Mumbai Daily Photo

A Chopper above Land's end

2007-03-01T12:01:00.000+05:30

Pumpkin Milk Shake

2007-02-27T06:43:00.000+05:30

This fruit is called “Sitafal” in Bombay. In north it is called “Sharifa”. In north pumpkin is called Sitafal. Soon after moving to Bombay I say Sitafal milkshake on the menu of a restaurant. I just couldn’t understand why would anyone want to drink pumpkin flavored milk. I noticed that this was not limited to just one restaurant but is available in almost all eating joints selling milkshakes. When I couldn’t bear it anymore, I asked someone what exactly it is and then only I found out what it is.

The road is my playground

2007-02-23T08:03:00.000+05:30

I am not talking about Schumacher or Alonso or anyone else involved in any type of tracing. I am talking about the kids who live in these jhuggies. This is somewhere between Bandra and Parel. The entire footpath on that stretch and beyond has been encroached. The roads have not been spared either as it serves as the front yard of their houses. All the stuff you are seeing including the bicycle, the green crate and the aluminum milk can is on the road. This is pretty much what happens to al the roads in Bombay. You may make a road that has four lanes but there will be only one lane effectively used by the traffic.

Giant Wheel

2007-02-22T08:04:00.000+05:30

These are makeshift human powered rides that you can see quite commonly in fairs in India. Human powered because it is not operated by power. To run it, two-three people climb up the axel and by walking on it, they make it turn, quite a bit like guinea pigs that keep moving in their cages on a circular path. I personally find these very dangerous because you never know what the state of the men was last night when they put this ride together It was quite likely that they were drunk and couldn’t do it properly or may be they are frustrated by their low wage and are not wiling to go beyond a certain point.

Yellow Titan

2007-02-21T06:33:00.000+05:30

I have mentioned earlier as well, if not here than in my other blogs that JV Link Road is taking forever to be completed. My nephew Bharat clicked this picture of the roller when he was visiting us in June last year. The work on this road is still going on. The time it takes to build roads in Bombay and their conditions is pathetic but what is even more amazing is the kind of things you will see on roads. Usually you have trucks to carry heavy machinery like this or earthmovers but in Bombay they share the road with other traffic. If this is to be transported to another place, they will simply drive it to that place. If you are thinking how long it will take then think how relevant it is. The wages of the operator or should I say driver of this roller will be so low that it will be cheaper to let him drive it instead of hiring a truck to carry it even if it takes a whole day to drive this damn thing to destination.

Bandra-Worli Sea link

2007-02-20T06:45:00.000+05:30

This is a sea link connecting Bandra with Worli. When this is complete, it will reduce the time taken to travel from Bandra to Worli dramatically. This is a guess they have. In reality I guess this may not be as effective as they think. My negative thinking is because of they way the administrations makes poor guesses. I think the number of cars traveling on this will be way more than estimated and I am not sure what exactly has been done to prevent the bottlenecks just before and after this bridge. The bridge may be clear but I am sure as soon as you leave it, you will encounter encroachers in the forms of parked taxis and rickshaws, vendors selling all possible kind of things and what not.

Building on Bandstand

2007-02-19T07:06:00.000+05:30

Bandstand is a promenade in Bandra west and the people living there supposedly build it. It is a nice place; there are a few cafes’ there. This place is one of the favorite places for couples to hang out.

The Performer

2007-02-16T23:54:00.000+05:30

This is also from the same fair in Jogeshwari. When I went there with my camera, I saw a play going on with this guy dressed as a woman animatedly speaking something. I don't know what the play was about as it was in Marathi. A camera can get you a lot of respect. As I got there, they moved the kids out of my view and insisted that I sit on a chair.

Creative Restaurant

2007-02-15T14:57:00.000+05:30

Quite an unusual name for a restaurant. Don't you think? It is situated opposite the Phoenix Mall in Lower Parel, Mumbai. I haven't had a chance to try it out and I am really wondering what exactly is creative there.

