I first visited London in the early 1980s. I didn't tire of it right then, but it left me underwhelmed. The city appeared to me to be a sharp steep pyramid whose pinnacle a few personalities desperately clung to. For some reason, I never got a sense of London's breadth or scope or depth. Each time I returned (more and more reluctantly as the years passed), it seemed to get narrower; the same handful of people ruling the roost in the arts and media, the same politicians (or the same type) looming over the political landscape, and the same handful of non resident Indians, or NRIs, prevailing on the social scene.
As for the architecture, street scenes and the thrust and rhythm of London's daily life, there was a certain homogeneity that left me cold. Something very different occurred the first time I visited New York. I felt alive instantly in its vibrancy. Its vigour and vitality gave me a bounce. I loved its grit and glamour, its passion and sparkle. Soho and Chinatown, Tribeca and Greenwich Village, Brooklyn, Harlem, Chelsea - each neighbourhood quintessentially unique with a personality of its own and yet each so utterly New York, cosmopolitan and urbane.
Above all, I loved New York for its inclusivity. When I visited, it seemed as if there was a virtual party happening and everyone was invited. London, on the other hand, appeared to be exclusive and clubby, as if you had to belong to a certain group or have certain credentials to get in. Also, I get a buzz from New York's diversity. To see so many people of different colours, races, ethnicities and appearances, all in your face speaking in different accents with no inhibitions or hesitations, is like being witness to the great orchestra of the world. Inclusivity and diversity - two words that give the world its zest and joy. How pitiful life is bereft of these two qualities. Gated communities, exclusive clubs or universities, and even human relations appear anodyne and devoid of life if they are not open to all or diverse.
Even nature abhors homogeneity. Children of biological parents, for instance, who have a close genetic relationship have a heightened danger of congenital defects and disabilities due to genetic inbreeding.
As for inclusivity - the civil rights movement, women's suffrage, the struggle for gay rights, black rights and even our own freedom movement - what else were they but humanity's march to break down walls and merge with the multitude? Inclusivity and diversity. Without it civilisations die, races go extinct and cities are leached of their pizzazz. Which is why I do not agree with my colleague and friend Shobhaa De's views about Mumbai being spun off into a city state of its own.
Without inclusivity and diversity Mumbai would be a shadow of its self. I do not agree with her but I will defend to death her right to say it. How ironic that many of the politicians who are issuing statements against her have been themselves obstacles to Mumbai's inclusivity and diversity!
Malavika Sangghvi is a Mumbai-based writer malavikasangghvi@hotmail.com