User:Kensplanet/1

Culture
The Mumbai culture is a blend of traditional festivals, food, music, and theatres. The city offers a lifestyle that is rich, cosmopolitan and diverse, with a variety of food, entertainment and nightlife, available in a form and abundance comparable to that in other world capitals. Mumbai's history as a major trading centre has led to a diverse range of cultures, religions and cuisines coexisting in the city. This unique mix of cultures is due to the migration of people from all over India since the 1600s.

Some of the unique delicacies here include Dhansak, Khichri, Bombli Batata Bhaji, Kamag Kakri, Solachi Kadhi, Min Vela Curry and Curried Bombay Duck. Local fast food available at roadside eateries includes Vada pav, Panipuri, Pav Bhaji, and Bhelpuri. The city is dotted with several small restaurants that serve South Indian, Punjabi and Chinese dishes.

Mumbai is the birthplace of Indian cinema —Dadasaheb Phalke laid the foundations with silent movies followed by Marathi talkies—and the oldest film broadcast here in the early 20th century. Mumbai also has a large number of cinema halls that feature Bollywood, Marathi and Hollywood movies. The world's largest IMAX dome theater is in the Wadala neighbourhood. The Mumbai International Film Festival and the award ceremony of the Filmfare Awards, the oldest and prominent film awards given for Hindi film industry in India, are held in Mumbai. Despite most of the professional theater groups that formed during the British Raj having disbanded by the 1950s, Mumbai has developed a thriving "theater movement" tradition in Marathi, Hindi, English and other regional languages.

Contemporary art is well-represented in both government-funded art spaces and private commercial galleries. The government-funded art galleries include The Jehangir Art Gallery and The National Gallery of Modern Art. Built in 1833, the Asiatic Society of Bombay is one of the oldest public library in the city. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly The Prince of Wales Museum) is a renowned museum in South Mumbai which houses rare ancient exhibits of Indian history. The rich literary traditions of the city have been set internationally by Booker Prize winners Salman Rushdie, Aravind Adiga, and Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907. Marathi literature has been modernized in the works of Mumbai-based authors such as Mohan Apte, Anant Kanekar, and Gangadhar Gadgil. Since, the city is inhabited with people belonging to varied ethnic backgrounds, there has been a change in the music culture of Mumbai. In the coastal areas, the people love to sing the Marathi Koli songs. The Bollywood music is a very popular music of the city. Besides these, the Indian Classical Music, International Pop Music, Heavy Metal Music are also quite popular.

The architecture of the city is a blend of Gothic Revival, Indo-Saracenic, Art Deco, and other contemporary styles. Most of the buildings during the British period, like the Victoria Terminus and Bombay University, were built in Gothic Revival style. There are also a few Indo-Saracenic styled buildings like the Gateway of India. Art Deco styled landmarks can be found along the Marine Drive and west of the Oval Maidan. The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC), established in 1995, formulates special regulations and by-laws to assist in the conservation of the city's heritage structures. Mumbai has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and the Elephanta Caves. Popular tourist attractions in the city are Nariman Point, Girgaum Chowpatti, Juhu Beach, and Marine Drive. Essel World is a theme park and amusement centre situated close to Gorai Beach, and includes Asia's largest theme water park, Water Kingdom. Mumbai has a zoo named Jijamata Udyaan (formerly Victoria Gardens), which also harbours a garden.

Mumbai residents celebrate both Western and Indian festivals. Diwali, Holi, Eid, Christmas, Navratri, Good Friday, Dussera, Moharram, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja and Maha Shivratri are some of the popular festivals in the city. The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is an exhibition of a world of arts that encapsulates works of artists in the fields of music, dance, theater, and films. A week long fair known as Bandra Fair is celebrated by people of all faiths. The Banganga Festival is a two-day music festival, held annually in the month of January, which is organised by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) at the historic Banganga Tank in Mumbai. The Elephanta Festival which is celebrated every February on the Elephanta Islands, is dedicated to classical Indian dance and music with artists from across the country arriving on the island. Public holidays specific to the city and the state include Maharashtra Day on May 1, to celebrate the formation of Maharashtra state on 1 May 1960.

Mumbai has sister city agreements with the following cities:


 * Yokohama, Japan.
 * Los Angeles, United States.
 * London, United Kingdom.
 * Berlin, Germany.
 * Stuttgart, Germany.
 * Saint Petersburg, Russia.