Burn and kill the Old Man, not yourself driving drunk.
The "Old Man" in Mumbai and Konkan represents the year that has passed. He's set on fire at midnight to bring in the New Year.
Kurla (W)
100% Indian "Grill" art. The locked gate leading to the Bene Israel Prayer Hall.
Many of the Bene Israelis of Kondkan, now live in Israel-Palestine. My friend Priyank Thatte had the pleasure of speaking Marathi and sharing a traditional Indian meal with a Bene Israel family during his trip to Israel. You can read about his experience here.
Shell Colony Road, Chembur
Night Show for Matinee at one of the small, video theatres of Chembur.
But Amma would approve of these:
It's not just Chennai-made or Bhojpuri , universal langauge soft porn that the working-class Chemburkars love, they like contemporary Hollywood and Eastern action films too. Probably the reason, Rajnikant acted in a masala mix of the all the above mentioned films?
It's not just Chennai-made or Bhojpuri , universal langauge soft porn that the working-class Chemburkars love, they like contemporary Hollywood and Eastern action films too. Probably the reason, Rajnikant acted in a masala mix of the all the above mentioned films?
And I want to see what the "Annai Act in Hindi" is like!
And the evergreen hero: MGR.
And the evergreen hero: MGR.
Shell Colony Road, Chembur
Little Beelzebubs.
I have never understood why children of Mumbai throw stones at trains and buses. The problem was and is so severe that Indian Railways had to spend crores to cover all the local trains windows with grills to stop passengers from getting hurt.
That hasn't stopped the little Davids. Now only people stand at the door (or gate as it is called in Mumbai) get hurt.
The kids shown above were doing something similar. They were shining sunlight on to passing drivers below the Highway using mirrors. To them it's harmless fun, the toy of the day, a basic lesson in optics.
The kids shown above were doing something similar. They were shining sunlight on to passing drivers below the Highway using mirrors. To them it's harmless fun, the toy of the day, a basic lesson in optics.
The Mumbaiya word for what they are doing is "Masti".
After seeing these pics, Askios, has this to say:
If a child hasn't received compassion and respect, how can we expect them to understand these concepts?
If a child hasn't received compassion and respect, how can we expect them to understand these concepts?
Opp. Kala Killa Depot
My breakfast was the prasad at a Muharram puja.
These are the "Tazia" for the Muharram procession later in the day. It looked like everyone took part in making the decorations and setting up the Sabeel (water cooler) stand. The prasad was simple. A kind of Churma, torn pieces of Chapatti mixed with sugar and little ghee.
Sion-Panvel Highway
Work-Space Mumbai. International Permit Holder.
Name: Hakimullah. Born in Bihar, lives in Mumbai.
Employer: Mahindra.
Occupation: Driver
Job description: Deliver new Mahindra jeeps and pick-ups across India (from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Gujarat to Arunachal), Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China (across the NE border). He's been doing this for 30 years.
Home: Kandivali (East)
Real Home: NH, SH, Tarred Road, Kutcha Road, Non-existent roads, etc.
Current delivery: Thrishur in Kerala.
Route: Mumbai - Pune - Belgaum - Dharwad - Karwar Rd - Kundapura - Mangalore bye-pass - Kozhikode - Thrishur.
Asset: Strong. Very strong back.
35.3 kms. Kandivli to Vashi Toll Naka.
He drives vehicles with temporary registration and has his regular brush with cops across India.
According to him, the worst and most corrupt cops are in Mumbai (not rest of Maharashtra) and the most helpful and least corrupt in Kerala. Bihar used to be bad but he says that it's improved a lot. And UP will never change.
It's not a lonely job. There are enough hitch-hikers, like these men at the back and me next to Hakimullah to keep him talking and awake. His next stop was near Pune where they have designated hotels to rest before he starts again early in the morning.
OK Tata Mahindra. Love your job.
Kanda-Batata Market, APMC Vashi
On the footpath outside APMC, you get onions for just Rs. 16 a kilo, salvaged from the rotting lot that arrived from Nashik.
The rot set in with the unseasonal rain last month wiping out most of the crop in Western Maharashtra and Gujarat. Since then the price has sky-rocketed. A kilometer away in the retail market, a kilo of onion costs Rs. 50.
Vashi
Chicken with watery mint chutney only. Because the local punjabi tandoor has stopped serving onions. Onions now cost 50 Rs., a kilo.
Vashi Railway Station
Work space Mumbai: Because Vashi station platforms do not have "refreshment" stalls.
Yari Road
Yogen "Paparazzi" Shah wonders what it is to be on the other side of the camera.
His other work space: Yogen Shah's Studio. He does a lot of "portfolio" work for aspiring stars and he's got something Mumbai and India works on, from PR Queen Radia to the newly arrived would-be taxi driver from Eastern UP: Contacts.
Bombay Times, Mid-day and the equivalent are the pages most Mumbaikars turn to first and Yogen Shah and company provide the colour and skin.
Plastic smiles go here. And he's got tonnes of them. In fact, Shah has enough pictures and news to roll out an affordable glossy magazine of his own, which he does.
Yari Road
His name is Yogen Shah. He's Mumbai's No.1 "Paparazzi" photographer.
(A special thanks to Gaurav Jain of Tehelka who hunted him down)
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