Mini Mumbai

Indore - a tier two city in the centre of India has always been like my second home even though no one among my parents & relatives reside here but I always have a special affection for the city for all that it offers to rich and poor alike.

It boast of rich history of Marathas, Devi Ahilya University, Famous Schools, Coaching Centres, its special summer nights, i.e., cool and pleasant. Due to its location on the Malwa Plateau, however hot it may be during the day, a gentle cool breeze (also referred to as Shab-e-malwa) in the evenings makes it quite pleasant.

Due to diverse population of Marathis, Sindhis, South Indians, Punjabi, Marwaris, Rajasthanis along with the local population it is often referred to Mini Mumbai. Apart from the distinct people it also offers various cuisines and food options mixing food from all parts of India.

The cost of living is comparatively cheap and offers plentiful of options for entertainment, Amusement parks/Multiplex/ Restaurants/hang outs joints catering to both urban and rural class for both poor and rich alike.

Within an hour drive you can reach Satpura Mountains, Narmada Valleys and two of the famous Jyotirlinga Shrines of Shiva (Omkareshwar & Mahakal Temple-Ujjain). Omkareshwar is a fascinating place to visit apart from the religious significance it has, it offers great scenic beauty and is an island in the shape of ‘Om-   ‘ symbol formed my mighty Narmada River.

Indore is also called the commercial capital of ‘Madhya Bharat’ and boast of large markets & Industries catering to different needs. For e.g. there is special market for Clothes and even large market for Hats/Topi. Also a land to large shopping malls it has the reputation of being a mix of urban and rural culture combined. Globus and Radio Mircchi were the first one to set up shops here in India and SEZ and IT Parks also are ingredient part of the city culture.  

It seems that I am going off the track and will probably describe ‘Indore’ in another series of our Articles on Tourism Categories.  Coming back to the article which I had intended to write and it has become the highlight of Indore -

I wish to narrate another story where Indore offers the solution to public transport problems in Metros. Like public transport offered in developed Europe nations, Indore now has a fleet of more then 50 modern Tata Starbuses equipped with GPS and computerized ticket-vending machines, the bus stops also are fitted with electronic sign boards to show the status of the buses. All comes with same tariff of old ‘Nagar Sewa’ buses. The municipal corporation has made Rs. 1 crore profit since it started 3-4 months back.

The rude staff and overcrowded earlier buses have been replaced by new Tata Star buses with a separate seating and exit for Women. The buses are on time and are colour-coded according to routes, the staff is trained in etiquette by a management agency, the buses run from morning to midnight and are thoroughly washed, cleaned and air-dried everyday after being inspected by ICTSL staff.

Delhi has been contemplating this scheme for four years and just about managed to sneak in six buses last November. And it took Indore just nine months to put the scheme on tracks.  The project was initiated by Vivek Agarwal, District Collector and Executive Director of Indore City Transport Services Limited (ICTSL) and he promises that there will be lot more buses to join the existing fleet.

There will soon be more lessons for big cities from Agarwal’s Indore. Next in line is a dial-a-cab service to replace the tempos on the Indore roads. The word is spreading fast, Indore model is now being consulted by lot of other cities who want to implement on the same lines and Ahemdabad is about to start the same scheme and it is learnt that a team of World Bank team will be here to study the scheme.  I am sure India is changing; rather say transforming, sizzling and vibrating ever then before.