Bombay Meri Jaan

Bombay you will be told that the only Indian word as a city is understood in the West. Other Indian metropolises like Calcutta, Madras and Delhi are like oversized villages.

It is true that Bombay has many more high-rise buildings than any other Indian city: when you approach it by the sea it looks like a miniature New York.

It has other things to justify its city status: it is congested, it has traffic jams at all hours of the day, it is highly polluted and many parts of it stink.

But mostly what makes Bombay stand apart is its huge swarms of yellows bellying horns and invocating the aroma of the Arabian Tales...

Calcutta Chromosomes - Fading Empire

What makes me Travel?  What do I try to see when i Travel? These are all the questions often asked in so many ways and in so many manners to me.

I usually don't like to answer them. I try to show what I see and how I feel but at times I realize that my silence through which I try to speak is half understood.

I travel to see me. Peculiar right? Indeed I often find myself boring and unintelligent in front of a well manicured mirrors in my home. They usually go on chattering the same verbs.

And then a fresh round of air makes me freer from my growing stomach and receding hairline. I travel to find me growing into an exciting homosapien, ignorant to all the best possible presets being applied on my selfies in Instagram.

I become freer from my narcissus tendencies and start looking around for a story. For a story I am unaware of. For a story I will never have to pay a price. For a story that will not yell back at me.

I travel to get soaked in rains, dusted in the muddy air and watch the humans moving endlessly ( at least they would like to believe that ) within the ceaseless singularity of Time.

I Travel to see a drama that will never happen. A piece of history which is so insignificant that none will care for. Peacefully watching the cat crossing the windows, a man chewing the tobacco as if having a sex, an old colonial story of the trams coming to a halt.

Talking about that did I mention that over here in this image I saw General Dyer crying his heart out to this native Indian man and complaining how he will miss riding the Trams!

Yes the bells are ringing. Go and have a ride on these soon to be extinct species of transport from The City of Joy - Calcutta.

Oh, do let me know if Doninique La Pierre would shed some tears hearing the news...

Character of a House - Himalaya Calling

"She stretched out against the wall and kissed it. "Glad to see you, too," she whispered, and pressed her cheek against the old rough surface. It almost felt like it hugged her back.

"Dude, it's a house," I said from behind her. "Hug somebody who cares..."

(Ukhimath, Uttarakhand)

Short Story of a City - Bicycle Thieves

When i saw the Bicycle, waiting in a corner of a busy street of the old city of Ahmadabad, i couldn't help but remember Antonio Ricci. 

Do you remember Antonio and his beloved Bicycle? How happy he was riding throughout the city of Rome and putting up colourful posters around the city? 

And why me? Like Antonio, i was,too, already thrown out of a job from the company i help founded.

And like Antonio i was happy too founding the pillars of my dreams and build a company painstakingly until one fine day i was asked to quit. And with that my love for bicycling into work remained a distant dream. 

And to top it my bicycle was stolen too, the very next day from the company premises. My beloved bicycle. 

And after days when i saw this bicycle, i was wondering what would have been the fate of the owner of this seemingly old worn out bicycle? 

And seeing the bicycle alone for so many hours made me feel so sad for Antonio and his child. Maybe i was sad for me and my boy Ishaan too. He wanted to drive with me in my lost bicycle. 

Maybe someday i will buy it again and make my boy ride with me. And in the mean time if you happen to pass by those streets of Ahmadabad do try to look for that bicycle. It must be there waiting, lonely and sad. Maybe waiting for its owner to take it back to where it belong. Maybe...

P.S Even if you are not visiting Ahmadabad, but do try to see Antonio Ricci in "The Bicycle Thieves", a seminal work of neo-realism film would have fatally undermined Vittorio De Sica's intention of presenting an authentic snapshot of everyday life in postwar Italy. 

Short Story of a City - Ahmadabad

“A Traveler's life had two lives now: the life he would have and the life he would forever wonder about.” 

