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| india |
| western - mumbai, ahmedabad |
| Mumbai (formerly Bombay), one of India's most modern and progressive cities where the girls wear jeans and halter tops and the young men chat on cellphones and sip cocktails in fancy cafes, a world away from Asia's largest slums just outside. The city is spread out along a small peninsula and surrounded on three sides by water. From double-decker buses and old Victorian buildings to bustling markets, Mumbai is one of the busiest and most quickly changing cities in India. I stayed with family in the Mumbai suburb of Goregaon. |
| Great Aunt Semmakaki, Aunt Nandakaki, Uncle Hirenkaka and my cousin Adit |
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| The Gateway of India at Mumbai harbour. |
| My Great Aunt Seema, Uncle Hiren and cousin Adit. |
| A Mumbai ear-cleaner. |
| Chowpatty Beach with downtown in the background. Famous for the many vendors selling bhelpuri (a spicy snack) and panipuri (puffed bread filled with sauce). |
| The famous landmark Taj Mahal Hotel near the waterfront. |
| The Victorian-styled Mumbai Central Railway building. |
| Flora Fountain, Mumbai Central. |
| Cruising the streets in an autorickshaw. |
| (Above and left) Hundreds of dhobi-wallahs (washing men) hang out Mumbai's laundry to dry at the Dhobi Ghat. If you get your clothes washed in this city, they will most likely end up here. |
| (Above and left) A one hour ferry ride from the Gateway of India takes you to Elephanta Island, home to 1200 year old caves filled with elaborate carvings of Hindu deities. |
| Packed to the brim on the suburban railway trains. |
| An old steel drum turned tandoori oven and skewered chicken. |
| Two boys on their way home from school near the Dhobi Ghat. |
| Mumbai |
| Ahmedabad |
| The old city of Ahmedabad, hot and dusty, is my father's hometown. Needless to say, I have a lot of family here. I spent four days visiting my relatives, eating like I've never eaten before, checking out the sights and trying to escape the heat in 40C weather. |
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| Mahatma Gandhi's home at the Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram. |
| Gandhiji's spinning wheel and desk. |
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| Gandhiji, the Father of India, established an ashram in Ahmedabad and spent a good part of his life here. |
| The Hatheesing Jain Temple. |
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| A quiet Ahmedabad street. |
| Don't forget to walk the camel! |
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| My dad's childhood home (upstairs). |
| Teen Darwaja (The Triple Gate), one of the many gates into Ahmedabad's old city. |
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| Elaborate wooden carvings adorn the balcony of an old haveli (wooden house). |
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| The stone carved screen is the "Tree of Life" and one of the best examples of this type of single-stone slab carving on earth. |
| Muslim students in a mosque. |
| The mysterious shaking minarets of the Sidi Bashir mosque. Built to withstand earthquake damage, their exact method of action is still misunderstood. One shakes taking the brunt of the shock, while the other does not. |
| Poor children shining shoes for change. |
| My Uncle Harish with a vegetarian Gujurati thali (Indian buffet meal). |
| (Above) Making pottery and (right) preparing the kiln for firing. |
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| Traditional Gujurati wall plaster decoration. |
| My nephew, Jai, and my niece, Sakshi. |
| My cousin, Pooja, my Auntie Vibha and the landlord of my dad's old building. |
| (Left and right) Adalaj Wav well. It was built several stories below ground to provide water for Ahmedabad and the surrounding areas. |
| Me with my nephew, Jai, brother-in-law, Maneer, cousin, Anju, and niece, Sakshi. |
| My cousin Atit, and my Auntie Nandini. |
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| My Great Aunt Kirtidi and my Great Uncle Paresh. |