Holi in Mumbai - The city shows its culture

Well, it was my first Holi after shifting to Mumbai and I must say it was really a surprise for me. Because the Holi celebrations I witnessed here was a LOT less nasty than the ones I had been through in Delhi. Of course, there were incidents reported of extremes but those were more of isolated incidents.
I saw people in formal attires walking past unconcerned while groups of youngsters played Holi. If it was Delhi, those guys would have been promptly caught hold of and dunked in drain water mixed with colours! Hats off to Mumbai's culture.
Come to think of it, Delhi has no culture. The different invasions that destroyed it time and again, including the quelling of the 1857 mutiny by the British, have left the city with no continuous lines of people to carry forward its culture. If you read William Dalrymple's book The Last Mughal, you will understand what I mean. Much of that mutiny was carried forward by the cooks, dhobis and the sweepers. The culture czars of Delhi had almost no part in the happenings, and finally the Brits killed off those who were left.
Delhi still remains a city without a culture of its own; the only culture it knows is the culture of the sweeper, washerman and the cook. They 'salaam' before you and once your back is turned hurl abuses on you. And scruples is something they haven't heard of. Mix it with the kind of unprincipled politics this country has, especially with all those netas being in Delhi, you would know what to expect of from Delhi and Delhiites!

At what cost this expansion?

As much as I wanted to post regularly to this blog, my time pressures haven't allowed me to. But I will make up for that soon. As for my experience of Mumbai, yes, I like it; but I also am amazed at the scant regard for life - human and otherwise - that this city has. In the first two weeks since I landed here, I have seen more dead bodies than I have in my entire life. And life goes on ...
Well, the city is booming, thanks to the economy. And the people are good, far nicer than the arrogant and vily crowd you will meet in Delhi. But the cost to the environment due to this expansion can't be ignored. Vast creeks and marshlands are being filled up, mangroves are being levelled, and urban sprawls are springing up everywhere. How long can this go on?
I meet people around me who love this life - they just are too happy with the conveniences and gadgets that this urban life and superstores bring. But I wonder how long this expansion can go on without PERMANENTLY damaging the planet.
Of course, I may sound quirky to voice this idea but I can't avoid doing that. There will be price to pay for this wanton destruction and I really worry about that day of comeuppance.