BANDRA KURLA COMPLEX, MUMBAI

Au pair

And then there were two...

On the same tree I spotted this bird too! Any idea what bird this is? Is this a Snowy Egret all cuddled up?

Bird Erectus!

Taking a Bird's eye view of the beach at Prabhadevi, Central Mumbai

Heron?

Is this a Heron or a Great Egret? Please enlighten me. It posed for me at Prabhadevi which is just a street away from the beach.

Mumbai dawn

A bird's eyeview of Mumbai at 0615hrs!

Honing

These are the mobile sharpeners of Mumbai! The will come to your door and sharpen anything on their wonderful contraption! But this breed is a rarity now. Saw this guy after almost a couple of years!

Ramzan nights

Ramzan nights are barbecue nights in Mumbai!

Sealink

The Bandra-Worli Sealink under construction. Once completed it is estimated to cut dow the travel time between the city and its suburbs by a half!

Welcome home!

Flower bedecked vehicles lead the cavalcade welcoming home the World T20 cricket champions!

Flowers

Flowers being woven into garlands to decorate the Gods. The festival is bonding time for the ladies of an extended family.

Modak aarti

This is a Modak (fried dimsums with grated coconut and jaggery stuffing) aarti

Aarti

Aarti, ãrti, arathi'Aarthi or ãrati is a Hindu ritual, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more devas/devis. It is said to have descended from the Vedic concept of fire rituals, or homa. The word may also refer to the traditional Hindu devotional song that is sung during the ritual. Aarti is performed and sung to develop the highest love for God. "Aa" means "towards", and "rati" means "the highest love for God" in Sanskrit.

Smaller idols are worshipped at home. The pictures beside the idol are those of Lord Ganesh's parents. His father's name is Lord Shiva and mother's name is Parvati.

The drummers announcing the arrival of Ganpati Bappa or Ganesh

Ganpati Bappa Morya

'Ganpati Bappa Morya - Welcome home Ganpati (Lord of good things/times)
The Ganesh idol being brought in a truck with great fanfare on the 15thsep07 in Bandra (East). This is the idol being brought for 11days celebration by residents of Bandra (East) who have contributed monetarily and otherwise for this occasion that was popularised by Lokmanya Tilak during India's freedom struggle for mobilising local groups towards the greater cause.


Traditional musicians singing hymns accompanying the idol.

A bright spot

A bright spot on a gloomy day

The out-patient department at the Veterinary Hospital. The man sitting at the far end with the blue basket has a sick cat in it that he has brought to be treated.

Animal Hospital

The 'Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals' In Parel, Mumbai. The Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is also Headquartered there. Their ambulance rushes in answer to any call of distress to animals. Locally this hospital is known as 'Bail Ghoda (Bull Horse) Hospital'.
The telephone numbers for this Hospital are:-
022 24135285 / 022 24135434 / 022 24137518 / 022 24133598

Flowers...

Flowers, garlands for sale in rows of shops lined outside the Matunga railway station..

Underside

Under the Over at Andheri traffic signals, the right turn takes one to the International Mumbai Airport..

Bright....

Heres a bright one! In the cities these statues are made of Plaster of Paris. In the rural areas they are made of clay.

Intricate...

Heres one with intricate designs....

A big one..

One of the bigger ones awaiting completion...

Some more

Here again, idols in different stages of completion with a few ready to be housed.

Various stages

Ganesh statues or idols in various stages of completion..

Creation..

The making of the idols of Lord Ganesh has begun in Mumbai in right earnest. Ganesh or Ganapati as this elephant headed God is known, is one of the millions of 'gods' in the pantheon of the most user friendly religions - Hinduism. The 10 day festival of Ganesh will begin on 14September and end with the immersion of the idols in ponds,wells,lakes,rivers or seas. This festival is celebrated with great fanfare in Mumbai. During the Indian freedom struggle, Lokmanya Tilak (freedom fighter) used this festival to get people together in large numbers and spread the fire of freedom fighting in Mumbai. So to a Mumbaikar, this festival has a national as well as religious significance.

The dog...

Yes, that is a dog relaxing at the crossroads in the Banda Kurla Complex on a sunday evening!

Street scene

The rains have relented and people have started moving out to town to spend an enjoyable sunday evening. This is a traffic jam in Bandra a very popular suburb for its eateries.

Rains continue...

The rains continue unabated.....

New livery

The new livery of AirIndia was unveiled at Mumbai airport yesterday with its new aircraft - B777-237(LR). The aircraft is named AndhraPradesh. It is scheduled for its maiden flight Mumbai NewYork - nonstop 14hrs of flying - on 01aug07. AirIndia new livery mumbai

The bridge that connects to its far flung suburbs of Vasai and Virar.

Roof fixers..

These roof fixers are in great demand just before and during the monsoons to fix leaking roofs. They do it by covering the spots with treated tarpaulin and coating it with tar. It works!

Rain again..

The rains are back after a week's dry spell....

Butterfly lily

The Butterfly Lily growing wild...

Pinwheel..

The pinwheel flower in abundance now in our compound...

Ratty..

The animal that is a survivor in Mumbai!

BMC

This is the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation building in South Mumbai. The architecture is noteworthy. The foundation stone for the offices of the Bombay Municipal Corporation was laid on December 9, 1884, by the Viceroy, Lord Ripon. The Gothic design by F. W. Stevens was selected over the Indo-Saracenic design submitted by R. F. Chisholm. Completed in 1893, the building has a 255 feet tall tower.

Take your pick..

When in Mumbai take your pick from the man wonderful airlines that operate from here. Pictured here are just three of which GoAir and Kingfisher are domestic operators while Jet Airways operates international routes too.

GoAir!

GoAir is a low cost airline that operates from Mumbai. Their tagline is Fly Smart!

Kingfisher

Kingfisher airlines - one of the leading private operators that operate from Mumbai. Presently operates only on domestic routes but will soon start international operations too.

Traditional

There are some oil companies in Mumbai which still use the traditional bullock cart to transport kerosene from one area to another!

Book seller

A book seller at the traffic signal. Read your favorite author while you are stuck in the traffic jam! In all probability the book seller is illiterate. Ironic?

Lower Parel

The flyover at 'Lower Parel'. This was the area where the famed textile mills of Mumbai were. Today they are all being razed down making way for malls. Skyscrapers have replaced smoking chimneys.

Monsoon traffic

Early build up of traffic with the onset of rain..

Kerbside trading

Kerbside trading in Dharavi.

Terminal 1-B

Terminal 1-B of the domestic airport in Mumbai undergoing a makeover after privatisation.