Break Dance

2007-02-15T14:54:00.000+05:30

Some time ago, there was some fair kind thing happening in Jogeshwari and this is one of the ride. In the coming few days you will see more pictures from there.

Nest

2007-02-14T14:25:00.000+05:30

Quite a few years ago, I thought of making a painting showing a nest on a tree wothout any leaves. I wanted to name it "Hope". I never made that painting but yesterday I saw something exactly in real life. This is a nest on a leaveless Almon tree in our housing society.

Almond trees shed leaves very quickly. In a matter of 3-4 days, they are completely naked and in another 3-4 days, they start having new leaves.

Taking a nap

2007-02-08T14:10:00.000+05:30

Driving taxis and rickshaws is not a very easy job, as sometimes you have to wait for long time before you can get a fare. When you do get a fare. This rickshaw driver is taking a nap on the back seat of his rickshaw on a lazy afternoon. He gets the rest he needs and when someone comes to him, he will jump up, rub his eyes and will be ready to go. I like the kind of graphics they have in their rickshaws that include pictures of movie starts to other things like this hand and rose.

Padded Fire Hydrant

2007-02-07T22:45:00.000+05:30

There are a few fire hydrants in our society but I am not sure if they will work should a need arise. I guess they are there more for compliance with rules than any other purpose. On of the fire hydrant is placed at a little awkward place. It is right at a turn and a little too close to the road. I have never seen or heard about anyone bumping into it but seeing it padded with tires makes me feel it had caused a few dents in some cars.

Priyanka Chopra

2007-02-04T23:50:00.000+05:30

This is a Pepsi Truck on the Western express higway. On the left is the jhuggis that are now being pushed back fr the widening of the road. This picture is taken by my nephew Bharat.

pepsi priyanka chopra

Letter box

2007-02-02T07:59:00.000+05:30

About 10 years ago, this box would have seen a lot more letter than it sees today even if there are more people living here. Not only in out society but also in the societies that are being build around ours.

Objects in the rear view mirror

2007-02-01T07:49:00.000+05:30

Bombay-Pune Highway, on the way to Lonavla.

Sunset at Juhu

2007-01-31T07:48:00.000+05:30

This I think has to be the busiest beach of the world. You go there in the eveningand it feels like a Kumbh mela with half ogf the world converging at just one spot.

No globe

2007-01-29T16:41:00.000+05:30

This is a lamp in out housing society. This has white globe on it which is missing in this shot because it was broken.

A bike and her mommy

2007-01-29T08:04:00.000+05:30

Parked in our building. I love the way the small bike is leaning on the big one as if to get emotional support

Auto Drivers

2007-01-28T13:55:00.000+05:30

These are the auto rickshaws of Bombay. The drive very rash and if you hapen to be driving in Bombay you will find them as annoying as a pimple on the bum. Contrary to popular belief these drivers will often say no to you if they are not interested in going there. I have often been frustrated when noone of them would agree to go to Andheri Kurla road where my office is located.

Majas Bus Depot

2007-01-27T14:18:00.000+05:30

This is Majas Bus Depot and this was visible from our staircase. Now the fourth building of Kalptaru is under construction that will block this view. I don't know whether to call myself unfortunate that I will not be able to get the view of Majas Depot and Aarey Colony or cal myself fortunate that I did get a view to begin with in a place where cutting down trees is not an issue and any piece of land is used for real estate development.

A little more about the buses. I am not sure when the BEST bus service started in India but you can see the buses are based on the red London Buses. The double-decker buses are also exactly like the London buses are or should I say used to be before they evolved. The BEST buses are the way they used to be.

Triclour and country's future

2007-01-26T11:55:00.000+05:30

On the morning of Republic Day (26th January 2007) our society hoisted the tricolour Indian Flag. This is Manu (my son) on the right and Ritam (Manu's friend) with our national flag.

As a child we used to eagerly wait for this day and used to watch the parae on television without fail. After the parade, there used to be a flypast by the Indian Airforce fighters, helicopters and transport planes and our home was on the way to India Gate from their air strip and the planes used to fly past our terrace. So the moment the parade was over, we used to rush to out terrace to watch the planes.

