Posted July 6, 2009 - 7:41am by Betsy J. Blosser
Sixteen of us boarded the overnight train to Mumbai on Thursday evening, only knowing we were to sleep on the train, but having no idea of what to expect. A few of us loaded up with junk food to make sure we would stay fed while rolling along. As it turned out, we each had a narrow bunk, and almost all of us were on top. We were provided with sheets, a pillow, and a blanket -necessary to keep warm with the air conditioning on. And they began feeding us immediately! First, we received a snack at tea time. Then there was dinner. And in the morning, we were served a full breakfast before arriving in Mumbai at 8:30 AM. Although the bunks were a bit narrow, we slept fine, and were ready for a day of sightseeing after checking in to our hotel.
Mumbai is a much more cosmopolitan city than Delhi. If 90% of women in Delhi wear saris or "suits," probably 80% of women in Mumbai do not. Instead, jean and tops, much like you would see on young women in the U.S., are the "uniform" of choice. The Muslim population is much more prominent in Mumbai than in Delhi; mosques are everywhere, and men wear small, white caps, while a few women wear burqas. Another immediate difference is the weather! The humidity was near 90% while the temperature was probably in the high 70s or low 80s - COOL for us, after several weeks in one hundred degree temperatures in Delhi.
Vinay (Professor Vinay Shrivastava) led us on a walk around the city. We passed Victoria Transit, or "V.T.," a gorgeous, British train station, that led us to take many photos of the architecture. It was one of the three sites hit in the bombings in November, and was under repair. Despite all that, it is photogenic. We went on to the Gateway to India, on the water's edge, and the site of the arrival by boat of the November terrorists. The Taj Mahal Hotel, which stands immediately behind the Gateway arch, was another of the three sites "hit" in November. It, too, is under repair, but much of it is operational. Then Vinay organized a horse and carriage ride to the other side of the peninsula on which Mumbai is located. There, we sat along the water and "chilled" for awhile. We were in front of the third site - another hotel, that has been renamed the Trident - targeted in the attacks. Again, it is under repair, although a part of the hotel is operating. It was eerie to be in these places that were so familiar from world news reports.
The next day - Saturday, July 4th, we took a whirlwind tour of Bollywood! We were grateful NOT to have fireworks for the 4th - especially if that meant terrorist fireworks, but we had floods instead! It rained heavily all day - the beginning of the monsoon season, and by evening, the city had flooded and roads were closed in various places. Even so, we had a wonderful day. Vinay had arranged for a bus to take us from place to place. We visited an editing lab, and later, a recording studio, where a soon-to-be-released Bollywood film was being dubbed. Due to the hospitality of Vinay's college friends, now working in the industry, we were able to watch the process "up close and personal." After a quick lunch, we went on to Whispering Woods International, a state-of-the-art school for filmmakers, where we toured the classrooms and drooled over the impressive equipment, saw a bit of a student film, and glimpsed a prominent Bollywood star from afar. Finally, we went on to the set of a weekly variety show, "Krazy Kane Ke 2," where this week's episode was being shot. By this time, it was after dark and the roads were full of water. We felt fortunate to make it back safely to the hotel.
Sunday was a free day. Some folks took boats to Elephanta Island where they explored the jungle-like environment. Others went to Mumbai's planetarium. Still others toured the Crawford Market and shopped for gifts for friends and relatives. By late afternoon, we were back on the train for the 16-hour ride to Delhi and our last few days in India.
Stay tuned for the remaining days of production and the wrap!
