INDIA'S only cosmopolitan city, Bombay, is a dynamic and throbbing place with powerful contrasts, writes Sylvia Kingsley.

It is wealth, big business and poverty all jumbled up and the atmosphere can best be described as pandemonium: exciting, challenging and heart-stirring all at once.

It may have reverted to its 18th Century name of Mumbai, after the goddess of fisherfolk, but life goes on as before.

High rise office blocks, luxury hotels, film studios and air-conditioned shopping centres are a pace away from thousands of homeless, who swarm in daily on a tide of hope, following their dreams. Many end up sleeping on the streets.

But there's always a feeling of hope here as there is an air of money about, being the country's biggest commercial and industrial centre. And, conversely, it's also the city of glamour and film, a place where more films are made annually than in Hollywood.

Teeming with humanity, all try to grab road space; wobbling cyclists, ancient rickshaws, shabby red double-decker buses, taxis, lorries, handcarts and motor bikes with turbaned-drivers and brilliant, sari-clad figures sitting on pillions.

Hang on to your wits and cross roads with the rest no one is aiming for you, if you walk skilfully.

British Victorian architecture, like cricket, goes on forever. All day long you can see white clad figures playing at Mumbai's Oval, the Maidan. It's a passion now.

With ever-increasing western influence through global television, Indian chaos remains unchanging and part of the charm. Every visitor to India should come here once, even for a three-day stopover, the right length of time for a beginner.

For Mumbai, like so many other places in India, will move you; from the children with lovely smiles to beggars with poets' faces, to the horror and sorrow of mothers who rush up to cars, begging, at traffic lights.

The famous Gateway to India, built by the British as Bombay was the beginning of the British imperial adventure to India, is the place to start your exploring, as King George V did.

Get a whiff of the sea and move on to the Cathedral of St Thomas, Crawford Fruit Market, bazaars, museums, the Jehangir Art Gallery, gothic buildings, Gandhi's house with poignant reminders, Chowpatty Beach and Nariman Point.

The cathedral, described as early English architecture, is flanked by exotic trees and, inside, the most anti-imperialist will be touched by tributes to those who died serving their country.

Street life is wonderful and if you're strolling along Chowpatty Beach at the right time you might be lucky enough to see people trying to walk on fire or trying to climb ropes in mid air. It's the best people-watching spot in town and if you feel like a good massage there are many expert masseurs about.

The local Indian Tourist Office sometimes arranges trips to the studios, so if you're keen to see how they make those epic romantic films, you might be fortunate to get there. Often, actors play in three films at once, dashing wildly from one set to another.

For some respite, take the ferry out to Elephanta Island to see the 7th Century cave temples carved out of rock. The great carvings and caves are awesome and the sculptors' skills amazing.

Boisterous monkeys are waiting at the top to give you a big welcome, so don't carry food or wear glittery jewels. The best way to get around the city is by taxi, horse-drawn buggy or with a group. Local buses are an adventure, too.

After the sights, it's back to shopping and eating. Silks, cottons and made-to-measure are easy to come by at good prices. Find your way to the old bazaars where they sell antiques and bric a brac. Be ready to haggle.

The Flora Fountain area in town is the place for second-hand books and street vendors pile them high by the hundred against the tall railings.

Nobody appears to go hungry. There's some kind of work for everyone, even if it's clearing and sifting litter. Surprisingly, there is little rubbish on the streets and people and children look fresh.

For eating, since it is so cosmopolitan, Mumbai is possibly the best place as choice is unlimited. Not just Indian fare.

There are beaches and a seafront promenade where you can jog, so Bombay's frenetic pace can always be soothed. Take morning coffee or an evening cocktail at the Oberoi Hotel on Nariman Point, and watch the sun go down over the Arabian Sea.

Reproduced from Limited Edition magazine, exclusive guides to living in Hertfordshire, Middlesex and the London Borough of Barnet (01923 216295).

Click on the map below for a larger image.