Bombay slums: Dark, dingy and full of hope
Bombay (now known as Mumbai) enamours me like it has many people. While the plane lands over the city, you see a seamless mix of shanties and high rises. It is not so inconspicuous on the ground. Riding a local train from Santa Cruz to Malad East, I gazed at the best and the worst of living conditions of the people of Bombay. I was in the city to report on the raising real estate prices in the city’s slums. As I reached my destination in Dharavi, one of the largest slums in Asia, there was a strange sensation in my stomach ...
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A journalist’s journey
I have in front of me Safar Aadhi Sadi ka (Half a Century’ Journey), an autobiography by late Abdul Karim Abid, a famous journalist. It’s a journey full of detours, as should probably be expected considering Abid was not the kind of journalist who kept himself to professional matters. He was in fact the kind of person who participates in and is part of the political goings-on of his times. When such a person takes to writing there is a lot in the narrative for the reader. The difficulty is a narrator who speaks of his role in what went on ...
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Monsoon magic in Mumbai
The monsoons have always been special for every Bombayite/Mumbaikar, and no matter how much the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) tries to make us hate the rains with the potholes, mismanaged traffic and water logging, one can’t help love the monsoon magic. The city looks the best during this season as the skyline changes colours from different hues of crimson to blue to grey. Those endless walks on Marine Drive, Carter Road and Worli Sea Face suddenly seem to have a different appeal all together. The wind blows through your hair and the waves kiss your cheeks during high tide and splash ...
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