What is life like in Mumbai?

A metropolis which is beyond the scope of the imaginable: Mumbai. No one can say exactly how many people live here. It may be 15 million or it may be 20 million. And another 300 families move here every day. They all bring their own dreams of happiness, hoping to see them come true in this megalopolis.

So many have been able to make their dreams reality here. India's film industry is booming. Bollywood produces as many as three feature films a day. Thousands of actors and technicians, and thousands upon thousands of extras make a living here. Most productions are lowbrow, but successful nonetheless. And the industry offers its employees bright prospects for the future.

Mumbai has quietly worked itself to the top in another sector too. Today, 11-of-12 diamonds come from India. Hundreds of workers cut rough diamonds, weigh them and appraise their value. The international diamond trade now invariably passes through India. Precious pieces and smaller, less expensive stones alike are sold at Zaveri Bazaar.

It's business here and Buddha there, despite the long arm of globalization. It's impossible to imagine the boomtown Mumbai without Buddhism. Thousands make the pilgrimage to the Temple of Ganesh, an elephant-headed god. He's associated with the Milk Miracle, a tale purporting that all Ganesh statues in India drank milk with their trunks.

Every day immigrants stream into Mumbai from all sides. And somewhere in this world which precariously attempts to balance tradition and globalization they will find a home, just as 15-20 million others have in the sprawling megalopolis of Mumbai.