On the first day of their maiden trip to Mumbai, software engineers Deepak Singh and Lokesh Reshwal squeezed in a visit to the popular Gateway of India before hitting the bed around 9 pm Saturday. However, the Indore-based duo, were quick to draw comparisons between the Gateway and the iconic structures back in their hometown — Udaipur. Watch What Else is Making News The two arrived in the city in the early hours of Saturday to participate in the 42-km marathon on Sunday. Though both were too nervous about their race to go sightseeing, they still left the confines of their hotel room in South Mumbai to check out the popular spot. “Everyone talks about the Gateway of India. We have heard of it, and seen it a number of times on television. But then, the place is nothing more than a tourist spot. Terror attacks have taken place here and the place looks the same as shown on TV. But that is all there is to talk about it,” said Singh, 32. Taking a few pictures for their family, friends and colleagues, Singh claimed that neither the sea nor the architecture of the famous structure give him any thrill. “Udaipur is the city of lakes. So water is not new for us. Gateway of India has a British influence, while I grew up looking at structures influenced by Mughal architecture, which is more appealing to me,” he added. What caught their attention, however, was lack of responsibility in other visitors. “On my way here (at the bottom of Gateway structure) I saw people spitting and littering. This is such lack of responsibility,” Singh said. Singh went on to recount a tale from his hometown. when he sat at his family shop outside the City Palace in Udaipur during holidays. “Over there if a visitor litteres, I would openly yell at him and would get support from other shopkeepers. We won’t allow them to visit our place and dirty it. This, however, is not the spirit here. Not only are there no shops but people are too engrossed in taking pictures of each other,” he added. Looking at the site, Lokesh and Singh recalled the sequence of 26/11 terror attacks that had rocked the Taj Hotel opposite the Gateway of India. “The most obvious observation one can make by visiting here is that the Gateway of India does not look secure. There could be another attack from any side. Besides, there are so many visitors,” Singh said, with silent agreement from Lokesh. “As a tourist, I get the impression that this place is too easy to breach. but locals could have a different opinion,” he added.
