Benazir Says "She's Not Scared"

If that's true, why stop attending those political meetings where she is supposed to praise her candidates to the skies.

Aerial Slums

Ah pretty Bombay... oh wait!

Wadali Brothers Dumadum Mast Kalandar

Good ol Sindhi song :)

Eid Qawwali concert

Who would've thought that a Westernized urban girl like me would come to love Hindustani classical music and Urdu poetry. I am glad to learn this about myself. It makes me realize I have struck my roots and respect my heritage.

I really enjoyed the Eid concert that the Times organized the day before the Lead India campaign at the same venue, Bandra Fort. The first group was from Pakistan (Munawwar Masoom) and I loved the Qawwali style of poetry mixed in with music, that goes back centuries.

Lead India campaign

I have to thank the Times for conceiving of this campaign to get better leaders for India. And I am glad Rahul Bose is running so I can vote for him. He seems like a sensitive, articulate, and progressive Bombayite, besides being a talented actor.

I watched a debate at the beautiful venue of Bandra Fort yesterday, which, prior to this past weekend, didn't know existed. The stage is at the waterfront with the sea framing the background with palm trees. And at the top of Bandra Fort, you get a great view of Bandra Reclamation.

After the debate, Shubha Mudgal performed some great patriotic songs. The one I liked the best was written by a 'kothawali' (a singer who performs for men, considered by 'decent' people to have loose morals) who responded to Gandhi's call at a Kothawali convention in Benaras to sing protest songs. It went something like: "India is like a garden. You can strip her of flowers but not of her pride. We will be free soon, the age has come."

The nicest old man in Bandra

This is a house right next to Shahrukh Khans on Bandstand. It's owned by Keku Gandhi, a wonderfully kind man. They sure don't make them like they used to.

He gave me a tour of his house that is full of history, that of Parsee culture and art. I was also lucky enough to get a lesson about some of Bandra's history. He himself is an art restorer and owner of the Chemould art gallery in town.

He also took me to the Parsee sanatorium next door which has a facade like the Buckingham Palace! Who knew? I got a sneak peek at the beautiful gardens and library inside as well.

Not ready for public vending machines in Bombay train stations

I was thrilled to see that someone installed two automatic ticket vending machines at Dadar station in Bombay. They had touch screen displays of Bombay's rail lines with different zone areas. People stood around looking at them with curiosity and hope. I could see them thinking maybe someday soon we wouldn't have to wait in long queues to buy commuter tickets twice a day.

So I ask the constable at his desk next to the machines, what was up with them? He says they've been there for weeks but don't work and aren't likely to work since he heard the private company that installed them is out of business!!

Typical...

Screening an anti-domestic violence film is anti-Hindu?

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/VHP-supporters-stop-screening-film-on-social-issues-in-college/216686/

When will the mainstream media, government and political parties stop allowing mafia like bahavior from fundamentalist Hindus?

Does the VHP really think that beating up their wives is part of Hindu philosophy so much so that they don't want anti-domestic violence education in Gujarat?

Ghati brigade

For some reason, Ganpati season brings out some rage in me.

Maybe it's because the festival seems ridiculous in that idols are dumped into the sea causing more damage and pollution to a coastline I care about.

Maybe it's the disturbing levels of noise, bombs and repetitive music that is forced on Bombay residents like myself until late at night! When I asked a policeman how it was that there was a 10 pm ban on outdoor music rule but this was allowed, he answered the high court had given them permission.

Maybe it's the fact that Ganpati now has communal undertones with the Shiv Sena embracing the festival as a beacon of Maharashtrian culture.

I think people need to realize the festival for what it really is. It's not about religion any more. It's a drunken noisy parade of the poor, who use it as their opportunity of annual recreational release. These unfortunate people have no other sanctioned time to take over Bombay streets and let their voices get heard!

Sadly, the fish and the quiet-loving other residents have to take the blow, because of Bombay's rotten infrastructure.

Paid to shop!

Probably the highlight of my year would have to be an impromptu trip to Bangkok to assist a stylist friend shopping for a high profile Bollywood movie.

