Exploring Mumbai

View of the Arabian Sea from Bandra Fort, Mumbai

Welcome to Mumbai or Bombay, Bambai or Mayanagari … or whatever you may wish to call it.

For some Mumbai is a city of freedom, for others it is a city of opportunities. For some it is a city that never sleeps, for others it is a city with no nightlife. For some it is a city of glitz and glamour, for others it is a city of slums and squalour. For some it is the city of vada pav and bhelpuri, for others it is a city of fine dining. For some it is a city for the sons and daughters of the soil, for others it is a city of migrants. For some it is a city that does not care, for others it is a city with a never say die spirit. For some it is a city of tomorrow, for others it is a dead city. For some it is a city of dirty beaches, the Marine Drive and the Gateway of India, for others it is a city with history stretching back to two millennia ago.

For me, Mumbai is all this and then some more. For me, Mumbai is home and a city that I love, but not necessarily like. It is a city which, in my opinion, has been given a raw deal by everyone concerned—its politicians, its administrators, its visitors and most of all by its residents.

And that has what made me write about different facets of Mumbai as an insider, as a resident of this city and who attempts to look beyond the dirt, squalor, grime, glamour, glitz, high rises, slums, and crowds and reveal the various sub-cultures of Mumbai. Do read the posts that interests you. But I would recommend you to read every single one, as each one is special

Hidden Mumbai: These are treasures that visitors don’t necessarily know about and the city’s residents easily overlook.

• Bandra Fort: An unexpected mid-week treat
• The lonely drinking water fountain
• The Elephanta Caves
• A Sunday morning walk in Mumbai
• The Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum
• The clock tower at Jijamata Udyan
• The Elephant of Elephanta

Mumbai Lens: Mumbai Lens is photographic series which, as the name suggests, is Mumbai-centric and is an attempt to capture the various moods of the city through my camera lens.

• Sunset and chana chor garam at Nariman Point
• St. Andrew’s Church, Bandra
• The new slums of Mankhurd
• Summer’s here !
• The Blue Retro Bus
• Tiger, tiger !
• Two buildings or one?
• Framed at the Pavement Art Gallery
• Bougainvillea and love poetry
• Mumbai Lens: Chaos !
• Misty monsoon avatar
• Bats at my bus stop
• The Asiatic Library
• The Gorai Pagoda
• Haji Ali Dargah
• The Shoe House
• The changing skyline of Parel
• The zodiac window
• Who lives within?
• The garlanded cross
• The war memorial at Ballard Estate
• Construction city

Mumbai Skywalks: This series attempts to see Mumbai through a skywalk. To keep some sort of uniformity (and convenience), all skywalks are done on a Saturday and at approximately 9.30 am.

• Bandra Skywalk
• Chembur Skywalk
• Cotton Green Skywalk
• Sion Skywalk

The Kala Ghoda Festival: I have been attending this arts festival for over 10 years now and have seen it grow and change over the years. Simply put, there is no other event like this in Mumbai.

• The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival: A metaphor for Mumbai
• The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2012
• The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2013

And this list will continue to grow…