April 1 – 3, 2023 – Days 101-103
A Dhobi Ghat (outdoor laundry) in Mumbai
The outdoor laundry, or Dhobi Ghat, is a serious business here in Mumbai. These laundries wash the linens for the local hotels and hospitals, among others. Smaller laundries were also seen around the city.
We had 3 days to explore Mumbai, not nearly enough time. Yet it has taken us a while to process all we experienced in this fascinating city. Mumbai is a city of contrasts. On the one hand, it is the financial & cultural capital of India. On the other, it is notorious for its massive slums. Known as Bombay until 1995, Mumbai has a population of over 25 million. India is the world’s seventh largest country by land mass. It has, just this year, overtaken China as the country with the largest population on the planet. Both China and India currently have populations of roughly 1.4 Billion (yup, that’s a ‘B’). By comparison, the US, the third most populated country in the world has 331 million people.
India is currently the fastest growing economy in the world. They have developed into an Information Technology hub and have an active space program. In 1951 the estimated literacy rate was 16.6%, today it is 74%. I found it interesting to learn that the median age in India is 28, while China and the US stand at 38 and Russia at 40. With all its problems, India has a young, well educated, workforce.
Mumbai harbor with the historic Taj hotel on the left and the Gateway to India arch on the right.
Mumbai’s 25 million people live within an area of 233 square miles. That is over 100,000 people per square mile. Los Angeles by comparison 8,000 people per square mile.
We walked through a neighborhood that surround a ‘ghat’ or public water source. We were told that these ghats are places of gathering, for performing Hindu rituals, bathing, washing, etc.
In the same neighborhood we passed by a man who had fashioned a shoe repair shop out of tarps and wood on the side of a walkway; his home was at one end and the shop at the other.
80% of India’s citizens practice Hinduism. For the Hindu, the cow is sacred, a god, so it was common to see cows tethered to poles where people can bring them a food offering. We were told it is no longer legal for cows to roam freely in the city, but we saw plenty doing just that! This one is tethered and being cared for outside a local temple.
We also toured a local fruit and vegetable market. It is the beginning of mango season and they looked beautiful! There were lots and lots of cats in the market. They all looked well fed, I suspect they keep busy controlling the vermin population!
Cat taking a break and checking out the visitors.
While in the market we learned that it is customary to hire a porter to carry your purchases for you and assist you to your transportation. The porter carries your purchases in a big basket on his head.
The next day we visited one of Mumbai’s landmarks on the shore of the Arabian sea, the ‘Gateway of India’ (the arch in the picture below). This arch was built in 1911 to welcome King George V and Queen Mary on their visit to India. It is now a very popular gathering place for young locals and families especially as the evening cools and people come out to socialize. The week before our visit, this venue hosted the Dior fashion show, some remnants of the scaffolding were still in evidence. Our guide was very proud to tell us that not only did they host the fashion show, but women made up the majority of the staff and designers putting on the show. Our guide seemed very proud to tell us that the role of women in Indian society is changing.
Snapped a quick picture before getting into the crowds.
Just beyond the Gateway of India arch is the place to catch a boat for a harbor tour or for a trip to Elephanta Island, which is exactly what we did. We took a tour to explore the Elephanta Caves. We had to fight our way through a sea of humanity to get to the security checkpoint that would lead us to our boat. Our guide actually said, “don’t mind all the Indians, just push your way through!”. Getting around here seems to be a contact sport! Once past the checkpoint we clamored down the stone steps to our boat for an hour-long ride to the island.
A carbon copy of our boat. The top decks were off limits for ‘security reasons’, didn’t figure that one out, except perhaps it has something to do with being in the same harbor as the Indian Navy.
Once aboard our boat we found it was equipped with only the finest safety equipment… we determined that our floatation devices must be the empty water bottles in the overhead spaces; the fire extinguisher had seen better days. The first mate hit the motor periodically with a wrench to get the throttle to stay in position. The bilge pump had a little trouble keeping up when the sea got choppy and there was a bit of water starting to pool at our feet. It would have been terrifying if it hadn’t been so funny… and the fact that there was a steady stream of boats all within shouting distance.
Once we arrived at the Elephanta Island dock, we were to have taken a train/tram down the dock to the base of the mountain we were to climb to get to the caves. But, like many trains in India, there was no room, so we walked up the tracks past vendors, cows and many, many fellow sightseers.
One of the many cows on the island.
