How Mumbai shaped a Chandigarh girl

Born in Chandigarh — a then small town in northern India — I moved to cosmopolitan Mumbai at eight. The shift was both daunting and exhilarating, yet it transformed my destiny beyond imagination. It shattered my timorous reticence and shaped me into the most qualified girl of our clan — a first-generation lawyer.

After 16 years in this city of limitless opportunity, when I returned to Chandigarh as a judicial clerk, I carried with me Mumbai’s undying spirit as my discipline.

Mumbai shaped me profoundly. Its bustling local trains teach punctuality and equality, where a banker and a vegetable vendor share the same space. Its secular ethos, vibrant festivals, and boundless sea nurtured in me a belief in unity and endless possibilities. Studying at Government Law College beside the High Court allowed me to watch the law breathe — and fall in love with it.

Even in its darkest hours — terror attacks, floods, or the pandemic — Mumbai’s spirit of service inspired me to pursue community work. A city where a McDonald’s outlet stands beside a vada pav stall taught me the coexistence of globalisation and rootedness, deepening my interest in international law.

This megacity, where rainstorms are as frequent as sunrise, breathes survival and resilience. My reverence for Mumbai is akin to that of a child for a parent — for sculpting me to think independently and hone a lone opinion.

The city of dreams lives within me still, whispering always: “If it is to be, it is up to me.”

Divyashri P Rajwade, Chandigarh