We visited a small Christian community in the heart of the city called Khotachi Wadi which is a throwback to Portuguese times and the architecture and name plates of its residents reflect this –names like Rodrigues and Gomes.
We wandered its narrow lanes and saw tiny open air chapels with crucifixes, crosses draped with marigold garlands you’d normally see in a Hindu temple, street-art murals of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus floating on a lotus flower and flanked by two elephants (both Hindu symbols) spotlighting the way in which many cultures have not only melded but co-exist peacefully in Mumbai. One could not help but notice how neat and tidy the streets were and it turns out that the new Prime Minister, Mr. Modi, has “Clean India” at the heart of his electoral platform and has made major progress.
Incongruously, we stumbled on a little potato chip shop serving up the tastiest fresh chips imaginable, cooked in giant cauldrons of fat in a shed out back, behind the shop. They were still warm and proved a welcome savory mid-morning snack! Moving onto the suburb of Bandara, another pocket of Christianity, we crossed the Sea Link Bridge, one of the longest in the world. Bandara is a popular neighborhood with Bollywood film stars because of its tranquil tree-lined streets, great sea views and proximity to the movie studios.
We dined at “Olives,” a contemporary Mediterranean establishment that was obviously very popular with locals. Its sun-filled garden was inviting and we feasted on Lebanese style mezzas, pizzas, grilled prawns and fresh pastas. They had a great little partnership with a foot massage spa next door with signs on the table advertising “chicken soup for the sole…” home made soup and have your feet massaged at the same time! This girded us for our next stop, a walk through Dhairavi, Mumbai’s biggest slum. Roughly 40% of the city’s population dwell in a slum and Dhairavi has an estimated 1 million residents occupying just 500 acres, making it not only the most densely populated area in India, but also in all of Asia.
Our guide, Morgan, helped us see beyond dusty, shoeless children and people living in shanty-style shacks to the hive of activity and commerce taking place here…. People sorting garbage and cutting up pieces of plastic into tiny chips, washing them, sorting by size and color. Towers of cardboard were sized and bundled for recycling, and mechanics and welders were hard at work. In fact this seemingly “down and out” place generates a $500m annual industry!
The next stop was the airport for our short overnight flight to Aurangabad for an overnight excursion.