Life in Mumbai

My first four days in India I stayed with my friends in Mumbai in this gorgeous residential skyscraper, which is for the moment the tallest skyscraper of India with 60 floors, located at sea front in Tardeo, South Mumbai. The building is built on a slum land, which was acquired by the builders using re-development models which include providing free land and rehabilitation to slum dwellers in exchange for rights for property development.

So when you read this about my temporary 'house' for my time being in Mumbai I didn't really connect with the fact that yes indeed this beautiful skyscraper that is hyper modern, luxurious and glam and then next door is a slum, can you believe it??

Next door... like immediately next door? YES! That is Mumbai, rich and poor NEXT to each other. It was the first time I kind of experienced it so in my face!!

Here some pictures to prove it... the view from the balcony on the 35rd floor... you don't see really what is happening below at your door step from this high up, but normal slum life is there.

A view of the Arabian sea, Mahalaxmi Racecourse and the exclusive Willingdon Sports Club...





And then I looked down... and there it is... a slum!



So I ventured out one day, just WALKED outside 'my' building and met some kids on the streets who were actually and literally MY neighbors.

These kids were so cute, the biggest boy with the stick actually asked me to take a photo of them and he was posing real macho :-)



A happy guy making his living by shining shoes...



A young mother with her small child sitting on the side of the road..



So when you drive out of the parking the first street you hit is this corner, immediately outside you are in the middle of everything, shops, street stalls, hundreds of cars and people walking around.





A little side street just before you enter 'our' parking garage. So as you can see it is really mixed life, and this is all over Mumbai. Delhi is a bit different, you will have more certain areas. But I kinda like this! This is real life, people of all walks of life should be together! But I know that most people who are not from India would have a hard time living like this and being confronted with the poorer side of life, but you know what... it makes you much more compassionate and understanding!



With my pictures I hope to give you a real look into Mumbai and Delhi. So the good, the bad, the ugly but also the beauty of the simple things! I hope you can appreciate...

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!
Mireille