Where I grew up

I grew up in an apartment building that had 6 floors and 14 apartments. We did not own the apartment but the apartment was provided to us by the railways since my parents worked in the railways. I stayed in the apartment for 23 years. The apartment was located in the heart of the city with all amenities close by. I had all my friends in that part of town. It broke my heart when my parents retired from the Railways and we had to leave the apartment. I lost a part of my life then. I am attaching a picture of the apartment building. 

Visit to the Sir J.J College of Architecture

I met a really old friend that I had not seen in more than 20 years. He is now the principal of Sir J.J College of Architecture (http://www.sirjjarchitecture.org). It is a very prestigious institution in India and their students are the best architects in India. There are so many good childhood memories that I have with him. That was such an innocent, beautiful and carefree time of our lives. We all lived in one apartment building that was six floors and had 14 apartments. We lived as one big family and were closely knit.

 The campus of the college of Art and Architecture was built in 1866. The buildings are very old and regal. I have taken some pictures of the buildings. It is in a very crowded part of town but when you enter the campus you feel like you are in a different world. I am sure there are some ghosts that hang around these buildings too.

 It was nice to be in the campus around the young students. Because this is a college of art and architecture there is a lot of creativity in the air. You see students designing sculptures, models and painting. It was a very nice experience indeed. I am thankful to my friend, the principal for the experience. 

Hawkers on the trains

The trains are the life line of Bombay. They are packed to capacity and it is inhuman to travel in them but the people have no option. The roads are dug up and traffic is horrible.

 The trains also serve as the main source of livelihood for thousands of hawkers who sell their wares on them. The picture above is of one such hawker. He carries a big bucket in which he has 4 different types of crackers. Crackers are really a bad analogy but I can’t think of any other way to describe it. He mixes up the 4 crackers, adds some spice and lemon. He puts them on a small sheet of newspaper and sells them for 10 cents. He will go from one coach of a train to another coach and do that all day. A significant percentage of what he makes will be paid in bribes to various people in authority so that they allow him to sell his wares on trains.

 He is one of the lucky ones because he can make 5 cents on every sale. There are kids and blind people who sell small pieces of hard candy on trains. They carry a bag that has about 100 pieces of hard candy. They sell 2 pieces of candy for 2 cents and 5 pieces of 4 cents. Some of them sing and scream out to attract attention so that they can sell their hard candy. They probably make enough money to buy themselves dinner. Most of them live on the stations or under overpasses. It is commendable that they choose to live an honest life under such trying circumstances. I doubt I would make an honest living if I were in their shoes. It probably speaks more about me than about them but that is what I feel about myself.

 

My friend’s cloth shop

When I visit India, I make it a point my close friends. I’ve know them since the age of 5. We were in middle school and high school together. It is hard to recreate such bonds later in life. My friends are in various professions. One of them has been running a cloth store. This is their family business that they have been running for about 50 years now. For the past 20 years, he has been doing the same thing. Most women in India wear Punjabi suits. These are comfortable and stylish as well as very feminine and modest. My friend sells dress materials for these women’s suits. I can’t imagine being confined to a small space all day for 6 days of the week. I guess he likes the interaction with women and convincing them to buy. There is a LOT of bargaining, sweet talk and flattery involved in a sale. Life is good though and he makes a very good living. So it’s not such a bad deal. 

Sugarcane juice and coconut water.

The weather in most parts of India is hot. Places near the coast are hot and humid. Winters are relatively mild unless the altitude is high as in the Himalayas. Due to the oppressive heat and humidity, it’s very important to keep hydrated. Before the advent of carbonated fizz drinks and high fructose corn syrup laden juices, every one had sugar cane juice. People living in the coastal areas drink coconut water to keep hydrated. There are still lots of street vendors that sell coconut water and sugar cane juice.

In one of the pictures above, you see the gentleman drinking sugarcane juice. The sugarcane is ploughed through the grinder several times till it is completely dry. A jug at the bottom of the grinder collects the sugarcane juice which is served with some ice. It costs 10 cents. 

The vegetable market

Till about a few years ago, all vegetable markets in India were open air markets. There were no air conditioned supermarkets like Publix or Albertsons. The last few years have seen a proliferation of large supermarkets. However, there are still a lot of open air markets and a substantial population buys from the vendors that sell on the streets. The produce is usually fresh because the sellers lack the means to refrigerate their produce. There is always an element of bargaining involved.

 Check out the picture at the egg and chicken shop. My mother is buying some eggs. You have to have nerves of steel to buy chicken from here. You pick out the live chicken which then gets skinned for you. It’s not a sight for the faint heated. 

Eating Kulfi Falooda

I’ve always had a big sweet tooth. Indian ice creams are especially a big weakness for me. They are a mish mash of dry fruits, sweetened milk, ice cream and sweetened noodles. This kind of ice cream is called Kulfi falooda.

 Check out the video and you will know what I am talking about. I’ve had so many such ice creams I’ve lost count. Every time I promise myself that it’s the last one. But then I think I won’t get them when I get back to Orlando L So I have just “one” more

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-xidm48hic

 On Dec 26^th when I visited my friend Vijay in Kalyan, we had Kulfi falooda. The vendor was a street vendor selling ice cream off a small handcart. There are lots of such street vendors. Their hygiene leaves a LOT to be desired. Looking back at the video I don’t think it was a good idea to have eaten that ice cream. My stomach has not been functioning at its best and maybe the ice cream caused it. But it tasted good and I was really lusting after it then and gave in to temptation. I think I will go to a good restaurant and have some more later. I have really put on a lot of weight since I came to India J