Kala Ghoda Arts Festival

Every year the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is held in Mumbai.  It's full of performers, artists and lots of places where you can buy interesting crafts.  Lex and I travelled down on the train - the first time we have ever been 1st Class in India - and what a difference!  We could get on without any fuss and we could find a seat, and best of all we didn't have to worry whether we'd be able to push through the crowds to get off at the right stop.

A variety of things were on sale:  home-made soaps, various fabric items, jewelry, paintings and so on. I really liked the brass and the colourful lampshades.  I did buy some things - but mostly to give as presents.

On the way to the festival we walked through Bombay University.  The buildings are beautiful and actually remind me of Cambridge.

Worli Fishing Village

Worli was one of the original 7 islands that formed the city of Mumbai (the land between the islands was later filled in by the British). The original inhabitants were the Koli fisherfolk who still live here in a fishing village which is about 600 years old. Worli is probably one of the most undeveloped parts of Mumbai - here life goes on in its traditional way with the men and women working together to catch, sort, dry and sell the fish. Worli also has one of Mumbai's old forts, originally built by the British in 1675 to defend the bay against enemy ships and pirates. Now the Bandra-Worli Sea Link ends fairly close to the village and I'm sure that the traditional life of the Koli fisherfolk will start to change.

Some of the fishing fleet - with the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in the background.

A Koli woman at a Christian shrine in the village

Worli is one of the most undeveloped parts of Mumbai and by anyone's standards the people are poor - in money terms - but I don't think they count their happiness in money. Their lives are vibrant and the sense of community is one that many around the world would envy.  Here is a narrow alley in the village. They were built like this to prevent pirates being able to easily raid and steal.

Everywhere in the village there are the most vibrant colours!

The men sort the daily catch

Colourful chicks were everywhere

Worli Fort

The contrast between old and new, rich and poor, developed and undeveloped is stark here in Mumbai.

At the market it's the women who sell the fish. Because it's the women who make the money, the men traditionally paid a bride price in Worli (and not the women who had to pay a dowry).

People Watching in Worli

I've developed a real interest in taking photos of people and their lives since moving to India.  The faces of people are so expressive!  Yet often I don't know whether or not to approach people and ask them if I may take their photo.  Do they see this as an intrusion?  Are they wondering why I'm photographing them?  Children and young people are generally keen to have their photos taken, older people not so.  This week on my walk around Worli fishing village I tried to capture the lives of the people by taking their portraits.

This old man was very happy to have his photo taken

This lady was Ok about me taking her photo but didn't want to smile or look at the camera

Making and selling flower garlands

Two ladies selling fish

Children in an alleyway.  They didn't want to come any closer

The man who was standing next to this woman urged me to take her photo .  I asked her "Is this your husband?" She was horrified and said "No!"

This man buys recycled paper by weight.  However he seems to have higher aspirations - look at the way he posed for this photo - I think he'd like to be a Bollywood actor!

Another old lady who wouldn't look at the camera

Does this girl live among the rubbish?  Who knows, but she was happy to have her photo taken.

Children outside their home

Lady and baby

Fisherfolk gathering up their nets

This man really wanted his daughter to smile.  She wouldn't!

Grandma looks after the children

This old lady was sitting combing her hair.  Look at how long it is!

Washing the clothes.  I thought she was cooking in the pot on the fire, but actually she was boiling hot water.

This photo wasn't taken in Worli but at the Hanging Gardens at Malabar Hill.  Just look at how happy this lady is - it shines out of her eyes, even though you can't see her smile.

Dhobi Ghat and Gandhi's House

We have a visiting author in town and today it was my job to show him around.  Our first stop was the Malabar Hill Jain temple where I was able to snap this photo of a grop of women outside.

Dhobi Ghat - Mumbai's outdoor laundry and supposedly the largest laundry in the world.  These tanks are filled each morning with water, and Dhobi's rent them by the day.  They collect washing from apartment buildings, hotels, restaurants and so on and wash, rinse, dry and iron them.  This outdoor laundry is gradually dying out however - people these days have washing machines.  Washing the clothes is very rough (I saw many being beaten on the side of the tanks), and the clothes are hung out in the sunshine which bleaches them.

Our next stop was Gandhi's house - or at least not his house but one where he stayed from 1917 to 1934.  It is now a museum and is full of old photos and also some dioramas upstairs showing key events in his life.  

Finally after all this - we had built up quite an appetite - so we went to a local Gujarat restaurant for a thali lunch.  The word thali means a plate in Hindi and it is a meal made up of various dishes served in small bowls on a round tray.