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Published: November 11th 2006
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Mumbai - India’s filthiest city.
Pintos Story
In the midst of searing 30 degree heat along the tourist centre of Mumbai - the Colaba causeway we meet Pinto the taxi driver who refreshingly speaks english very well and like us is not big on haggling. Although we have now learnt that haggling is a must. So a short conversation later and a few exchanges of “do you think this guy is ok” between Mel an myself we decide to enter this taxi on what is the start of another incredible human journey. Included in our 300 rupee fair is a visit to the “must see” hanging gardens of Bombay with a view across to the Tower of Silence, more about that later. As we stroll around these immaculately manicured gardens which have been set out as a menagerie of hedges shaped into also sorts of animals we begin to hear the start of Pinto’s story.
Born in Kashmir to Catholic mother and Muslim father Pinto who doesn’t know his age or birthday, but believes he is around 27 is an exception in himself, as children from these marriages in India at least is not the norm nor are
they acceptable. So much so that his father had his right arm hacked off with a machete because of his love for his catholic wife. As the story develops we find that Pinto has only completed year 4 of his schooling and at the age of 12 was forced to flee his village (pronounced billage) and family due to ethnic tensions in the region i.e. leave or be sent across the border to Pakistan to be trained as a militant who would be then sent back to india to either blow up something or himself and anything that happened to be around him…. Scary I know.
Pinto leaves home only to be sold as a slave to an Indian family for the next 3 years of his life, doing all the things that we would find unimaginable let alone possible. After escaping this hell Pinto arrive in Mumbai, with no money, no food, no place to stay and his only qualification is that of a beggar. Let me illustrate how difficult life can be in Mumbai with no resources.. Pinto’s first meal after four days was a dog biscuit that he had taken from a dog that refused to
eat it. After many a night on the street and after much more struggle, too much of which to document in here alone Pinto now has a Taxi which he rents for 300 rupee a day. This is also his home. Every night jus down the road from Shelley’s hotel and across from the Gate of India you will find Pinto in his taxi #375 sleeping off the day. It has been 6 months since Pinto has slept in a bed, so we put him up for a night, took him for feed in a flash Bombay restaurant and just spent time as people do, exchanging stories about each others lives.
Enough about that, what amazes us about Pinto is the quality that can be found in every human being, the will to survive and the resourcefulness that comes with this desire. Pinto is an excellent tour guide, he knows this city inside out and has opened up our eyes to what Mumbai is actually about. I believe we got to see and hear about a side of Mumbai, that most others would find difficult to see. Mumbai is not for the faint of heart or the weak of
washing anyone
this is the city dry cleaners stomach, let me tell you more about he tower of silence. There is a religion in India the Parsi’s, originating from Persia and moving to India centuries ago the Parsi’s have a very interesting burial custom, well it’s not a burial at all. If you are a Parsi and you die in Mumbai, your body is taken to what is called the tower of silence; this is a huge stone construction the soars into the Mumbai sky where your body is left to be scavenged upon by Vultures. Hard to believe, yet true. Of course no tourists, no anybody is allowed to see, yet the swooping vultures assure you that there is such a place and in fact this is their custom.
Something to think about my friends, this time we have some pics for you, so many more stories yet to come. By the way we’re in Goa now and loving it!!!
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