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After a jubilant time of cricketing history in Nagpur, it was off to Mumbai - but not before visiting the famous Buddhist caves at Ajanta, the jaw-dropping Kailasa Temple at Ellora (the largest building constructed from a single piece of stone) and then Daulatabad Fort, a mighty and impregnable fortress which was the home to several rulers over the centuries. During my tour here, one of the guides showed me through a circular stone stairwell - which allowed the home armies to pour burning oil from above onto any intruders. Being in a state of absolute blackness - my guide lit a brazier fuelled by a strong smelling oil and the flickering and stuttering light barely illuminated the surrounds as we traversed the stairs. Looking like we had walked into the set of an Indiana Jones movie, we slowly and carefully made our way upwards and upwards, when I heard a very distinctive noise. I grab bed my modern electric light and turned it on - and no more than four meters above me on the roof were hundreds and hundreds of wriggling bats! Some took off at the disturbance we made and flew around our heads, whilst others continued to edge their way across the roof in a most peculiar fashion. Thankfully, bats hold no fear for me, but still, it was quite a shock to see so many of these creatures at such close quarters.
After arriving in Mumbai, and the night before the 4th test match, I was very fortunate to meet several of the Australian players at the "Waving the Flag" welcoming party. I had a chat (and photo) with acting captain, Adam Gilchrist - he was a very likeable person who is a great ambassador for the game. Simon Katich was also there - and we swapped opinions about that other most important sport - Rugby League State of Origin - and I was very impressed by his humble and understated demeanour. However, I spent most of the time chatting about cricket, cricket fans and India with Jason Gillespie, who was a real gentle giant - totally opposite to his fiery persona on the cricket field.
Away from the cricket, the city of Mumbai is the largest population centre in India (over 13 million people) and I was quite surprised that the city was not as chaotic as I has imagined. Though there was a lot of frenetic activity, in terms of sheer chaos and noise, Cairo still retains its position as the undisputed master of this area - at least in Mumbai, drivers mostly obey traffic signage and always use their headlights - both dangerously absent in Cairo. My accommodation was also far cleaner than I had imagined, plus the choice of breakfast foods was most satisfying - I could choose from an "Egg Omlet", " Cheese Omlet", "Spanish Omlet" and the tantalising "Everything Omlet". When wandering through the city one night, some locals were adorning a statue of their God, Mamatar(?) with flowers and other offerings for a festival. They invited to participate by sharing some prassad (offering) and to take some photos - they were very proud of their God and the reverence that they were giving it. On another day, I walked through some of the gruesome occurrences at the fish and meat market, and then hired a taxi to be driven around some of the leafier and more pleasant suburbs - where life is obviously good for those who can afford it. Quiet, wide streets and the troubles of the world seem a little distance away.
However, other aspects of the city were not so palatable. When I first arrived here by plane and was taking a taxi from the airport, I rolled down my window and was immediately struck by the smell and the dust. Different smells assaulted the nostrils - and none of them were pleasant - the odour of too many people packed into too small an area. The dust seemed to hang everywhere - the air was full of it, the people slept in it, and your skin was covered by it.
But it was the suitably stark examples of squalor which left the most lasting impressions. Mumbai is the home to Asia's biggest slums, and these truly were slums in every sense of the word. The putrid conditions of kilometre after kilometre of tin-roofed shanties, with no power, no water, and no sewerage - near naked children played in the filth, whilst their parents stared vacantly into space - their lifeless eyes containing no happiness nor any emotion. Not only is Mumbai home to the biggest slums in Asia, it also houses the biggest red-light and prostitution district - estimated at 150,000, of which 50% of these prostitutes are infected with the AIDS virus.
Beggars were everywhere - at one set of traffic lights, a mother carrying a pathetic looking baby put her hand through my window and stroked my leg and arm, pleading with me to give her some money. My previous travels had raised my resistance to this pitiful display, so they had to move onto the next foreigner that they could find. Children with all manner of physical deformities would also approach you on a regular basis. At a train station, a young boy of about eight shuffled around on his hands asking for money - his legs wretchedly contorted and useless.
Though Mumbai is famous for its Bollywood and vibrant nightlife - where young men parade around the streets on their impressive motorcycles, and young ladies visit the fashion boutiques searching for the latest items - this glitter seems secondary when compared to the quiet desperation of the masses. For many people here, their time in this world is spent existing and not living. I have found it difficult to truly enjoy this city and the many temptations it has to offer, just by knowing that their are countless people living here, whose home is the gutter, beside a railway track, or in a disgusting hovel, where endless days are spent in the mire of dust, dirt, filth and disease. Truly, Mumbai is a city collapsing under the weight of its own humanity.
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