Mumbai in the afternoon

Photos from within an auto rickshaw this afternoon:

Construction workers on the go

I should make it a habit. I must carry my SLR/DSLR camera everywhere I go. Sunday, last, I was on my way to meet Seamus close to Fight Club. On the way, at a traffic light, I made this photo using the 1.3 megapixel camera that is embedded into my cellular device. For some reason, it didn’t turn out full size. Nevertheless, check these dudes out:

the Cityscape at Lalbaug and Ganesha

The tempo of falling rain often tells us how long it’ll last. It rained steadily all night &continued to rain on the morning of the 3rd of September 2009. It was the final day of the Ganpati festival. Large idols of Ganesha would be trolled along the streets of Bombay amidst song &dance to be immersed into the western waterfront.

There are multiple facets to this photo. Let us dissect it:

Alcohol prices in Alibaug

I found this, the only bar close to the bus station at Alibaug. A good four minutes walk from it, in fact. And one other close to the bypass, some ten minutes away, by foot. It is interesting to compare liquor prices with Mumbai.

High tide in Mumbai 2009

It’d been said that these were to be the tallest waves in over one hundred years. It’d been warned, by the civic body, the cop, etc., “..stay indoors if you can. Stay back at office, at night, should things get bad. Do not venture out, during the 23rd, 24th and 25th, of July, 2009.”

“WOW! High tides! Waves! Let’s go!”

I reached Marine Drive, downtown Bombay at ~ 12:15 PM. A small crowd had already gathered in anticipation of gigantic tides. By 1:00 PM, over five thousand people had assembled along the two or three kilometers between the National Centre for Performing Arts or NCPA and the Marine Drive flyover, close to the gymkhanas. In time, the tides got wilder, and taller. Winds were strong.

“Do not stand along the edges. Step down. Down, sir, not along the edge..”, were the continuous warnings by cops, strolling up and down in their cop mobile, sounding warnings aloud, over their cheap portable public address system. But Mumbaikars ignored them, as usual, and instead, mocked’em, the typically fat, out of shape cops, cops who’re seldom capable of avoiding crime and terror.

I’d thought that their warnings were necessary, I thought that it was very dangerous to stand along the edge’of the waterfront, the slippery granite bordered western waterfront. But Mumbaikars, old, fat, unhealthy, uncle &aunty availed of the free entertainment that the polluted seas had to offer.

In time, the waves got taller, and stronger. The five thousand strong crowd grew, they’d come from all sides, extended lunch breaks, students took leave off college.

A group of women caught my attention, they’d strolled down from their work place, their identity cards hanging around neck, LIC i.e. Life Insurance Corporation of India. “Ah!”, I said to myself, “it is no surprise! they’re known to play more, work less.”

Waves’s be over five meters tall, maybe even ten meters, I’m not sure, but they’d be strong and splash twenty odd feet into land:

“HA HA HA HA HA HA AAAAAAAAAA HA HA HA..”

Smiles all round, everybody was very happy. Seldom does one smile on the streets of Mumbai, unless intoxicated. It was an awesome sight, thousands of residents, packed together along the western waterfront, drenched to the bone, smiling and cheering. It takes a tragady to bring the people of this city together, nice, for a change, to watch’em all, and participate in joyous festivities, not affiliated with religion or history.

I’ll have photos for you in two or three weeks time.

FIN

Mumbaikar residents of Mumbai

Fact had it rained during these three days, things’d be bad, perhaps, floods and stuff. It hasn’t rained much over the past week, I hope it rains a’plenty yet, but the good thing is that lakes in and around Mumbai has accumulated water, to levels unlike any before.

On return home, my facebook status update’d be yesterday was one of *the* most enjoyable days of my life. I was one of the many lunatics who’d assembled along the waterfronts, at Marine Drive to check out the waves. It was a carnival, everybody smiled, in joy, at everybody else. Detailed reports later. Also, lakes in and around Bombay have filled to levels higher than ever before. It has been a good couple of months.

