Picto Diary - 26 April 2017 - Mumbai (Day 2)
Above: Indira Docks. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
Early AM image from 11th deck observation lounge. Seven Seas Voyager.
As a measure of security, Indian coast guard patrol boats constantly in the neighborhood of the Seven Seas Voyager.
Day two Mumbai coming up. Once again, ducking the bus tours offered by the ship, we have hired car and driver. TIMDT has a list of shops to visit. Lunch with Saker planned. Have to go. Need the exercise. And, Saker is nice.
Early AM Handheld Lounge Reflections:
MUMBAI. World City. Energetic city.
Fort. Glass sky scrapers and tattered, Raj era colonial buildings compete for space. Lottsa trees, parks (cricket grounds) and bougainvillea, even downtown. Fort.
The Sacred. Colonial Anglican churches are side by side with Kali and Siva temples. India's unapologetic, aspirational, spiritualism persists in Mumbai.
And the Profane: Bangkok sized billboards pushing the latest condo development and ubiquitous brite (sic) color curb side shop signage.
Black and yellow Suzuki/Maruti taxis proliferate...and toot obligatorily . No three wheel tuk-tuks in Fort.
Little litter in Fort. Good example for India's trash problem.
From Nariman Point, all along Marine Drive, young and old sit on the divider and contemplate sunset on the Arabian Sea from whence came Portuguese sailing ships early 16th century and British East India schooners a century later.
Sassoon Docks (opposite side of peninsula/island from Indira Docks). In from the indigenous Koli fishermen comes "Bombay Duck," a local fish dried for widespread consumption during the monsoon (June July) when local fishing stops. We visited the Sassoon Docks early AM when we were here last January.
At Churchgate Station, on the Western Line, dabbawallas sort the two hundred thousand hot meals, cooked at home during late morning, sent by train to Churchgate, to be delivered at lunch time to office workers throughout the city.
Whole area teams with differently engaged people... and a few stray, sacred cows. 25 million people in Mumbai. Scope and scale of Mumbai are a bit hard to process.
Hip girls in colorful tops, tights and designer sunglasses...many with their faces veiled to protect their skin, bearded sadhus, veiled Muslim women in full black chardor, and Armani suited business execs jumping in and out of Jags... seemingly all of them seeking something better than what they have. No whiner snowflakes in Mumbai.
Porches and push carts. Drive past Malabar...Gandhi's house in same area as Parsi Towers of Silence.
Beyond is the pukkah Willingdon Club, where you can squint and see the uppity colonials of a century past who in 1947 turned to the club over to their "local lessers," now the new sahibs. Club members now include many of the world's leading industrialists, authors and artists.
Slums and poverty are in Mumbai...in abundance...but we tourists avoid. Out of sight, out of mind, except for the movies.
For this trip, tony Bandra, Bollywood hang out, is too far away. We keep to the docks, Fort, Nariman, and Malabar Hill).
Mumbai: chaotic, claxon cacophonic, crazy, colorful, crumbling, careening forward as a pin ball or a Pachinko ball seeking its exit...a bellwether for the rest of India.
Incredible India. India Rising.
Above: Lucknow Chikan House. Opera Area. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
When TIMDT told the driver where to go, I thought she had something else in mind.
Above: TIMDT shops for embroidered Lucknow chikan. Lucknow Chikan House. Opera. Mumbai, 26 April 2017.
Above: The Bishop observes the Mumbai Opera House. Mumbai. 26 August 2017.
Bishop walked around the Opera neighborhood whileTIMDT was at the 'chicken house.'
Above: Bishop observes 11th Century Sculpture. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Museum, formerly Prince of Wales Museum of Western India. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
Bishop was reminded of his and TIMDT's wedding photos.
World class museum. Must see. Not enough time. On your fiftieth visit to India you could find things to see which would "out word class" stuff that you'd see on your fifth visit anyplace else.
I was alone here. TIMDT was nearby, meeting Saker at Phillips Antiques. I would join them later when TIMDT called.
Above: Ashoka's ninth edict engraved in Brahmi script on this stone 2250 years ago. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Museum, formerly Prince of Wales Museum of Western India. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
The edict asks for proper treatment of slaves and servants, reverence to teachers, restraint of violence towards living creatures, and liberality to priests and ascetics.
Long lasting stationary!
Above: Young India. School kids on a field trip. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Museum, formerly Prince of Wales Museum of Western India. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
Wikipedia:
India is the second most populated country in the world with nearly a fifth of the world's population. According to the United Nations in July 2016, the population stood at 1,326,801,576.[1]
India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2022,[6][7] surpassing China, its population reaching 1.7 billion by 2050.[7][8][9] Thus, India is expected to become the first political entity in history to be home to more than 1.5 billion people. Its population growth rate is 1.2%, ranking 94th in the world in 2013.[10] The Indian population reached the billion mark in 1998.
India has more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35. It is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48 for Japan; and, by 2030, India's dependency ratio should be just over 0.4.[11]
Above: TIMDT and Saker, jewelry shopping at D. Popli and Sons, Nariman Point. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
Above: Vintage Austin parked in front of jeweler, D. Popli and Sons. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
1939ish?
Above: Cricket Pitch. Bombay Gymkhana Club. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
According to Saker, Mumbai City would like to get its hand on this privately owned open space, smack dab in the middle of a busy metropolis.
The "spire" at right is Victoria Railway Station.
Above: Bombay Gymkhana Club. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
TIMDT and Saker half way down the portico.
Above: Saker and TIMDT pose at entrance to Bombay Gymkhana Club. Mumbai. 26 April 2017.
Saker invited us to lunch. I had paneer curry again. Pukkah.
Above: Multicultural religious icon display. The Bombay Store. Mumbai, India.
Two Ganeshes, one Shiva, and one Jesus Christ.
I bought an 1860 reproduced print of a map of India.
Addendum:
Glad Margaret enjoying shopping-what cigar store were you at-:)
Mr. Z3,
Ojai, CA
Enjoyed your journey without leaving home. And, that was very thoughtful of Margaret getting me a dhoti. I do like the light colorful Indian clothes
Hoops,
Pelham, NY
Steve,
Thanks for your travelogue- well done.
It has aroused a question: How long do you think that it will take for India to overcome China, economically? (you could couch this as: how much stronger is India’s raucous openess versus china’s centrally controlled “calm”)?
I’m curious,
Ahnrhi, Larkspur, CA
I'd bet on India. India still has a long way to go to eliminate/reduce its stifling bureaucracy with its petty corruption. The current government understands that an is taking steps to reduce red tape.
800 million cell phones (now in hand) with the capacity to make available everything from hair dressing tips to Harvard Business School marketing classes... put in the hands of hungry, spiritual, aspiring, entrepreneurial, FREE people with a work ethic... will eventually enable India to outpace freedom curtailed, controlled, culturally regimented China.
Memo to Capital: If you can't find a way to do business in India... you're going to lose out.