We had to fight our way through lots of people for about 1 mile uphill, including over 150 slick, uneven steps past vendors aggressively hawking their wares. If you were brave (or lazy) you could ride in a rickshaw like chair carried by four men up and/or down the stairs. (a side note on stairs… have you ever wondered why people groups who tend to be shorter in stature than others make their steps really tall?! As a short-legged person I am baffled!)
The picture below, taken on the way back down the incline, gives you an idea what it was like when the crowd had thinned a bit; what it can’t convey is how hot & humid it was! Even so, it was cooler here than in the city, so many local families come to picnic and visit the caves.
The Elephanta Caves were discovered by the Portuguese in the 16th century when they spotted a large stone elephant statue on the shore of the island. The stone elephant piqued their interest, so they went ashore and discovered this cave constructed as a Temple to Siva in 450-750 AD. There are no actual elephants on the island, but the name stuck.
The temple and all the panels were carved out of solid basalt rock. The execution was stunning. Lots of symbology in the panels as well as the placement of the niches and openings that let the light play just so, etc. I know very little about Hindu gods, but as art, they were fascinating!
Unfortunately, during the Portuguese occupation of India these carvings were used for target practice, so many of the panels are damaged.
One of the temple monkeys trying to get a drink!
The next day we toured more of the city of Mumbai. We learned that in the early 17th century, replacing the Portuguese, the Dutch East India Company laid claim to India and her resources. Next, from 1757-1874 the British East India Company ruled large parts of the Indian sub-continent. They had their own armed forces and formed the largest corporation in the world. After the East India Company came British colonization. During this time the city’s infrastructure was improved and many impressive buildings went up in Mumbai (also displacing many native citizens beginning the creation of the slums, but I’ll leave you to Google that).
On the campus of Bombay University… the window reminds me of Notre Dame’s rosette.
This building on the campus of Bombay University reminds me of the staircase at the Palazzo Contarini in Florence, Italy; just as its builders intended.
The British colonial section of Mumbai is filled with beautiful, well-preserved buildings. It is easy to see these beautiful sites and not think of what lies just miles from this historic section of the city.
As we toured this beautiful section of Mumbai we were set upon by beggars. In some cases, like the woman below, they were trying to sell us their trinkets. In others, young girls, pre-teens to early teens, with a baby/toddler hiked up on their hips followed us asking for handouts. These girls were persistent! They followed us for a good 30 minutes and nothing our guide said could discourage them. All the beggars we encountered were women, of all ages. It was heartbreaking. Our guide, also a woman, called them ‘gypsies’, telling us they were “immigrants from other Indian states” (which seemed like an odd way to describe a fellow countryman).
One of the women on our tour, when approached by an elderly beggar asked our guide to “make her go away”. This comment really bothered us. In talking about it later, Jeff commented that he was struck by how common it is to want to make unpleasant things go away. If we don’t see them, we can put them out of our minds and pretend they don’t exist. We can’t change all the unpleasant things in the world, but it seems the least we can do, is look at them, acknowledge they exist and do what we can to alleviate them. Jeff and I hope we can have the courage to do this at home.
Outside of the ‘Colonial’ section, different architectural styles.
As we walked around these lovely buildings, old and new, armed guard stations were set up every half block or so. Tensions with India’s neighbors, Pakistan and China, run high and they seem extra vigilant. The dock where our ship was moored was adjacent to their military base. There was an internet blackout imposed the entire time we were there. A reoccurring theme during our travels has been the amount of armed military security so many countries live with. I hope I never take our freedom of movement in the US for granted again!
From what we learned, it seems India is trying hard to address its human rights and sever pollution problems. Laws are being written and passed to try to help things along. Even so, living conditions for millions are awful, female infanticide is still practiced. Women choose to (or are forced to) abort female fetuses. The caste system is not legal, but it is still evident. The practice of paying a dowry to a groom’s family is no longer legal either, but it still happens. There are still honor killings or bride burning when disputes arise over dowry values and payment. We humans, in every culture, seem to find any number of ways to devalue one another.
As we say farewell to India, I knew this could be a hard place to visit. It was, but I also found myself drawn to this place for reasons I am not able to articulate. I will choose to think of her with hope for her future and will pray that her young people will usher in great improvements for all of their citizens.
We will be at sea for the next 5 days as we sail across the Arabian Sea on our way to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.
Stay well friends! We miss you!