“NO KISSING”

It’d been raining. Since morning. I was traveling, from some fifteen kilometers to home. Along the way, whilst clogged in traffic, I found this auto rickshaw, just up ahead, a strong, but pethetic message, it spelt: NO KISSING.

FIN

Rains in Mumbai

A group of us were to go check out an installation/exhibition at a popular art gallery in the city, the theme being the monsoons, and Mumbai’s equation with the monsoons, inspired by the heavy downpour, in 2005, that brought the city to its knees. I was to leave home by 9:30, reach Victoria Terminus by 10:15, run a few errands before assembling, like the others, at the popular art gallery.

Alarm bells rang at 8:00 AM, sharp. Snooze. Alarm bells. Snooze. Half hour later, the phone rang:

“Are you coming for the exhibition?”

“Oh yes! I’ll be there at eleven!”

“Okay, there is no rain that side, is it?”

“Yea, it is raining, but I’ll be there. I have to run a few errands downtown anyway!”

“Okay, I’ll see you there!”

A further half hour later,:

“It has been postponed! 2:00 PM!”

“Oh, in that case, I might not be able to make it!”

Pitter patter fell the rain,
On the school room window pane,
And the puddles, Oh, the puddles,
Are a sight to stir one’s blood.

I left for Victoria Terminus anyway, to run a few errands. I have never seen these many people on the platform of the local railway station in all my twenty eight years of existence! As many as three trains came, and left, over a span of an hour and a half, not an inch of space. I just about managed to climb into the fourth, only because I’d upgraded to first class.

I reached Victoria Terminus a good fifteen to twenty minutes more that it’d usually take. But I got there. I ran my errands.

The return journey was peaceful, though it poured heavy. On the walls of the compartment, in front’of my seat, I found this bill:

They say that they’ll come repair your computer anywhere in Mumbai, for a charge of one hundred rupees. I know a few, who’d set up services like this, and they struggle, so I thought I’d help these *Charlies* by sticking them up here. If I have a problem with a computer that I can’t fix, I’ll try these Charlies.

I am back home. The phone beeped, ah, an SMS:

“Forwarding msg frm martha reg soak exhibition- “Please tel all that it is canceled. My bat is down.”

It is still raining. There are floods.

FIN

Have you seen this man? Sure you have!

Beachboy Peedrooo, of Portuguese descent. You have seen him, for sure, seen him in sunny Goa. Welcome to the Peedrooo Appreciation Forum. If you have photos or videos of Peedrooo, please post the link as comments, and a bit about your interactions with, this evergreen fisherman. He’d said to me:

I am known far and wide, in the land of the King, as Pedro from Goa. I am always here, this, is where you’ll find me, for I have called you. You want to see dolphin? Dolphin?

A couple of my links, of the past:

http://shaaaks.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/my-friend-peedrooo-from-goa/

and

http://shaaaks.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/formula-goa/

Tarsi, Maravanthe, Murudeshwar, Goa Roadtrip Video

This is the video of a road trip through National Highway 17 or NH-17 in India. The NH-17 runs from Maharashtra to Kerala, all through the Konkan along the west coast of India, the Konkan is, by far, the most beautiful stretch in the entire country.

Amateur filmmaking tips, especially for MacBook owners

I have made full length documentary films, on High Definition Video or HDV, using HDV cameras, professional sound recording equipment, and, Final Cut Pro. HDV cameras are expensive, even renting one, isn’t cheap. I pay fifteen hundred rupees for the camera, plus, six hundred rupees to the compulsory attendant, and, an additional six and a half thousand rupees to the sound guy, and the rent of his equipment, all this for one shift, of eight hours. Eight thousand six hundred rupees. Or one hundred and seventy two U S of A, for one shift, of eight hours.

I believe, that, amateur filmmaking is, a lot more irritating than, professional filmmaking. Simply because, a poor man cannot afford fancy tools.