This store was one of my favorites started by an Indian Thai guy called Jaspal.

Press 1 if you're a disgruntled customer

One disappointing development I noticed when I returned to India is a side effect of corporate globalisation: recorded messages when you call in to customer service. On the one hand you still have MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. the public utility company that provides telephone and internet services) that hasn't caught up with the times. So much so that they don't pick up ANY of four billing query lines and the hotline staff actually empathise with me and ask me to complain to their superiors (who don't pick up the phone either).

On the other hand, you have to listen and decipher 500 menu options before you get to an operator.

Mekdahnelds is how it reads in Hindi

I like the 'no beef' sign right under the restaurant's name. But sad to see this outside a train station where I would prefer a traditional Irani cafe.

Pan = cultural, pan spit = nasty

Most ground space in public places in Bombay like train stations are stained with pan spit patterns. I think the BMC doesn't bother cleaning up because it's so likely to keep reoccuring.

My stomach turns when I see images like this and I would love to see an anti-tobacco (in pan) campaign because I believe that's what gets bitter in the mouth and spit out.

First class dirt

My Theory: If you clean train stations more often and paint them more often, people may be less likely to dirty it up as often. It's a psyche thing...

Another observation is that the stations get progressively dirtier as you go further out into the suburbs! These pics are from Andheri station.

When corruption meets 'susegad'

From Goacom.com Daily News

Residents eager for removal of Princess
CALANGUTE, Oct 29: It has taken the government of Goa six long years to finally launch the removal of the run aground ship ‘The River Princess’ stranded off the Candolim coast. The presence of the ship has not only altered but destroyed the coast of the Candolim. Previously locals could walk along the shore right up to the Sinquerim fort, but now the portion from the Taj holiday village to the Fort is totally inaccessible, as the sea has eaten into the shore. The sand erosion has taken place at such an alarming rate that, environmentalists and locals fear that the entire fort could crumble into the sea. [H]


Not only has the gorgeous view been tarnished over the past 6 years, but the local economy has been badly affected. The beach around the fort Aguada area where I spent all my vacations growing up cannot accomodate shacks anymore and has become a sports beach. This is because the tides were affected when the ship ran aground and the sea took over the beach in front of the Taj hotel. One wonders how it is that the powerful Taj Hotel were not able to do anything about this drastic and unnatural change. All this where tourism is the driving force behind Goa's economy! If only Goans could bring themselves to protest a little.

Shipping fiasco

If you're moving from Berkeley to Bombay ;) and need to ship your life's possessions, do not use sea shipping. They gouge you by making you pay twice as much to get it out of the port than you did to ship things half way around the world!

I had just about the worst experience you can have doing this:
I used DiscountShipping.com, a Boston-based company in the U.S. who neglected to inform me about the extortionally high services taxes, fees and bribes I would need to pay once I reached India (in spite of me specifically asking them what I can expect). I paid $250 to ship three large bags to Bombay from San Francisco (Good deal, I thought!). Six weeks after I arrived, I had to pay another $200 (Rs. 8000) to the Bombay agents Freight Systems. Besides, I had to hire another shipping agent to deal with the port authorities and spend a whole day in a grubby Bombay port office myself!

My advice: It's better to simply pay excess baggage charges and take the bags with you. If you do have to use sea shipping, make sure to read the fine print and ensure that the bill of lading discloses all the fees you will receive on the other side.

Someboday gimme a J.O.B.

To all employers in India: Can you please check your email and actually look at a resume? You may actually find one you like!

Also, don't be threatened by U.S. returns. We're not going to steal your job. But we may just raise the standards so that you do your job better and get exploited less.

Don't be jealous of us either. It is hard work making it in another country. Having a cushy life abroad is a common misconception. So when we return to our families, our country, and a lot of change, don't make it harder for us to fit in by coming up with adjectives like 'over-qualified', and birthing new insecurities in our presence. We're not so different from you.

Looking out at Marine Drive

Sorry about the compression!

My life in Bombay

bombay dec 2006

Kumbh Mela, Khajuraho and more...

Sapna travels to India's heartland