city of joy

This is one city, which loves everybody. This is one city which makes you live all the 9 emotions. This is one city which will simply make you realize life.

This shot was taken on the highway and I don't think there could be a better hoarding than the one put up here. Despite all that the city goes through, I can only see love, joy, ambitions, and above all life in this space!

Thank you to this city for making us who we are...

For the city that is second to none...

childhood

I just could not resist clicking this today when I was at Hypercity Mall, Malad!

The kids' section (especially for babies) is beyond cute and adorable! It totally reminded me of my childhood, which I remember now with the help of photographs!

Isn't childhood the best phase to live? A time when you know no definitions, when you have no rules, no regulations; a time when nothing needs explanation; when emotions stick their basic 9 categories...when nothing has meanings formed by each other.

I wish life wouldn't change after growing from one's childhood too...but, probably that is what life wants to teach us what complexity means...

For childhood, which one always cherishes...

leopold

This shot was taken at teh Leopold Cafe, as you can see, which is located at the Colaba Causeway. This is one of my favorite cafes in the city. It is a large and popular restaurant and bar, located opposite the Colaba Police Station.

Founded in 1871 by Iranis, it first started out as a wholesale oil store, and over the years has variously been a restaurant and store, and restaurant and pharmacy. Today it is a multi-cuisine restaurant with a bar on the first level, and serves cuisines like, Indian, Western, Chinese, South American, etc., and beer and alcohol. Anybody and everybody who come to Colaba know or want to know what Leopold Cafe is (also all thanks to Gregory David Roberts and Shantaram).

The cafe was an early site of gunfire and grenade explosions during the 2008 Mumbai attacks by terrorists. The restaurant was extensively damaged during the attacks. Gunmen sprayed the restaurant with bullets and there were blood stains on the floor and shoes left by fleeing customers. The cafe reopened four days after the attack, but was reclosed by the police as a safety measure after 2 hours because of the unexpected size of crowds gathering there. Regular business resumed the next day.

This space will always be immortal...

For Leopold...

bridge

"they ask me as they wonder,
what has changed...
I simply remain silent,
as they realize
it isn't just me but also you who has changed..."

This lovely shot, is surely one of my favorites since quite some time now. This shot was clicked by Maithili at the Bandra-Worli sea-link which is going to be open for the people by this month end.

I watched "the Motorcycle Diaries" yesterday and realized that there is an Ernesto within all of us. Life cannot be judged or planned out at every stage, can it? You have one path in front of you on which you want to walk...you can't wait for the path to change until you walk on it and change it.

Sometimes in life, you feel things aren't perfect, things aren't the way you want them to be, things aren't how they should be...but, you know that it is all here! Either you stand up and find a solution to it and be the time that you want to live in or stay where you are and keep wondering until a new time conquers.

Till that time, I walk on this bridge to see the time that I wish to be...because, sometimes, just doing things by simply listening to your heart actually works...

For the bridge, that takes us from this end to a new beginning...

slumdog

...it has done it all, and yet going on...

"Slumdog Millionaire" aka "Slumdog Crorepati" - the film that has spoken for itself, that has defined cinema, that is now a brand...is still going strong!

I took this shot at one of the theatres, where this film is still playing and going house-full at the box-office. The film is going to be premiering on television very soon and I'm sure many of us are going to be glued to the tv sets...

It's said in India, there are two things that can unite people strongly - Cricket and Cinema!

For Slumdog and the unity that it has got...

memories

I was glancing through and found this to make me still.

These are the photographs that used to be hung at the Taj Hotel. I don't know if it still exists, but I really hope they do.

These were glimpses of all the people who had visited the Taj right from the Queen of England to the Beatles to Elvis to the biggest heroes of the world to the greatest of all Indians!

Memories can make you travel through so much and yet get you back to live the present moment. Funny and acceptably interesting.

For memories...

PS - I know I need to be shot dead for not being in touch. It's been really hard to breathe, lately...

worship

This shot was taken outside the Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabhadevi.

The temple is one of the most famous worships spaces dedicated to Lord Ganesha. It was originally built by Mr. Laxman Vithu and Mrs. Deubai Patil in November 19th, 1801.

The Siddhivinayak Mandir evolved from a small, tiny place of worship to the Grand Temple that stands today in the later half of the twentieth century. The glory to the temple was bought not only by the politicians who frequented the temple but also numerous filmstars who continuously visit the temple to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha.

With a space like this, for worship standing right in the middle of Prabhadevi street, one can actually feel the power and the energy as it automates you to pray to the universe as you pass by it. Tuesdays are said to auspicious for Lord Ganesha and people actually walk it up to the temple from places that are sometimes more than hundred kilometers away. It is believed that Lord Ganesh actually fulfills the wishes of people at the right time and the right place.

I love to see people getting attracted towards this space...at least, there is a place where people unite unknowingly! How I wish, people could realize this unity that the creator brings at such spaces...

For the power of worship...

circle

I took this shot at Thane today. The trees were down stacked up on the ground.
Does life always end here? You live your life walking all over on this same ground and finally end up lying here too, until somebody comes and cleans this up, hopefully soon!

I guess it's simply the circle of life.

For the circle...

darkness

I took this shot at Bandstand, today evening.
I love the evenings, when the light slowly diminishes to darkness. The lights in the darkness always fascinate me to the extent that my brains function the most only in the nights. No wonder, all the posts go live in the nights!

Darkness is simply another side of the coin, I feel. If people say follow the light that you see, I feel one should simply make the path in the darkness from where he wishes to see the light that he can follow. After all, isn't it rightly said that it's the darkest just before light is to come...

For the darkness...

Streets in the city will always fascinate you with their looks.

Be it the packed traffic, or the beautiful buildings, or the red colored paan walls, or simply the people. One always finds some beauty or the other while traveling on the streets.

I took this shot near Byculla, as I was traveling to Nariman Point today.

Traffic of cars and crowds of faces are pretty similar, when thought of. All walk together, yet all are alone, when thought of.

For the streets, where all travel...

mute

I took this shot today, at the Nariman Point. I just had to capture the moment when I saw the Hilton Towers (Oberoi Hotels), one of the victims of the 26/11 attacks.

The papers recently said that the repair work was on at the Hotel and it would be completely ready in a year and a half from now. The workers inside, who are working constantly to get things rebuilt, are completely muted by the sight. This was where things happened, someday, not too far away. This was where time stopped, some moment, not too before today. This was where life said something to us, some words, not too silenced like it was today.

It really feels as though the entire street goes mute when one passes by the hotel. I guess, time will get its words back, maybe...?

For the mute moment, that speaks...

buildings

I took this shot today at Dadar, near the Tilak bridge area.
This building, which had a really old design and pattern to it, really amazed me.

I wonder if there are many buildings like this. I know for sure that the Dadar-Matunga areas have such buildings (well, a few of them) and the town side has a few of such buildings which would immediately remind you of the city as it was in perhaps the 1950s.

With so many tall buildings coming up, isn't it obvious that such small ones would catch one's attention as they appear in your journey?

For the buildings, that take you back in history...

PS - I know I can't give further excuses for my absence, but life has been really hectic leaving me with hardly any time to breathe!:-/