Mumbai - July 4 - 9 - Westernization at its Best

I miss Mums!

Posting from Amdavad on Friday night (7/10), where the term Indian Summer truly gains it's roots. It's hot here. It's like a sauna. Not beach going, sunshine pouring on your face hot - but plain hotness engulfing your entire body, sticking to your sides, etc. It makes you want to sleep. On ice. I'm currently in my boxers in an ice-box of a room typing. We'll get to Amdavad in a minute, for now let's go back in time to the wondrous city of Mumbai.

I've always like to call Mumbai Bombay, however, I think for the sake of Hindustan and Indo-progression I'll slowly morph into calling it Mumbai. As a point of reference, we were in Mumbai from July 4th - 9th, Saturday night to Thursday morning.

Although I've been lucky enough to visit India on average once every couple of years, I really felt this visit I saw the most progession and development that I've ever seen. You can visibly see and feel the distribution and creation of wealth to the middle and lower classes. Firstly, I felt that there was less of the obvious, street-engulfing poverty which in previous trips was omnipresent. Secondly, I feel that there's exponentially more commercialization, buyers with disposal income, etc. It's actually an awesome thing to see. I'm not sure if it's due to perhaps a lower sensitivity to things I see now vs. 10 years ago but I really felt that the city is now one where a Westerner would feel much more comfortable in than before - examples including safe and comfortable transportation with phone-up cool cabs, a myriad of coffee shops, lunch cafes, dinner spots, bars, clubs, etc. - a very western feel.

I've got many anecdotes to illustrate the Westernization but the first one that pops to my head is of a pan-walla whose stand is on the corner of my Masi's street. To set the scene, this is probably an 18-year old kid who sits "palati vali" (Indian-style) in a small kiosk and makes pan all day, spitting "gutka" (really weird candy-looking tobacco) out of his mouth once in a while (really quite disgusting). I went up to him one evening to buy some gum/mints and tried my rudimentary Hindi (switching "che" to "hai") and he looked at me straight in the eye and said "Would you care for some mints? How many pieces would you like? They are 2 rupees each." Stunned, I fumbled for my money and he asked "Are you sure this is all you would like? Let me know if you need anything else, sir.". I was dumbfounded. It was perfect, GMAT grammar with just a twist of accent but clearly comprehensible. I could not even imagine that an Indian corporate would be able to speak as well as this pan-walla! Must be the Bollywood movies (we may have posting on that...)

I wrote the above last night and passed out before I could get any farther. I'm now continuing the Bombay post, sorry, Mumbai post, after writing the Koyal post. It was way too hot on the balcony where I wrote it and I've now come back to the ice box. My palms started sweating within 15 seconds of being outside. Unreal. I'm going to stream of consciousness what I remember from Bombay...

Let me describe Mumbai in 3 words: fun as hell. Tejas started the trip off with a wonderful main objective - "full tilt". Since it was his last real vacation until he starts his private practice we wanted to make the most out of it. I suggested hitting the town the minute after we reached home after landing and saying 'hello' to the family. He thought this plan was a little agressive - until my Masi (Mom's sister), cousin sister Julie, and her kid Shaunak (Shaunie - kid is awesome) went to bed. It was at that point the 3 of us (our cousin Vik from Chicago met us in Mumbai, he'll be meeting us up North as well) set off our Bombay (notice the word play).

Shaunak the Menace and Julie

I've been lucky enough to have a few close friends that are in Mumbai or have spent time in Mumbai and introduced me to a few Mumbai socialites. Needless to say, for the next 5 nights, we were very well taken care of. Albeit a few places we frequented were empty, we still managed to have an awesome time and this city has definitely proven to me that it knows how to party. Word from the wise - pizza is delicious at China House restaurant and Sahara Star (if you unfortunately ever make it there) during the late night. Hats off to Ketu, Shoaib, and Aliya (my agent) for showing us an incredible time, and thanks to Parag and Alok for the hookups.

During the weekdays, Tejas, Vik and I got to tour around several spots in Bombay while Masi was at school and Julie was somehow taking care of Shaunak the Menace (this kid throws Mike Tyson bows and is indefatigable). One of the more poignant places we visited was the Taj Hotel and Leopold Cafe, sites of the recent terrorist/hostage situation and attacks. It's truly quite surreal.

Leopold's Cafe, for those of you who don't know, is more or less a touristy, open air / open table watering hole (they have BPTNs!) near the Taj. For some reason, they've decided to not repair the bullet holes around the restaurant which are clearly visible - a few in the ceiling and walls and 3 or 4 in the main window which has been covered but not fixed. They're also put up a recent mural showing some sort of abstract drawing depicting the attacks, bloody bodies, and bullet holes. A little weird if you ask me, but makes you think about terror, the religious relationship amongst Hindu, Muslim, and others in this whole subcontinent.

Bullet holes still up at Leopold's Cafe

The Taj Hotel has done a nice job with repairing basically the entire top 2 floors which were shot up, smoked out, and the few domes which were blown through. There are still several spots which are under construction and you can see places boarded up. The entire hotel is pretty much cut off from the rest of the crowd near the Gateway of India arch - massive amounts of security around the hotel.

We also got to visit Bandra which is more or less the Brooklyn/SoHo/West Village/Lower East Side of Bombay. Although it still has the Bombay feel, there are many Western spots, cafes, restaurants, lounges, bars, etc. which is making it really a hip location to live and play. We walked down the disgusting Bandstand which is essentially a cement boardwalk on the ocean. I guess the only good think you can say about the ocean in Mumbai is that has big waves? Otherwise, the water is "toxic" (footnote Lonely Planet) and is a disgusting brown color and strewn with garbage. We then came into the main drag of Bandra and walked around to a few shops, etc., had lunch, posted up at Ketu's incredible apartment where we had chai, and rikshaw'ed it home. Very nice afternoon...

We got to see a lot of family in Borivali which was fun. Mamas, Mamis, cousins, cousins' kids - the whole lot. It's truly incredible (and scary!) how fast kids grow up. Tejas and I procured a few gifts for the kids at the airport during our layover and completely guessed wrong on how old a few of our cousins have gotten - it was a little embarrassing getting a remote control, 5-inch long Mini Cooper for our cousin who, surprisingly to both of us, is now in 8th grade, has completed puberty, and is the star cricket player on his school team. Oops.

Harsh, Shaunak, and Dimple (Harsh we got a remote control car for! Oops.)

Will write more about Mumbai at a later point...