On our first full day in Mumbai, Saturday, many of us opted to take a city tour to learn more about this city of 16 million people often called the New York City of India. The day started with a short bus ride on which our guide, Jyothi, explained the sights and sounds of this bustling place. Just like Bangalore, the streets are crowded and seemingly chaotic to the Western eye - though Jyothi explained it is an old system that works for them. "Three things are needed to drive in India," she explained, "good horn, good brakes, and good luck!"
The first stop was just outside the beautiful Taj Hotel where we would board a ferry at the historic Gateway of India. A one hour ride into the Arabian Sea would take us to our first destination of the day, Elephanta Island. As we looked back on Mumbai's skyline, it really did remind us of New York in its expanse and varied buildings. A short tram ride and 120 some odd steps straight up later, we reached the mouth of the famous Elephanta Caves. Four columns looked like they might be holding the mouth of the cave open, but on the contrary, we learned they had been carved right out of the rock. The columns, the beautiful statuesque carvings of the Hindi god, Shiva, and the temple in the middle all literally were carved from one rock. The caves reminded us all that though India is a very young nation with 50% of the population under the age of 25, the civilization is an ancient one.
The next stops on our tour (after a visit to the local McDonald's for lunch and a much needed break from the spicy Indian food we have been enjoying) included a Jain temple built of marble and filled with the sweet smell of flowers everywhere. Next, we saw the site of the men who clean the clothes of the people of Mumbai. Our guide told us most people have a washing machine now, but they still use these services to make sure everything is perfectly washed. These men clean the clothes by hitting them on a rock and then hang them up in the sun to dry. This truly was a sight you had to see to believe. A little village of men, bright white clothes hanging above the shanty roof tops, and what looked like outdoor baths smoothed by years of hitting clothes against the rock was another bustling business right in the middle of the city. There must have been thousands of items being washed, dried, or folded; Jyothi told us not one piece is ever lost or delivered incorrectly! These men make as much as a cab driver or hotel security guard and so are happy with their work.
Finally, we had the opportunity to see Mahatma Ghandi's house and his simple style of living. His bedroom consisted of a mat, a small desk, a journal and his sandals. It was quite amazing to see the humility of a man who changed the course of a country! I thought this quote, posted on the wall, was especially fitting to describe all that we are seeing, "I want to work for an India in which the poorest shall feel that it is their country in whose making they have an effective voice; India in which there shall be no high class and no low class of people; an India in which all communities shall live in perfect harmony."
- Becky Blevins
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