Tale of two cities: Mumbai concrete skyscrapers vs Chandigarh’s calm greens

My recent visit to Mahanagari Mumbai was my first as a tourist. I had long heard it was where people rise ‘from platforms to podiums,’ but the reality felt different.

The airport, though larger than Chandigarh, was chaotic, with long queues and poorly maintained washrooms. It was surprising, as Chandigarh’s smaller airport felt far more organised. The drive to the hotel didn’t impress me either. Towering skyscrapers dominated the skyline, yet many appeared worn, with peeling paint and seepage and looked like cramped “pigeonholes”

As I looked down from a 26th-floor balcony, I felt dizzy and confined, longing for Chandigarh’s open spaces, serene parks, topiaries, hues of flowers and the “kothi culture.”

The streets were a whirl of activity — two-wheelers, black-and-yellow taxis, and app-based cabs in constant motion. Traffic felt chaotic despite police presence, with little enforcement of rules like helmets for pillion riders. Youngsters were performing stunts on mobikes during peak traffic hours.

The sea though was mesmerising, yet its restless tides contrasted sharply with the calm of Chandigarh’s Sukhna Lake. A lingering smell of salt and dampness filled the air, while glimpses of chawls revealed the realities of life.

Above all, what flabbergasted me was Mumbai’s pace people always rushing, with no pause to breathe. I recalled lines from the poem ‘Leisure’ by W.H Davies, “What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?”

I yearned to come back to green home. For me,

Chandigarh is not just a city — it is an emotion. Chandigarh is life’s elixir — subtle, healing, and deeply nourishing to a weary soul.

Dr Preeti Talwar, Chandigarh