Gradually the excitement surrounding the parade faded, we still watch but only parts of it and in Bombay, there are no planes flying above out house.

Tools of Trade

2007-01-25T07:42:00.000+05:30

This is pretty much the investment required for opening a basic cobbler's shop. As I have said, the investment in getting the shop is nil. Same is the case for any business opened on the roadside on encroached land.

Objects in the Rear view mirror

2007-01-24T00:08:00.000+05:30

On Sundays I usually take some pics. If I find something interesting at home, I take pics of that or may go out. Most of the times I don't go out too far and just roam around in our housing society. On one of those days I took this picture of the reflection in my motorcycle's rearview mirror.

Security Guards

2007-01-23T08:24:00.000+05:30

The manpower in India is quite cheep. You will have to shell out a decent amount of money for skilled people but the unskilled labor can be hired pretty cheep. An example of that are the guards in our society. There are about 8 guards in the society. If there are eight of the, there is not need to say that they are not paid a lot. To make things worse, the work conditions are pathetic too. They have to work in a shift of 12 hours-from 8 till 8.

If we were living in a economy where manpower is not so cheep we would have figured out some other way to keep our buildings safe.

Horn OK Please

2007-01-22T08:18:00.000+05:30

This is a three wheeler goods carrier. All vehicles that are used for carrying goods are walking art galleries. This one is a very moderate one saying Horn OK Please. SOme of them have all sort of pictures painted on them. It is so popular in some places that there was an ad targeted at these people. In the ad they showed a truck driver who bought a Mitsubishi Lancer with his savings and on that too he painted a tiger, a peacock and what not.

Cobbler

2007-01-21T17:32:00.000+05:30

This is a proud cobbler who sits outside our building. I asked him if I could take his pictures and he asked me if he could get the negative. I told him there is no negative but I will get a print for him. I took a close up of him as that is what I thought he wanted but he proved me wrong. "Take a picture from a distance so that all this stuff is visible to".

Branched

2007-01-20T17:14:00.000+05:30

The building on the right is Leela Business Park where my office is located.

My glamourous neighbour

2007-01-19T08:26:00.000+05:30

This is Mr. Aloke Dasgupta. He is working as a cameraman in the Hind film industry since the last six decade. His first film as a cinematographer was "Chalti ka naam gaadi" in 1949. It featured the thre brothers Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar and Kishore Kumar as brother in the movie too. His last big movie was Vijaypath with Ajay Devgan and Tabbu about 10 -12 years ago. He feels the new people in the film industry feel a little uncomfortable working with because of his age so he is not doing any big movies. He is now concentrating on regional cinema like Gujrati and Bhojpuri movies. I just wish I have the same enrgy as him when I am his age.

There was a time, I used to be hot...

2007-01-18T08:38:00.000+05:30

This is a Premier Padmini. This is the name under which Fiat cars were sold in India till the Indian market opened up and hundreds of new models came to India. The market share of Ambassador (Morris Oxford) and this car slipped very quickly and forced Premier Autoimobiles India to stop producing this car. Now their plant in Kurla, Mumbai is also shut down. There was a time when the buyers would wait for months after booking this car but now this car is waiting to be salvaged in the form of a Taxi or be scrapped

Fiat Premier Padmini car Taxt Morris Oxford Ambassador Mumbai

Do not throw garbage here

2007-01-17T13:49:00.000+05:30

As if the sign was not necassary, they have put a guard there to make suer that no one throws garbage here.

A wonderful smile

2007-01-16T08:34:00.000+05:30

This is Mr. Hiranandani. He was the first person who we became friend with when we moved to Bombay. He is like the information desk of our building. He knows everyone and everything about everyone and whatever is happening around us. In other words, our local "google"

hiranandani potrait mumbai india bombay andheri greenfields old man senior citizen smile google

Wanna ride

2007-01-15T08:17:00.000+05:30

A rickshaw driver outside my home. Rickshaws are economic mode of transportation but at the same time they can be quite dangerus too because they way these people drive them and also because you have only three wheels and not four.

