Photo: Chandu Mhatre
The residents of Mumbai react with self-righteous indignation, smug derision, mocking rejection, faux detachment and/or whiny defensiveness every time a global survey of some kind gives their city a low ranking. There are also those who respond with mature resignation.
The latest finding to accord Mumbai a particularly low ranking comes from the Economic Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveability Survey. Mumbai stands 116th among 140 world cities which were ranked in five categories--political and social stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Melbourne of Australia has been ranked at the top for 2011 after it replaced Vancouver of Canada which was number 1 in 2010. To Mumbai’s credit it has jumped one full spot from its 117th ranking last year.
I have never understood why people have such strong emotional attachment to or commitment towards a city or a country or a piece of geological mass to feel personally slighted by such rankings. Mumbai does suck when you consider the benchmarks that EIU has used. Any city that can derive a sense of monumental accomplishment out of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link needs to get its head examined. But that is not the point. The point is that all cities have the right to refuse to see their obvious flaws and still regard themselves as the greatest cities on the face of the earth. We tend to underestimate the therapeutic value of living in denial. Denial is a nature’s way of fortifying oneself in the face of harrowing odds.
Speaking of denial, New York, which believes it is a divine gift to the human race, has been ranked 56th in the same survey, while London, which still deludes itself as the capital of the world, is ranked 53rd. Anyone who has had the pleasure of staring at the New York version of bandicoots strutting about in her subways might have a slightly different view of the metropolis.
The important thing to remember is that liveability, while quantifiable is some ways, is a largely indefinable entity. If you can find people who consider Meerut or Kanpur liveable, then is this debate really worth having?
There is nothing peculiar about residents of Mumbai feeling particularly exercised when reminded of their city’s glaring flaws. Most humans tend to be protective of places they call home, no matter how terrible they are. The overriding argument seems to be: “My city sucks but it is my city.”
