Mumbai: From Bollywood To Child Labor; The Heat, The Smells, The Slums, The Party

What a confusing title! But Mumbai (Bombay) is, in many ways, a juxtaposition of diverging socio-economic, environmental, and class distinctions.

Eric lives on the 28th floor of a fine building in a very nice part of town (Colaba). His 300+ degree view of the city and ocean is spectacular. From the apartment it's possible to watch the daily catch coming in, people enjoying themselves in a beautiful manicured park, a shanty-town surrounded by upscale condominiums, and the daily buzz of a vibrant city.

Yesterday morning Eric took me to the docks where the fish come in and are cleaned by a small army of workers. As we entered the area we were told that photographs were not permitted. In fact, we were repeatedly told that as we walked through even though we had no camera visible. There were hundreds of people - mostly female - kneeling on the concrete cleaning fish, shrimp, and squid. Of the fish workers, a good portion of them were young children (probably why pictures are not permitted).

The smell was absolutely disgusting - thousands of pounds of fish coming through daily, much of their carcases discarded and rotting on the hot pavement (high yesterday was 94), and every few blocks a corner that served as a makeshift lavatory (based on the abominable smells that were confronting us). I did not get any pictures but that's one image that will stick (and I mean stick) with me for a long time.

That walk did not last long but we were both exhausted from it and returned to his place to relax. Eventually we headed out for lunch (or breakfast depending how you define these things). We ended up at Rajdhani in the Crawford Market for unlimited gujrati thali - as in a set menu, an army of staff that kept the plates full of vegetarian Indian food, and quickly being ushered out as soon as we were done. Very efficient. And quite delicious. Cost of that feast was in the $3 range.

We then walked through the Crawford Market. People were asleep everywhere - on the ground, in baskets, on tables. You name it, and it's a bed in India.

We returned home and napped. I woke up just in time to go out for dinner. Our friend Fabio arrived from Pune. I only ever knew Fabio with a buzz-cut but now he's sporting long flowing locks. He resigned from Merrill Lynch a couple of years ago and has started a consulting firm here. Was good fun to see him.

We headed out at about 9 PM for dinner at a rooftop Indian restaurant (not vegetarian this time). Gorgeous place. Food delish. And apparently the sheesha was good too - though that's not something I enjoy. We mostly talked about our days at SAIS and what life is like in India.

Following din din, Eric's friend Zainab joined us and we headed to Olive - a popular hangout for Bollywood types. Lots of beautiful people. Eric knew everyone.

One of the first people we met there was Asad Shan - Veejay on B4U. He does exist, as evidenced by the 54,100 returns that Google gave me. This from Wired Magazine:

Asad Shan was working as an investment banker in London when he decided to jump ship and start a new career in modeling and acting. After a stint at the New York Film Academy, and some success on the runway in England, he moved to Mumbai, hired an agent, and is busy trying to make a name for himself.

Apparently there are a lot of people moving here to take advantage of the booming Bollywood entertainment industry. Check out this BBC article where Asad is also featured. We also met Vibhav Krishna, Mumbai Entertainment Lawyer to the Bollywood Stars.

We hung out at Olive until about 1AM and then headed to the J.W. Marriott to a place called Enigma. Fabio had a 6:30 AM flight to Goa and our plan was to stay out most of the night and then to take him to the airport.

Enigma was loud and jumping and good fun (thanks to my earplugs). We were there when it closed at 3:00 AM and then grabbed a bite in the Marriott's restaurant. Fabio from Rimini ordered... pizza! And enjoyed it!

We drove Fabio to the airport and were back at Eric's place by 5:30 AM. And then the unthinkable happened... I got on the computer and Eric's connection died! Waking him up to reconnect did cross my mind but I caught myself and headed to my bedroom. The last thing I remember before falling asleep was... sunrise. Eric can run up walls.

This morning I woke up at 8:30 AM. I was completely and utterly exhausted but unable to sleep. Thankfully Eric came out to briefly check his email shortly thereafter and I again have internet access. And by 9:00 our Agra train tickets arrived at the front door.

Tomorrow I shall fly to Delhi to be reunited with Karin! Tomorrow evening dinner with the trio. Then Karin and I shall then begin the rest of our adventure together in India.