Mumbai Sunrise

2007-01-14T08:59:00.000+05:30

Taken from the plane while I was returning to Bombay from Delhi last year.

Better Tommorow indeed

2007-01-13T09:02:00.000+05:30

Please define "tommorow" before you expect me to bear all the problems you are creating for me. I have been seeing this board ever since I moved here more than three years ago. Someone shares the same frustration and blackened the "better tommorow". Do you know they keep cutting the bushes ahead of this board so that it is visible. I guess in a few more months they will relace the board too with a newer and better one.

All for a view

2007-01-12T12:32:00.000+05:30

This man would do anything to get a nice view, even put his life in danger. This was taken when our office building was still under construction.

Kalla Khatta

2007-01-11T10:49:00.000+05:30

Take a big block of ice, grate it so that you get tiny little flakes. Then you stuff that tightly in a glass and shove in a stick. Now you pour sweet coloured flavoured water from one or more of these bottles and take the thing out of the glass. It is quite tasty and is what one can call animprovised or localised verision of ice-cream. To enjoy it, you don't bite it but suck it. By doing so, the ice will get flavourless. When that happens, you dip the whole thing in the glass once again for it to absorb some more of that sweet flavour.

Like most street food it is quite unhygenic but yummy.

Lotus Suites - An Ecotel Hotel

2007-01-10T08:18:00.000+05:30

Lotus Suites, a hotel on Andheri Kurla Road. Has a reataurant called cirkus-cirkus where you can see live circus while having a meal.

Mumbai from air

2007-01-09T12:39:00.000+05:30

This is a shot from the plane when it takes off from Mumbai airport and takes a U turn to head back to north India.

Kalptaru Estate

2007-01-08T11:00:00.000+05:30

I could see the Majas Bus Depot from my building but nor for too long. Kalptaru is making a building that will block the view from my building on the east side.

Survival Instinct

2007-01-07T08:02:00.000+05:30

This is a tree that shows what survival instinct means. It is right nest to JV Link Road, in front of a temple. For widening of the road, the area around it has been dug. You can see on what kind of a tiny patch of land it is growing. I have seen it surviving these conditions for at least 2 years.

Juhu Chaupati at night

2007-01-06T08:38:00.000+05:30

These are the stalls lining the Juhu Beach selling pao bhaji, kala khatta, kulfi, pani puri and what not.

Window Cleaner

2007-01-05T08:21:00.000+05:30

A woman was in her bathroom when she saw a window cleaner outside her window. She looked at him with a shocked expression. Noticing this the window cleaner said "What's the matter. Have you never seen a window cleaner before?" This one though is not on a bathroom window but out office.

A crow on the tree

2007-01-04T10:37:00.000+05:30

Although I like the trees to be green but they do provide wonderful photo opportunities without leaves too.

A lamp shop in The Hub

2007-01-03T08:33:00.000+05:30

The Hub is a shopping complex on Western Express Highway in Goregaon, Mumbail This shot was taken inside a shop selling lamps. What you see in the background is a under construction building

A movie set?

2007-01-02T08:16:00.000+05:30

I see this construction from my house across Powai Lake and am not sure what it is. From what I can see, the front looks like fully construted and the back seems to be propped up with bamboos.

So this is where the milk comes from!

2007-01-01T16:04:00.000+05:30

These are the "tabelas" or the stables where cows are kept This is a part of Aarey Milk colony visible from my home.

Yeh Bullet meri jaan

2006-12-31T08:44:00.000+05:30

Royal Enfield Bullet is quite similar to a Harly Davidson in terms of passion and loyalty it evokes. It is a fine machine that has remined almost unchanged ever since it was launched in 50s. You can read about my bullet here

Nimbu Mirchi

2006-12-30T08:56:00.000+05:30

Nimbu Mirchi or lemmon and chilli are strung like this to be hanged on the vehicles, homes to prevent them from eveil eyes.

