Bombay (Mumbai) makes the U.S. papers thrice in less than a month. Tale of 2 Cities: Mumbai? or Bombay? “Though the membrane between these two cities is permeable, there are plainly two realms, of Bombayites and Mumbaikars, where one name slips out more readily than the other…”[IHT.com] Mumbai to Midtown, Chaat Hits the Spot “Asking…
I have a love/hate affair with awards shows. I love watching them to see what people are wearing and who wins, but I usually can’t bear the acceptance speeches. Indeed, I love watching the Oscars, and I’ll definitely be tuning in on Monday morning (yep….they’ll be live at 6:30 a.m. in India) for a short…
I must say there is one upside to being sick in India: the drugs (and the doctor visits) are very cheap. Not sure if I mentioned before, but I had the best dental cleaning ever while here and it cost about $25. That’s not a co-pay amount. That’s the full fee. At any rate, I’m…
Fellow misplaced expat Karilyn hit the nail on the head with her recent comment. Indeed, I have come down with jaundice and I’m finally somewhat well enough to sit up straight and write about it. Basically, I have succumbed to the second – yes, second – outbreak of jaundice in Bombay over the past three…
Today’s a day off from work, so I can’t complain. Nevertheless, I thought I’d “celebrate” Republic Day by following up on the BMC demolition drive. It seems that the BMC wants to delist slumdwellers from the voter rolls because, in essence, once their homes are destroyed they no longer have addresses. And, without an address,…
Pondicherry If you really need to take a break from India, then Pondicherry is a good bet. Anthony and I had set our sights on this former French colony long before we came to India, but we weren’t sure how it had fared in the tsunami. It turns out that Pondicherry has a really high…
Less than three weeks after the tsunami hit, I was able to visit Tamil Nadu (TN), the Indian state that, in addition to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, suffered the most damage. Most of the people who died in TN were south of Chennai (formerly Madras) in Nagapattinam. I was unable to visit the latter…
Just when I start to think that Bombay is a world-class city, ridiculousness ensues. The BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) ? the org responsible for overseeing city planning ? has recently gone on a rash of demolitions against illegal structures. The demolitions have included not only slums ? something like 60,000 have been destroyed so far…
Several weeks and a new year since I last wrote, the tsunami has wreaked unimaginable havoc in Asia, though, luckily, not in Mumbai. Many of my friends and family, as well as many people I’ve never met before, have gotten a good lesson in geography, which has resulted in many more emails and calls than…
