Why is Bombay a city of dreams for some while a city of hardships for others?

Yes, it is true that Bombay is a city of dreams for some and a city of hardships for others. Bombay is considered as Mayapuri – City of dreams. It has a film industry where most of the people are migrants and contributed to the film industry in their own way. In 1896, India’s first movie was made by the Harishchandra Sakharam Bhatwadekar and later many more films were made. It is because of the Bombay films that the city appeared as Mayapuri to most of the people.

It is a city of hardships for some because of the difficult living conditions and overcrowding. Around in the mid-1850s, due to the lack of proper planning and expansion of the city, the problem of housing and water supply became a problem. During this time more than 70% of the population lived in chawls. Chawls are multi-storeyed structures which are owned by the private landlords, merchants, bankers, etc. High rents forced people to share and live with 4-5 people at one time. Due to the scarcity of land, expansion of the city became a problem.