Himalaya Calling - The Character of a House

The Character of a House - Ruins of a City, Old City, Ahmadabad

"Something always attracts us towards the ruins, because ruins remind us our fundamental problem: The problem of impermanence! Amongst the ruins we see the very end of our road! Whatever shows you the simple truth, it is your Master Teacher; whoever repeatedly recalls you of the plain truth, he is your good master!” 

Metaphors of a City - Ahmadabad

सहरनामा", An Abstract of a City - Short stories of a city called, Ahmadabad.

"कहानीया, बस , तीन लफ्जो की होती है,
लेकिन, क्यों और कैसे ।
बाकी सब बाते है।। "


All stories are a lie.In bits and pieces... 





- Night Walk in Ahmadabad with Cine Prime Lens DS 50mm, 1.5T. 

सहरनामा", An Abstract of a City - Short stories of a city called, Ahmadabad.

"ढूंढता रहता हूं ऐ ‘इकबाल’ अपने आप को,
आप ही गोया मुसाफिर, आप ही मंजिल हूं मैं ।"



"I loved the city.We were anonymous, and even then I had the sense that cities were yielding; that they moved over and made room.

I loved the spread of the lonely night. Loved how the dim faint yellow bulb, waiting for a shape to walk in, sometime, and bring a fresh array of noise. 

I could never imagine how much I loved noises, until the silent lips of the unknown man, looking out for words. Words he wanted to utter but no one to hear..."





- Night Walk in the old city of Ahmadabad with Cine Prime Lens DS 50mm, 1.5T. 


Salaam Bombay - Let us run away (Love in the time of Trucks)

In the '80s, listening to Elvis and others on the radio in Bombay - it didn't feel alien. Noises made by a truck driver from Vasai, Colaba, seemed relevant to a middle-class kid growing up on the other side of the world.That has always fascinated me.

And what most fascinated me is the thought of having a Truck, that would one day help me pick up the neighbour gal i love and run away. Run away far from the madding crowd and just look at her face properly. For Once!

Salaam Bombay - What will you wear?

Bombay is the Retail capital of India from the previous partition era with its huge array of goods and spread of market.What makes it unique is the diversity of such markets making the city a paradise for all sorts of people.From the riches to the poor.

In an interview with The Newyork Times Karl Lagerfield from the House of Channel said that the emergence of fashion begins largely from a popular culture and he rates Bombay for such inspiration only after Newyork and Paris.

A good flea market is a shopper’s and fashion designers paradise and Bombay is definitely one of that!

The flea or the street markets in Bombay offer a good deal of opportunities for the shopaholic to indulge in luxuriant shopping. Who would miss a chance to buy the most stylish and fanciful attire that too at a good bargain?

Shopping at the flea markets of Bombay is as essential as visiting the Gateway of India! So here is a small insight of the shopping paradise of the city of Bombay 



1. Colaba Causeway-

This is one place where you would get everything, quite literally! Handicrafts, clothes, books or jewellery; anything that you could possibly think of. And when you get tired drop-in at the Leopold’s Café, one of the most famous hangout areas in Mumbai.-

2. Linking Road-

A vibrant amalgamation of traditional and modern, this place is one of the most crowded places of Mumbai. Avoid visiting this market on Sundays if you don’t like congested areas.-

3. Crawford Market-

Nestled in a historical colonial building, this is one of the oldest markets of Bombay. Fruits and vegetables are its specialties. There is also a special area devoted to pets of all kinds.-

4. Fashion Street-

This place has the highest fashion quotient in Bombay and the locals can swear by the same. With over 150 stalls, Fashion Street is quite popular amongst the youngsters.-

5. Chor Bazaar-

Initially, this was not actually a thieves market!The mispronunciation of British changed the name of this place from Shor Bazaar to Chor Bazaar and then eventually it lived up to its name! If vintage is your taste, strive through the crowded lanes of this market to get your hands on some of the most unique items of all times. -




Street Walk in Colaba, Bombay. Film Photography, Provia.

Calcutta Diary - The Tramways