Two Deaths about Mumbai

The Bombay High Court

After staying in Maharashtra for some time, I can’t help but feel compelled to write something on two major events that happened this month regarding Mumbai.

The more prominent event would be the passing away of a controversial political leader of Maharashtra, and mainly Mumbai for the last 40 odd years, named Bal Thackeray, aged 86, on 17th November 2012. Bal Thackeray, the chief of the Shiv Sena party, is a larger than life character, interesting in the way that he was, at one time, the de facto ‘ruler’ of Mumbai, who can with one command, bring the largest city in India to a complete halt.

This is no easy feat. Just imagine, Mumbai, a city of over 20 million people, and the financial capital of India, closed! No taxis, no auto-rickshaws on the roads, no shops, malls or restaurants! And what’s more amazing is that he holds no official position in the government, never has, and has never been an elected member of parliament or the state assembly (according to the newspaper article I read). He is only a newspaper editor and political cartoonist, who founded his own local language newspaper and his own political party. Plus, he has a penchant for making controversial and derogatory remarks against all and sundry, mainly against the Muslims, and South Indians, and North Indians, and revellers of Valentine’s Day, and girls with a liberal (i.e. Western) outlook, against anyone who dares speak against him or his ideas!

Anyway, he was given a state funeral, with gun salutes and a public cremation in a Mumbai park, which was televised life on TV. Two million people attended the cremation, including the rich and famous of India like superstar Amitabh Bachchan and superrich Anil Ambani. Thanks to him, the entire state of Maharashtra, ground to a halt on 18th November, including our dear ol’ Project despite our client having scheduled an important handover inspection on the following day. Where else in this modern world, could this happen, but India??!

The second event, was the hanging of one Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, a Pakistani by nationality and the sole surviving Islamist militant of the 2008 Terrorist Strike of Mumbai where 164 people were killed in a 3-day bombing and shooting spree. He was hanged early morning on the 21st of November 2012, in a hushed up execution in a Pune Jail, 5 days before the 4th anniversary of the attacks.

I will say that this marks the close of two important chapters in the recent history of Mumbai. Anyway, here’re some photos of Mumbai taken last year. Do check back with our past photos of Mumbai taken when we were staying there in 2007.


The Victoria Terminus aka Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station, where Kasab and an accomplice killed at least 58 people when they opened fire indiscriminately in the passenger hall in the 2008 Terrorist Attack of Mumbai


Antilia, the CD rack shaped home of the richest man in India, Mukesh Ambani. My then employer, Leighton was building it when we left Mumbai in 2007


The Bandra-Worli Sealink now opened; it was under construction when we were there in 2007

Pune Diary Chapter 1

A fashion show at a launch of a residential apartment project in Wakad, Pune – posting a picture of the lights, as the pictures of the models and celebrities suck, thanks to our cheapo camera (or more like our lousy photographer, ...namely yours truly, ahem)

What’s staying here without putting some photos of life in Pune huh? Pune is the closest city (and ‘sign of civilization’) to where we stay in Daund.

Pune’s a huge city, 5 - 6 million people. According to some people, this only happened in the last 10 years, i.e. the city grew 10-fold from 600,000 to 6 million in ten years (and so did the property prices). It is now a congested and expensive city, but it is our destination of choice on weekends because, ...there is just nowhere else to go.

Pune is only about 80km away from where we stay, but it takes 2 bloody hours to reach, thanks in part to our half-constructed highway, but mainly to the 6km stretch from the end of the 4-lane highway, into the city proper.

Pune is well-known in India for its vibrant night life and more liberal outlook, (which is kinda tame if compared to the variety in South East Asia, this is India after all)




Hanging out at a Shisha Cafe at ABC Farms, Pune


Getting the hookah ready


A life band at the Phoenix Mall, Pune


Papa John’s Pizza, Phoenix Mall, Pune where Amrita and Karishma, our niece, worked part-time while pursuing their course in aviation hospitality (air-hostesses)


Amrita, Karishma, Yogita (their friend) and Anu at Papa John’s, Pune


Phoenix Mall outing for the girls


Anu, with our anniversary cake at Phoenix Mall, Pune on the occasion of our 5th anniversary last year


Blue Nile restaurant, my personal favourite in Pune for its mutton biryani, seekh kebabs, Iranian-styled dishes and their efficiency but many (including Anu) aren’t really impressed, it’s a matter of taste after all...


Amrita and Karishma at Frankfinn Institute of Air-Hostess Training, Bund Garden, Pune


A fashion show by the students at Frankfinn, with a guest appearance of our little monster

A Few Trips to the Village

A view from the road to Fulertal from Silchar, Assam

More pictures of my wife’s home village of Fulertal, where we’ve made quite a few trips recently due to some pressing family matters. You can see how I’m resorting to posting a one-liner with lots of pictures just to keep the blog alive. That’ll explain how busy (not to mention grumpy) I’ve become at work.


