City of dreams,  city that never sleeps. Financial capital of India. City that fights back. Safe. Safer.

All these are just tags. At the core of the matter is the people of Mumbai.

Beach bums, dreamers, labourers and billionaires. All with a heart of gold.

It has a peculiar smell, as rightly described in Shantaram.

Maxim city, with a nightlife unlike any other.

Populated, polluted, glamorous, metropolitan, melting pot.

Culturally rich, different,  supportive, fast paced and independence loving. Incredible.

The Bollywood underdog's dream. The struggler's paradise.

Cheap. Fifty rich. Full of slums and squalor. Houses one of the richest man in the world. Ironic, to say the least.

So how do I sum it up in a few words, without being stereotypical. Clichéd?

Simple. Try and capture the essence of its people.

Bombay or Mumbai.

Natives or immigrants.

Local or kali peeli.

Bus or metro.

Rickshaw or car.

Hard working. Spice loving. Enterpreunarial.

Freedom seeking. Will not judge you. Traffic infested.

Misal or Panipuri.
Pav bhaji or vada pav.
Bhelpuri or pasta?

Skilled. Crazy. Artistic.

Challenging. Understanding. Cruel. Passionate. Killing, in short.