What would you do if you had only Rs 199 and 24 hours to spend in Mumbai? Google would throw up an overwhelming number of results. Making it significantly easier, however, is digital creator Arushi Patkey from Dombivli.
After professional burnout compelled a 29-year-old Senior Sourcing Analyst in an IT firm to take a three-month sabbatical from February this year, she embarked on a journey to explore Mumbai full time, but under Rs 200.
Inspired by her newfound appreciation for the city, she conceived #MumbaiUnder199, a 30-episode series on Instagram and YouTube (@arushipatkey). “I ended up exploring many places I did not know about,” says Arushi. Take, for instance, a little-known sunset point in Colaba. A walk through the Geeta Nagar slums takes you to the spot that has a panoramic view of the crimson-hued sea. There’s also a gastronomical guide to Ghatkopar’s Khaugalli, famous for flavoured pani puri, roller-coaster ice cream and more, as well as an inexpensive visit to the Elephanta caves.
It took the techie-turned-digital creator two months––10 days of planning, 30 days of shoot (on her iPhone) and 20 days of post-production––to make the series a reality. While Instagram features short, minute-long reels, YouTube has detailed videos. “We chalked down all the locations, budgets, and cheapest modes of transport beforehand. Then we made a roadmap to plan the travel,” she says.
Arushi dropped the first post a heritage walk through city landmarks such as the Mumba Devi temple, the BMC building, Jehangir Art Gallery, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) and more––on May 22 to over a million views. Earlier this month, she gained a total of 10K on both platforms. The follower count currently stands at 63K on Instagram and 12.9K on YouTube. She is accompanied on her outings by Arvind Patkey, her 65-year-old retired father, who steps in as her videographer, spot dada and critic every now and then.
Among her most popular episodes is getting a quick bite at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. “It has an in-house bakery that welcomes even non-residential members. I found a big chocolate cookie priced at Rs 150. There are many more options within the price limit,” she says.
Ask her what is the one must-do budget activity for a first-timer in the city, and she recommends taking a BEST Bus Tour at Night. Starting from CSMVS museum, the open air ride passes by some of the historic sites, including Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Girgaon Chowpatty, Asiatic Library, Lion Gate and Kalaghoda.
The series, which ended on June 23, also fetched her collaborations with several brands, and she earned “fairly well”. It wasn’t, however, enough to sustain without a day job, to which she returned this month. Social media, however, she says, will continue to be her side hustle. She is next planning to start a ‘Did you know?’ series that will focus on Mumbai’s history and monuments.