interlude

good night mumbai

"When in the end, the day came on which I was going away, I learned the strange learning that things can happen which we ourselves cannot possibly imagine, either beforehand, or at the time when they are taking place, or afterwards when we look back on them."
– isak dinesen out of africa, 1937

sweet dreams sweet city.

pack to ship

im leaving tomorrow and packing today.
updates and fill-in-the-blanks soon.

march = washington dc.

bike to banganga

marathon redux

42.43km
4 hours 33 minutes 24 seconds.

i did not beat p.diddy's nyc marathon time, but it was epic.

thank you, everyone, for the good wishes.
(and especially anupam who shadowed me and provided bananas, water, cheers and photos. and zj, whos smile i felt the whole way)

i think id like to do it again sometime.





just past halfway

mumbai meeri jaan

between charni road and marine lines


carter road promenade


mukesh mills


marine drive opposite vn road


vt station pedestrian bridge


colaba near bade miya


dn road citibank building


breach candy


darukhana ship breaking yard


bandra outside bagel shop

wadi bandar

wadi bandar.
250 households.
@ 5 people/house.
1 working pipe.
[non-working spaghetti pipes throughout]

entrance from street

north lane with spaghetti pipes



1 public tap/@ 10 households.
1 shared private tap.
public toilet facility under construction.
directly adjacent to railway water tank, no service.
less than 100 meters to well source, non drinking supply.
less than 500 meters from the bhandarwada hill reservoir, no service.

water/works

manual and generator powered sluice gates.
guardians of a system that has not changed much in the last 100 years.

sauter st

apna chawl.
240 households.
@ 6-10 family members/house.
1 pipe.
[120 each side, south side has connections in house]

looking west


looking east

1 public tap.
6 toilet stalls @ rs.2/use.
directly adjacent to byculla fire station.

the hits

someone asked, what are the 5 foods from here, that i would miss the most after i leave.
it was tough, and the list kept changing, but id have to say, in no particular order (and stretching it to 10):


1. really good homestyle dal, besan, korma or kichdi, with millet roti and seasonal vegetables.
2. monsoon patra with thick, gingery, masala chai in very small cups.
3. west coast seafood. fish curry and butter crabs, neer dosa.
4. paneer rolls from ayubs or a bombay triple decker off the street.
5. toast and amul butter.
6. alfonso mangoes. any mangoes really, but those are the best.
7. how could i forget idli/sambar/coconut chutney? or a cheese toastie. lunchtime standards.
8. fresh coconut water. essential to long run days. plain soda any other time.
9. sweets triple tie between kaju katli, fresh ice cream, and sesame chocolates.
10. masala omlettes or egg bhurji.

really, any meal that is a shared effort, in or out, with good company and conversation is never a miss.

make my trip

this past week ive somehow slipped into a pattern that goes something like this:

browse flight itineraries.
choose a convenient and income sensitive flight.
book said flight.
find out that the flight is not acceptable.
immediately cancel flight.
try to re-book another flight.
'sorry miss, your credit card is declined'.
call creditcard.
discover that card is locked due to unusual activity.
assure customer service that the charges are indeed authorized.
try to re-book, declined again.
call creditcard.
re-assure that charges are authorized and the card is safely in my possession.

once card is re-activated, repeat sequence above, as many times as needed.

im on itinerary number three now, after hours on the phone with the travel agent, numerous emails regarding flight reimbursement feasibility, and at least 4 calls to my credit card company.

flight sequence #1 was denied due to a funny little stipulation in my grant contract called the 'fly america act'. sorry emirates, you lose. i need to have american flight codes on all my boarding passes. this is more difficult that it sounds.

flight sequence #2 was denied because the american carrier on the reservation failed to issue tickets to the agent.

flight sequence #3 will hopefully go through tomorrow after approximately two more calls to my creditcard issuer to assure them that yes, i really am charging three flights out of bombay in one week, and no, my card has not been stolen, and yes, i am expecting a refund of the cancelled itineraries, and no, i dont need anything else except for my card to work as soon as possible. and yes, i am in india right now.

maybe i should just stay?
except that the only thing more unpleasant right now would be trying to extend my visa with less than two weeks left.

flight sequence #3 has now been officially nixed, as contrary to opinion of the travel agent, air india and american airlines do not code share.

flight sequence #4 is out. klm and northwest are not the same airline. im outsourcing the project to my father now.

north of town

or where ive been for the last two weeks.


current e ward development plan map



e ward office holding pen

less than twenty

plane tickets are booked, my visa is expiring, and i am leaving on the 25th of february.
the anxiety is not unfamiliar. i remember feeling a little like this about a year ago.
im excited to see familiar things, people i miss, and places ive forgotten.
at the same time confused and sad to go.
im not sure where home is, if its here, or there, or both, or someplace yet to be discovered.
until then, there should be enough time to figure out how to get out of the country in a somewhat organized way, finish as much work as possible, drink some good chai, and go for a few more bike rides.
in whatever order makes most sense.

peacocks and party lights

i now have peacocks on my palms, and flowers down my index fingers.
my friend invited me to a mehendi ceremony for a woman in her building who was getting married.
it was lovely, and in a strange way, relaxing.
(it was also really nice to be surrounded almost entirely by women, as most of the time im out-numbered at least 10-1).
the bride was beautiful, and had endured four hours of henna paste applied from fingertips to elbows and toes to knees in an amazingly intricate and detailed design.
aside from the baby, most everyone there was sitting, talking, eating, or dancing with not-quite-dry henna on their palms which was interesting (every finger was different) and sort of dangerous at the same time (little girls running with hands outstretched in close proximity of gorgeous saris, and try picking up a camera or cup without full use of your fingertips and thumbs).
incredible, amazing and serene.