size, growth and development of numerous segments of the real economy and the financial markets. Several innovations in the Indian financial markets originated in Mumbai

Mumbai Reading Questions

1. What are the problems in Mumbai pinpointed in the articles?

The streets of Mumbai smell of sewage and sweets. Toilet facility in the city is very poor. There is not enough water for everyone. There is not enough space. People live in tiny rooms in large numbers. Hygienic condition of the city also is very poor. Diarrhea and malaria are common. Many of the city dwellers are plagued with tuberculosis.

2. Why has the middle class in Mumbai been slow to improve public health in Mumbai?

In Mumbai, middle class has been slow to improve public health because there is not enough space in the city. The city is overcrowded. The city is full of migrants. They live only for themselves and never think of public health. As a result, Malaria and diarrhea are common in the city. Awareness programs on public health also are conducted very rarely in the slum areas.

3. How is this different from the experience in cities like New York, Manchester, and Paris as they modernized (think about public infrastructure)?

New York, Manchester and Paris are the most modern cities and provide good and clean places for the city dwellers. Sanitation and public health facilities are excellent in these cities. On the other hand, Mumbai, especially its slums are poor in maintaining public health and sanitation facilities. Contagious diseases are common here. Compared to the modern cities of the West, Mumbai is overcrowded and lacks basic facilities for its people.

4. What are the strengths, if any, of the slum communities detailed in the articles?

Slums are a self-created special economic zone for the poor. It is responsible for the overwhelming majority of India’s annual economic growth and as much as ninety percent of all employment. It is also a churning hive for workshops with an annual economic output estimated to be $600 million to more than $1 billion.

Mumbai Video Questions

1. What do the speakers identify as the problems of the squatter settlements?

Steward Brand identifies the problems of the squatter settlements as cockroach predation, waste from market, sanitation and diseases. Robert Neuwirth views that the dwellers of squatter settlements are not legal citizens of a country. Governments have not recognized squatter settlements as part of the cities.

2. What do they see as the great strength of these settlements?

According to Stewart Brand, squatter settlements are self constructed, self organized and are very vibrant. There is no dearth for family, neighbors and religious people in these areas. The squatter cities have an informal economy. These economies are often larger than the formal economy. One sixth of India’s GDP accounts from the slum-laden Mumbai. The national poverty level also comes down due to this urban population.

According to Robert Neuwirth, though squatter settlements reflect urban poverty, living in these cities are special because there are vibrant hotels, unconventional real-estate markets, hospitals, markets and other well organized organizations. He has great admiration for squatter settlements.

3. How do these poverty-stricken communities compare with our own slums in the United States? Do you have any direct experience with squatter settlements or slums in the United States?

There is a huge difference in the Indian and American understanding of slum. Unlike the slums of the US, Mumbai slums are safe and are full of activities. In India, poor people of slum areas come together to solve their own problems. They have their own organizations which stand for their own good. On the other hand, the problems of US slum dwellers are expected to be solved by professional service providers appointed by bureaucratic organizations.

American community development in slum areas is often oriented to equip communities to integrate well with the broader society and economy. There are no efforts made to produce better communities. Poor people in slums should be taught to figure out their own problems and find solutions for them. People should be taught ways and means to live better in the society.