Alexander and I set off for Mumbai/Bombay in the evening of January 25th, three hours after he successfully finished teaching a two-week course in contemporary book design at NID. By the time we had packed our bags and locked up the apartment we were running a dangerous twenty minutes behind schedule. Luckily we hailed a perceptive rickshaw driver who sensed our anxiety. He weaved through the bumper-to-bumper late night traffic at death defying speeds and played risky games of chicken with oncoming trucks to get us to the railway station on time. As we flew forward– wind-in-hair and heart-in-mouth- I felt the now familiar throb of anticipation pulse through my veins. Adventure ho!
We boarded the night train to Mumbai three minutes before it left the platform. Ten hours later, after a restless night of sleep on a middle berth, we arrived at Chhatrapati Shivaji Station- Victoria Terminus. From there it was a quick seven-rupee ride on the commuter rail to Churchgate in the southern district of downtown.
Immediately after exiting the station, I was struck by a vision of wide brick roads, towering colonial-era architecture and vacant sidewalks. The weather was dreamy: swaths of clouds filtered the warm morning light and a gentle sea breeze carried the scent of salt water. In a city notorious for its relentless crowds, chronic shortage of space, and Asia’s largest slums, my first impression of daybreak in south Mumbai was bewildering.
Alexander and I made our way to the nearby American Center, which was conveniently conspicuous with its kitschy striped awnings. After passing through security we were escorted to the apartment of our friend Lynne. She welcomed us into her home- and what a home it was! The floors were marble and cool to the touch. The spacious guest room had seventh story views and a handicap accessible bathroom. The air was filtered, the fridge was stacked, and the water was purified by a complex system of reverse osmosis. There was even a new issue of Time Out on the coffee table, which listed endless events- from gallery openings to book readings to musical performances.
Unlike Ahmedabad, Mumbai had a bustling, cosmopolitan feel. There was no shortage of events to attend, restaurants to sample, and nightspots to seek out. The city’s composite history was evident in everything from Koli shanties that occupy parts of the shoreline to imposing Art Deco facades. As an island, Mumbai’s only connection with the mainland is several bridges; the surrounding body of water seems to heighten one’s sense of confinement when trying to navigate the crowded streets. Fortunately the ocean views, large maidans (parks), and air-conditioned museums have a calming effect when the frenzied pace of the city becomes too much.
Alexander and I spent the day exploring several districts. A half hour walk from Churchgate brought us to the happening Colaba district on the city’s southernmost peninsula. There we gazed upon the Gateway of India, a striking basalt arch that opens up to the Mumbai harbor and is world famous as the city’s defining landmark. We visited the nearby Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, a grand, water-facing heritage hotel built in 1903. Rumor has it that the hotel’s architect, Parsi industrialist JN Tata, built the Taj when he was refused entry to one of the European hotels on account of being ‘a native.’
We spent the afternoon walking north past Horniman Circle, through Crawford Market, Chor Bazarre and on to Mutton Street, which is lined with antique shops selling old gramophones, vintage Bollywood posters, rusty tins, chipped porcelin, broken clocks and early 20th century postcards. In the evening we walked along the harbor-bordered promenade of Marine Drive before dining at the popular upscale fish restaurant Trishna, where we ordered Padma Laxsmi’s (think Top Chef, or Salmon Rushdie’s fourth ex-wife) dish of pomfret in green masala.
We returned to the American Center at eleven and caught three hours of sleep before hailing a cab to the International airport.
