“The real world is simply too terrible to admit. It tells man that he is a small trembling animal who will someday decay and die. Culture changes all of this, makes man seem important, vital to the universe, immortal in some ways. ‘Civilized’ society is a hopeful belief and protest, that science, art, money and goods make man count for more than any other animal.”

–         Becker, Ernest (1973), The Denial of Death

Mumbai 2015: Traversing through the evolving geographies of a city that I have called home for a few years now, gives little time or space for introspection. The essence of this city is such, proudly proclaimed to be a metropolis, which gives it the license to be unfathomable in many ways. It is not uncommon for those living here to declare their fondness for it, time and again, through newspaper columns, television spots, in popular movies and now through social media and praise it for its uniqueness and its efficient systems. And yet, there is something that affects people deeply, when they become a part of this complex and bustling human beehive. The change could be subtle or sudden, easy or tough, but mould you, it does.

Sprawled over 603 square kilometers, Mumbai lies longitudinally beside a coastline that is home to millions, over sixty percent of whom live in makeshift dwellings. There is no way anyone can miss seeing the shanties beside the beautiful buildings, the concentrated clumps of housing in the shadows of the elegantly planned edifices, the wastelands and tired water bodies next to the dreams in glass and concrete. Given the size and the expanse of the city, travel becomes an inevitable part of almost everyone’s routine, and whatever the mode of transport one takes, the frenetic pace engulfs you easily.

My daily commute takes me through diverse neighborhoods and each day brings forth a new understanding of the way this city lives and breathes. It is through these commonplace experiences lived backward in memory does the thread sometimes reveal itself

Global studies in urbanization say that the populations the world over are moving to cities. Approximately 30%of India now lives in urban areas, and Mumbai is the most populous city in India, (and the fourth most populous city in the world), with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million.

In the last few decades, the rural-urban ratio is altering in favour of cities and large towns. The reasons are many and complex. Farming is no longer enough to sustain families. The multitudes who do not own land are unable to sustain themselves on the incomes from land –related labour, and so, are the first to migrate. The exodus to urban centres is on the rise. Consequently, traditional artisans are practising their trades less and less and choosing instead to perform the types of labour required in the large urban centres where they go to find their livelihood.

The cities have a very different pace of life. Affordable homes are a dream, so life is lived in makeshift places with minimal amenities which have little or no consideration for hygiene. Work is available in far flung places and travel becomes a necessary part of the day. The comforts that come with the household in a rural setting, like childcare, safety, fresh air are all bartered for the daily wage or monthly salary. Community interaction is replaced by strange neighbours, all of whom are struggling in a similar way.

The journey that takes you from an idyllic rural setting to a loud and boisterous city is almost always, on a one way path. Life becomes centred around train-timetables or bus-routes. Festivals lose their original flavour and require to be fashioned around the time and space available.

For those who made the move from villages or smaller towns to large cities or metros, the past is a nostalgic space in the mind’s eye, which finds its utterance on rare occasions. For those who were born in this urban ecosystem, life is fundamentally measured by a different scale.

So what happens to identity? When the context that defines us is changed, what becomes of us?

The focus in an urban economy is more the individual or at the most, the small group. Nuclear families are the norm. Support systems get smaller and the burden of work, childcare and upkeep of the house falls on single individuals or couples. Stress levels are inevitably affected.

However, there is another side to the picture. Urban living does make for the possibility of more comforts, better healthcare, and superior education and employment opportunities for everyone. The possibility of a better future is very visible and tangible. There are many choices for entertainment and living side by side with people of other states, languages and faiths makes for a more holistic understanding of humanity.

And yet, the balance doesn’t necessarily appear in favour of the shift, given the sacrifices one has to make on a daily basis. Time is money in a big city, and sometimes all the productive years of a life are exchanged for what is essential for a dignified existence.

In this inevitable progress towards a different way of life, a host of new challenges get thrown up. The worldview that has changed needs to be matched with a vision that has empathy and seeks to pierce through outward differences. The identity needs to change from local and specific to a larger and global one.

There are many ways of celebrating the old and the traditional. The need of the hour is to find ways and means of locating ourselves in this new reality and to redefine what ‘our culture’ and ‘our identity’ means to us, and to make it more inclusive.