Greetings from Mumbai, where residents take breathing space where they can find it

"Mumbai is a city of more than 18 million people crammed on a tiny peninsula, and so residents take their breathing space where they can get it. That's often on promenades, like this one by Carter Road, that gird the Arabian Sea. On a recent day, I joined what felt like the rest of Mumbai to enjoy the late-afternoon breeze. While strolling, I saw this gentleman read his newspaper. A worker napped. A mother pushed a pram."

"A housemaid walked an expensive, tiny dog. A couple canoodled in a corner. A woman wearing a face-veil lifted it to take a photo with another young woman. A musician sang off-key to an audience of one stumbling drunk man. Mumbai residents deserve more space than the municipality gives. And yet watching the unfurling reel of Mumbai life on one narrow promenade is one of this city's quiet delights."

Mumbai houses more than 18 million people on a small peninsula, so residents seek breathing space wherever possible. Promenades along the Arabian Sea, such as Carter Road, become public refuges for late-afternoon relaxation and socializing. The promenade brings together a cross-section of urban life: people reading newspapers, workers napping, mothers pushing prams, housemaids walking small expensive dogs, couples canoodling, veiled women posing for photos, and street musicians performing for scattered audiences. Municipal open space remains limited, yet the concentrated display of daily interactions on a narrow promenade offers a quiet, communal delight.

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