Across Powai Lake

2006-12-29T08:41:00.000+05:30

This is a building across the Powai Lake. The architecture of this place is better than any other place in Bombay and a lot of low-budget movies and T serials are shot here when they have to show a foreighn location.

Man who has an impossible job

2006-12-28T08:23:00.000+05:30

This man has a quite difficult job. He has to keep the JV Link Road. With construction going on where Fantasy Land used to be, there are a lot of trucks going in and coming out at the gate right next to where he is standing. There is loose sand there and the trucks are also carrying sand so a lot of it is spilled on the road and he has to keep cleaning it. Quite idiotic if you ask me.

BEST Bus

2006-12-27T15:13:00.000+05:30

BEST runs buses all ovr Bombay and supply electricity to a small part of it. The bus drivers are really aggressive and I am most uncomfortable when there is one right behind me. I always like to have a cushion of one or two vehicles between me adn a BEST bus. If you ask for my advise, stay as far away from them as possible. Don't try to over take them, just stay away.

Commercialisation of Christmas

2006-12-26T08:21:00.000+05:30

Just like every other festival, Christmas is also commercialised. I would say this has been commercialised the most in India because now it is not celebrated only by christians as about 10 years ago but by everyone. Unfortunately kids don't celebrate it for it's religious importance but because of the gifts they get...and it is difficult to blame them for it, this is the message they get from all the media, Santa laughing and handing out presents. If this is what they see, this is what the expect.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T08:45:00.000+05:30

The size of these bells may be small but the spitit is quite big. A Ver Merry Christmas and ... not not a Hapy New Year, that I will wish you on 1st January.

Merry Christmas/Business as Usual

2006-12-24T08:23:00.000+05:30

This is the Christmas Tree in my office. The man in the background is the security guard. He is among a bunch of people who will be working on Christmas.

technoratiprofile

2006-12-23T17:04:00.000+05:30

Technorati Profile

Christmas Bells on Sprinkler

2006-12-23T15:51:00.000+05:30

These are Christmas bells hanging from a sprinkler in the lobby of my office - Tata Interactive Systems. We have these sprinklers in our entire office and I was wondering if there is a fire ane these go off, it will ensure that if peopel survive the fire, they would be electrocuted. With a computer at every desk, I think thse things are plain dangerous

A Ride in Jogeshwari

2006-12-22T10:43:00.000+05:30

This is one of the ride during a fest in Jogeshwari. The red and white structure in the background is the light pillar of Majas Bus Depot

A boat ride to Elephanta Caves

2006-12-21T10:58:00.000+05:30

From Gateway of India you can take a boat to Elephanta Caves. The ride is about an hour and on the island you can see a heritage site.

Renaissance

2006-12-20T08:35:00.000+05:30

This is Renaissance Hotel in Powai, photographed across the Powai Lake.

Taj Land's end

2006-12-19T08:16:00.000+05:30

Taj Land's End hotel in Bandra. The place where I took this pic from is a famous place to hang out for couples as can be seen in this picture.

Bandra Worli Sealink

2006-12-18T08:18:00.000+05:30

This is the under construction Bandra Worli Sea link photographed from the Portugese Fort in front of Taj Land's end.

Good Morning

2006-12-17T16:28:00.000+05:30

This shot was taken in the park on Jogeshwari Vikroli Link Road in Andheri. This is a small but a very well maintained park and is a good place to go for a morning walk.

Aarey Colony

2006-12-16T08:22:00.000+05:30

This is the view of Aarey Colony from my home. This probably is one of the very few green places left in Bombay. Very soon, this view will be blocked because they are building a housing complex where Fantasy Land used to be.

A ride at Juhu Beach

2006-12-15T08:22:00.000+05:30

There are a lot of makeshift human powered rides at Juhu Beach. This is one of them. The man hanging from it is actualy trying to stop it using his weight.

Bombay High Court

2006-12-14T12:07:00.000+05:30

This is Bombay High Court situated right next to Bombay University. The white building on the right is the Bombay Stock Exchange and the building in front of it is the Rajabai Clock Tower which is a part of Bombay University and the clock tower is based on the Big Ben of London