nightlifemumbai

It's always eye opening to walk through Dharavi. Today I was with Kathy and Clive, they have been to India 5 times already, but to Dharavi for the first time. It struck me how many times she said "This is not what I thought it would be." There are so many misconceptions and cinema-driven myths that sometimes I feel everyone who visits India should do one of these walks. A couple of pics from today's walk below:  Funky hairstyles at barbershop  Kathy tries a Royal Enfield.  Clive shows Torab his modified vehicles  Plastics for recycling

- by Deepa Krishnan It's not often that you get to spend the day with the governor of the Reserve Bank! So here's a quick look at my day, with Radhika Puri and Raghuram Rajan. What a totally fabulous couple. And such lovely, old-fashioned good manners. I really should learn from them. I met them at 8:45 am, and we talked non-stop until 2:00 p.m. Quite a feat, even for a super-talkative person like me!  We started with a visit to Castella de Aguada, the old Portuguese fort, where I explained about all the kingdoms who fought for control of trade on the western coast. There are multiple forts around the bay (Mahim Fort, Bandra Fort, Worli Fort). Clear evidence of the strategic importance of this area. We saw lovely views of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Driving past Mount Mary, we stopped to see the prayer candles. They are so uniquely Bandra! If you want to have your wishes fulfilled, all you need to do is pray to the Mother of the mount and light a candle. There are wax fig...

- by Deepa Krishnan I went to Bandra yesterday to see an exhibition of photographs clicked by children in Dharavi. I confess I did not expect much. But I was blown away by what I saw. The first thing I realised is that this is a very different sort of story-telling: it is an inside and intensely personal viewpoint, rather than an outsider's temporary peek into Dharavi (which is what you usually see in the press).  The second thing I realised is that the photos themselves set a high aesthetic standard. Meaning, it is not a bleeding heart exhibit where you put up with poor output simply because of the background of the artists. They don't have the slickness of professional photographers, yes, but they are very good. Third, I couldn't help responding to the sheer emotion in the photos. They go straight to the heart of the subject. Perhaps this kind of directness can only come from children. There is innocence, grace, beauty and the sheer magic of childhood shining through th...

- by Deepa Krishnan With Diwali around the corner, the kilns at Kumbharwada are going non-stop. If you go now, you will see women and men working round the clock, selling the diyas and decorative pots that have been made specially for the festive season.  I went on Saturday. Here is what I found: With every available open space taken up, these diyas were being dried on top of a taxi Large quantities of standard type diyas were being filled into gunny bags and loaded into trucks for sending to other parts of the city        They were being given a last wash in geru (red colour) and dried before packing. Decorative diyas had been made using fancy moulds. Some of them were ceramic as well. I found a girl deftly painting designs with acrylic paint. She was super-quick and efficient. Her mother sat nearby doing the base colours. They made a pretty picture, lined up in a row Women managing the shop. Behind the shop is the home and the kitchen. And behind that is the w...

-by Aishwarya Pramod Recently my mother and I attended a wedding reception at Chamda Bazaar (in Dharavi). The bride was the sister of Fahim, one of my mother's colleagues. A three-storeyed hall had been booked, with the men on the ground floor, women on the middle storey and the dining room on the top floor. The actual nikaah ceremony was over by the time we reached, so Fahim took us upstairs to join the social gathering that follows the ceremony.  The hall buzzed with the conversation of women and the shouts of children running about. We made our way towards the bride.  Fahim's family was extremely nice and welcoming. I muttered some inane greetings, grinned foolishly at everyone and then took to lurking behind my mother. We were soon called to have dinner, which I was really looking forward to. The dining room had about ten tables, each seating around eight people. Each table had a single large platter of mutton biryani, accompanied by a large bowl of raita.  Our table ...

- By Deepa Krishnan Anda-Pav (Baida-Pav) is one of Mumbai's lesser known delights. I clicked this photo on one of the main thoroughfares in Dharavi, where many people were wolfing down this snack happily. Anda = Egg, Pav = Bread Anda is also called Baida. I think the word Baida has Hyderabadi origins. It comes in two forms: aamlet-pav (green chillies and onions flavoured omlette, stuffed in a bun) or a tava-fried hard-boiled egg stuffed inside a bun.  The aamlet-pav is only 5 rupees, making for a great breakfast or evening snack. The hard-boiled egg with pav is 10 rupees. There is a green chutney which goes with it, it is applied inside the pav before placing the egg.  The pav (bun) is freshly baked in the many local bakeries in the area. Simple, inexpensive and smashingly tasty. 

- By Deepa Krishnan There's a little pink house in Dharavi, where dreams are made. When you look at it, it doesn't seem very different from many others in the area. What sets it apart is kids like this one below, who come here with stars in their eyes. This little kid is Gulam Mustafa Khan. He is 11 years old, and he wants to be a movie star. Every Sunday, his mother brings him to this little pink house, to learn acting and dancing.  Sitting next to Gulam and his mother is Ikram. He is Gulam's "mamu" - his mother's brother. Irfan wants to become a dancer. And here is the man who they hope will make these dreams come true: Baburao Lad. Producter, actor, teacher, dancer, painter, photographer - Baburao is a multi-talented guy who polishes and converts Dharavi's many hopefuls into star material. Baburao has even published a book: it's called Acting Master, and it has all the do's and don'ts for success in Bollywood.  The loft of the pink house is ...

- by Deepa Krishnan Aishwarya and I went to Dharavi today, to meet some women who make papads. It was around 4:00 p.m., when we walked through one of the main bazaar areas. The street stalls were just beginning to be set up, with food for the evening iftar. I could not believe the colour of the falooda packets that I saw - a pink so lurid that it would put all other pinks to shame :) Amidst the lurid pink, were reds, oranges, yellows and greys Foreground: Yellow Papayas Behind: The falooda-man making take-home packets The faloodas are really popular, so the vendor spends the afternoon tying them into little packets. In the evening, when the crowds assemble, he will have no time to do anything but hand over the packets (and count money)! Every few minutes, burkha-clad women would walk by and buy some to take home. After the electric colours, the pale greens and muted yellows of the melons were very calming. Just looking at these soft shades makes you feel cooler Pineapples had been neat...