The Barak River flanking Fulertal, with the new bridge completed. This is the village’s public bath and swimming pool, in non monsoon times (when the water's cleaner)


Justin and his cousins Kunal (right) and Akash or Chhandam in Mizo (left)


Justin resting by a neighbour’s house of wood & mud, Fulertal


Justin having a swell time at his grandmother’s house with mom, aunt and cousin sis, Sonia looking on


The Shiv Mandir (Shiv Temple) opposite Anu’s mother’s house


A closer view of the Shiv Mandir, note the inscriptions on the temple walls and entrance are in the Manipuri script as the temple is under Manipuri jurisdiction


The Mukam (tomb I think, nobody told me the exact meaning) beside the Shiv Temple. The inscription in English says Baba Longarshah, must be some Islamic Sufi saint’s name. The rest of the inscriptions are in Bengali, the local lingua franca. It’s a popular shrine among the Muslims in the region and surprisingly also among the Hindu residents of the adjoining Nepali village. Just shows the diversity of the place. We will typically visit the Shiv Mandir, and right after that, the Mukam, to place candles and incense on the steps of the tomb


The entrance to the Mukam, which I call the Shrine of the Chain, as there is a chain nailed to a tree nearby, which devotees will try to hit with a stone after making a wish. The trick is that you have to hit it with your first throw and you have to close your eyes while throwing


Anu & Justin at the Mukam, which is now decorated with chains painted gold, a recent addition. I guess the tomb caretakers finally realised the significance of that tiny chain on the tree


Amrita having a go at hitting the chain, she hit it after err... 5 times that time, so I guess it’s hard luck with her wish

An Unexpected Find

Bhuleshwar Temple, off Pune to Solapur Road, Maharashtra

Here’s an unexpected gem in the area. We decided to listen to some of our fellow colleagues and pop over on one of the Sundays to this little temple, perched on top of an uninhabited rocky hill just about 6km off our project road.

And I have to admit, I was kinda impressed – old place, with nice views of the almost barren hills around, and with intricate carvings inside. Maybe it’s only that I didn’t expect to find anything of interest in this downtrodden place. What's more surprising is that the temple even has a functional well, and this is on top of a hill, in barren country!


Visitors at Bhuleshwar Temple


A view of the arid landscape from the temple


Justin & mommy, Bhuleshwar Temple


Justin & papa, inside the temple








More views of the temple interior

Scenes from Rural Maharashtra

A quiet village scene near Satara, on the road to Phaltan

It ain’t all bad getting stuck in this place. Here’re some scenes for all you ‘city folks’ that you can’t get where you’re at hehehe...


Tree-lined roads between Aurangabad and the Ellora Caves, kinda reminds me of Taiping


Wheat field on the road to Ellora


Guess what this is, ...flowers of the common onion, didn’t know onions had flowers huh?


The parched hillside during the dry season, beside our Project Road corridor


Dusty bushland-like roads near our Project Road corridor


Temples near Lingali, one of the villages near Daund


Water catchment area, Daund


View of the countryside, near Ravangaon

Daund, Two Years and counting

Mommy and baby, in front of our apartment (the 4 storey building at the back), Daund


Our neighbourhood church, just a minute’s walk from our apartment, on Easter Day 2012 – songs and the sermon are completely in Marathi, ...so we just hum to the tune...

Back from a short trip to Assam, and have been on overdrive ever since. That explains the break in blogging.

Ya, it’s already two years in this friggin place. Bored stiff now of sugarcane, and ...of sugarcane, what else is there in this place?? Dull life, if not for the hectic working schedule and the incessant disturbances from the ever-hungry ‘vultures’ always eyeing for a share of the pie.

Just waiting for when we can get out of this place and see something new. For the time being, here’re some pictures of our lovely life in Daund...


More pyramids of gold, actually sugarcane waste (bagasse) for fuel and making paper. Do check my post a year ago on the SAME topic - ‘One Year of Daund’


Bullock carts, for transporting sugarcane, a nuisance to other road users, but what can we do, this is the main source of income for the area


The gaudy temple of our neighbouring village, Gopalwadi


The Siddhivinayak Temple in Siddhtek, one of the 8 Ashtavinayak Temples around Pune. Ashtavinayak means Eight Ganesh (Elephant God). There are talks that if one can visit all eight Ashtavinayak Temples within a day (and mind you they’re not near to one another), all your wishes will come true, that is if you don’t get yourself killed first trying to drive at 150kph in the treacherous country roads and tiny village roads trying to achieve that


The Bhima River beside Siddhtek, about 20km from Daund


Amrita and Karishma at the local swimming pool, Daund


Independence Day (15th August) outing at the local swimming pool, 2011


Justin and his didi (sister), on a quiet country road, Ravangaon


Anu and Karishma with the shepherds and their herds, Ravangaon


In a millet field nearby


Dressing up for the goats... what else is there to do here??