Blogs from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Asia - page 14

After two 9.5 hour flights and an 6 hour layover that turned into 8 hours we finally arrived in Mumbai. We were greeted by crowds of travelers and a sea of traffic upon exiting the airport. In 2007, I stayed with the Sohoni family and when they found out I was coming back to India they were kind enough to welcome us in their home once again. With the time change we only had 3 days in Mumbai to get in the interviews needed before leaving to work with the younger girls in Banaglore. India has always been a bit of a magical place for me and a place of contrast contradiction. It's overwhelming yet peaceful, it's beautiful yet dirty, modern and yet ancient; so I was excited to come back again. This time with a ... read more

From my seat on the windowsill, I look out the open window. A man, either fearless or so desperate to earn the day’s bread that fear isn’t a factor, scurries up a palm tree with bare feet, a rope and a sickle. Precariously balanced at the top – eye level from my position in a fourth story flat – he cuts down bunches of coconuts, ties them up and lowers them to the ground 30 meters below. He pulls the rope back up, loops it around the trunk and shimmies back down to (relative) safety. Just beyond the palm trees, an inlet of the Arabian Sea lies still as glass, reflecting a blue so calm it could quiet even the most restless of minds. Its shores are wrapped in verdant green, the vegetation untouched by the ... read more

I'm going to India! I wanted to write a blog about all my preparations prior to my journey. I have done tons of research on India and specifcially Mumbai where I will be staying. I wanted to know what India was like before I arrive and know what I will be expecting when I get there. I will be living there for eight weeks this summer and I am so excited. I will be working with an organization named Aseeema. Aseema is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children receieve an education who do not have the opportunity. You may be thinking: India has free education for all citizens why is a non-profit organization needed to ensure education for children? Yes though it is true that the India government has worked hard to provide free education ... read more

The obvious poverty in Mumbai is an eye opener to say the least. To see a man laying half dead in the street while everyone passes him by and an elderdely woman lying helpless in the street is hard to consume as is seeing kids shooting up at the side of the road and children no older than 4 or 5 out at night time begging for money when they should be safe in a place we call home . . . In contrast there is a new Mumbai emerging out of the old that is establishing the Cafe culture and the economy is vast growing and emerging with western society. If this is a good thing or not is something of a debate! which we had with a local Indian business man who was pro ... read more

Mani Bhavan – A short blog about Gandhi-ji The monsoon rains forced me to cancel my trip to Pune so I decided to visit Mani Bhavan, the house where Mahatma Gandhi lived for many years. Located in downtown Mumbai, this house served as Gandhi’s base for almost twenty years and was the focal point for all his political activities during this time. A beautiful house on a leafy, tree-lined street, it has now been turned into a museum and archive to celebrate his life and achievements and I felt that a visit was essential. If Barack Obama felt it necessary to visit during his State Visit in 2010, I thought it was only right to follow his lead. (A short aside: You may be asking why I refer to Gandhi in the title of this blog ... read more