Located on the west coast of India and endowed with a deep natural dock, Mumbai was formally popular as Bombay. It has the privilege of being the largest metropolitan city in India and one of the most populous in the world. It is one of the few cities that never sleeps because men and material are perpetually in transit.

Mumbai is the city of dreams because it beholds in its lap a plethora of opportunities and immense possibilities. It is a city that one loves despite its constant hustle and bustle. Its effervescence is itself the reason for its flowering. People who have ever tasted their vitality invariably thrive on their vivacity. Although Mumbai is a city of endless struggle for life, people who come here once rarely come back.

Mumbai is the pulsating powerhouse that rolls out audiovisual entertainment far and wide across the country. It has practically spread its influence all over the world. Mumbai is the center for initiating and shaping contemporary social patterns by projecting influence through drama and motion pictures. Along the same lines, the reverse is also true. The lines of contemporary fashion are dictated and take shape here for the whole country. People from abroad are just as enthusiastic about Hindi movies as those who live here. Mumbai’s Hindi film industry functions like Bollywood and is home to India’s famous film and television industry.

Apart from the entertainment sector, Bollywood is the commercial capital of India and operates the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange within its purview. It houses the prestigious Reserve Bank of India and various small, medium and large scale for profit and non-profit financial and commercial institutions which provide employment to a large part of the population immigrating to Mumbai from all over the country. . The city is a focal point of exalted industries serving the media, healthcare, information technology, diamond polishing, engineering, plus countless other new and traditional businesses. Mumbai is celebrated for the highest collection of income taxes, customs duties and central excises, in addition to the billions that come in through corporate taxes. Blue collar workers as well as white collar workers and various incumbents from various walks of life find their home in the city called Mumbai. It is a true metropolis where sprawling slums and towering skyscrapers coexist.

Mumbai is an archipelago of seven islands, namely Bombay Island, Mazagaon, Colaba, Old Woman’s Island, Parel, Worli, and Salsette Island. Evidences excavated from Kandvali reveal their habitation even during the Stone Age. The conglomerate were seaside fishing villages until the Portuguese acquired them in the 16th century from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. The Portuguese named it Bombaim. It later became English to Bombay following its takeover by the British. Bombay was given as a dowry by Catherine of Braganza, the Portuguese princess who married Charles II of England, in 1661. Interestingly, the islands were thereafter subleased to the East India Company in 1668 for as little as 10 lbs. The Company was quick enough to establish its first port on the Indian subcontinent considering the deep offshore natural harbor of Bombay. With the change of the British headquarters stationed in Surat to Bombay in 1697, the city became known as the presidential city of western India. Today, Mumbai has the distinction of being a multicultural, multilingual and liberal city that adds colour, flavour, vigor and fiber to Mumbai’s pot pauri.

A project called the Hornby Vellard (1817-1845) was undertaken to merge the seven islands into a unified land mass. The city has the honor of being the first to operate the inaugural railway line connecting Bombay with Thane in 1853. Its status as a quintessential city was multiplied by several folds with the start of major cotton trading markets during the time of the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861-1865.

Mumbai is located at the beginning of the Ulhas River on the coast and in the lush green Konkan belt off the western coast of India. The region is home to unique endemic flora and fauna nested in their habitat. The almost Borivali National Park includes Tulsi Lake and Vihar Lake at its seams. These lakes, along with Powai Lake, serve as providers of drinking water for this lively city. Mumbai’s northern regions are mountainous, while the city’s coastline is dotted with bays and creeks. The ecology of Mumbai and its adjoining areas, especially the east coast of Salsette Island, is distinctive with mangroves rich in biodiversity. Chatrapati Shivaji Terminal and Elephanta Caves also in Mumbai are honored to be on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.