2 posts from February 2008

 

One thing I love about Mumbai is the seaside. This is the famous Marine Drive, also known as Queen's necklace. The name comes from its appearance at night - the row of streetlamps looks like a gold necklace against a dark velvet-lined jewel box.

 

 

We went to a seaside resort for the weekend. This is a friendly stray who followed us around.

 

 

 

The place was completely open to the sea, which made for some spectacular shots of the sunset.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mumbai is famous for the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival held every year in February. It is held in a little alley called Kala Ghoda ("Black horse" in Hindi), and is a brilliant mishmash of music, dance, theatre, handicrafts, shops, installations and other odds and ends.

Here are some pics from my Kala Ghoda sojourn this year.

 

 

The entrance usually has some really nutty installations. Set against a backdrop of quaint, beautiful Victorian buildings, it makes for a whimsical composition.

 

 

And here's Big Ben's twin.

 

This was the most striking piece - a giant wheel made up entirely of bicycles belonging to Mumbai's legendary dabbawallahs.

 

Here's a closeup. Check out the steel lunch boxes on the carrier!

 

There were also some wacky cars painted with wild colours and motifs. This Maruti Suzuki Zen was particularly outstanding. The motifs remind me of tattoos.

 

Here's another crazy car whose make is unfamiliar to me. An Ambassador, perhaps?

 

A painted bike. This looks like a Royal Enfield Bullet, but it's hard to tell.

 

And an Ambassador which is probably the craziest car I've seen in this country.

It was probably a statement about the insane cold wave that hit Mumbai!

 

 

My favourite car, the 100% electric and eco-friendly Reva, was also one of the victims of this bizarre makeover. But if anything, it only made me love the car more.

 

Here are a couple of the sober ones.

 

And here they are, in carnival gear.

 

This one was my favourite.

 

Various other kitsch:

 

The festival also includes various stage and theatre performances. One was an Odissi performance. Odissi is a classical dance form from the eastern Indian state of Orissa.

 

There was also a Kuchipudi performance. Kuchipudi is a classical dance from the south-eastern state of Andhra Pradesh.

 

As I left Kala Ghoda and its traditional yet avant-garde glory, a marvellous sight greeted my eyes: the historic Victorian buildings of the Old Bombay Presidency that needed little more than lamp posts to be transformed into ghostly yet opulent gateways to the past.

 

 I'm really looking forward to next year's festival.