Arun Uncle and Smita Aunty came to the airport to collect me and take me back to my father's family home of Shanti Niwas (Eternal Peace) in the suburb of Vile Parle (East), about 15 kilometers North (1 hour by car) of Mumbai central. The last time I was here was 17 years ago when it was still called Bombay.
They say that scent makes for the strongest associations of all the senses and I have to agree. As soon as I stepped out of the airplane I felt a wave of familiarity with the smell of Asia and particularly India. The whole way home I felt like a dog with his head out the window taking in all the aromas of this new place. It is this fascinating mixture of incense, flowers and dust. Kinesthetically it's temples and honking horns.
I strolled around the neighborhood for about an hour and a half collecting fruit, samosas, coconuts and flower garlands before realizing that I've gone pretty far and that road sign are sporadic and streets too curvy for my meager sense of direction.
I want to describe what I've seen but there was so much and at the same time so little going on you have to just take it all in as a whole. There was huge variety in every aspect of it and there's still an overall cohesive Indianess of it all. The spectrum of life here is so diverse and vibrant. The roads are shared by pedestrians, bicyclist, motorcycles, auto-rickshaws, taxis, small cars, luxury SUVs, mobile water tanks, fruit stands, vendors and feral cats and dogs and somehow they all make it around each other. Nothing seems typical but it all fits together.
2 comments:
A friend of mine wrote about travel: "it can change your life in unexpected ways, or simply be a time to reflect and engage all of your senses (something that only traveling can really do, in a real way, as opposed to artificial stimulation)." I am so happy your adventure is thus underway!
Thank you for the description of the shared roadway. This afternoon I went to a meeting for the project to transform Jefferson Street in the Wharf into a shared right-of-way like the one you illustrated. This kind of public space does not yet exist in the states. Glad to note your recommendations- more cats, incense and colors.
"They say that scent makes for the strongest associations of all the senses and I have to agree. As soon as I stepped out of the airplane I felt a wave of familiarity with the smell of Asia and particularly India. The whole way home I felt like a dog with his head out the window taking in all the aromas of this new place. It is this fascinating mixture of incense, flowers and dust. Kinesthetically it's temples and honking horns."
Lovely, Ninad. You are a great writer. Thank you for sharing. I will follow your trails of adventure in your blogs!
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