Who are we??

The recent headlines show how violence has become a part of our everyday life and also something that does not surprise or harrow people much. Children killing parents, bad cops, bad politicians, racists, issues of castes and creed,.....what are we becoming? Instead of learning from the past and all the lessons History has to offer, we choose to retrace our steps and resort to bloodshed and violence to make a change.......

Who are we??

The germ of terror
injected into the veins of the nation
Anarchists obscenely ectacsied
on innocent blood..

Massacres on this sacred ground
On journeys, homeward ward bound,
Litanies of the people
Unheard, unheeded,
Perhaps he has written us off
For proving points
at such mindless and heartless costs.

What nefarious thirst does blood quench??
What rogue solutions does it bring??
We of flesh and blood
We of mortal being
have forgotten the lessons of ancient war
blind to visions that once were seen
ancient shibboleths shattered
where our beliefs once stood.

The reign of terror
widespread and far
gives rise to questions
of Who we are??

Hotel Marine Plaza, Mumbai...

29, Marine Drive, Mumbai, Hotel Marine Plaza Mumbai is located 30 kms from Air Port, and 2 kms. from the Railway Station.

Marine Plaza Hotel in Mumbai is located where Marine Drive meets Mumbai's business district. A stroll down Marine Drive is possibly the best way to unwind you after reaching this city. The Marine Plaza Hotel in Mumbai is flanked by the sapphire sea which is fringed with glittering street lights. The drive was famously known as Queen’s Necklace. The Location of Marine Plaza Hotel in Mumbai is just ideal for its sea facing facade.

The hotel offers 40 tastefully decorated suites and 28 rooms. All the rooms are luxurious and provide a spectacular view the Arabian Sea and the Queen's Necklace.

Guests of the Hotel Marine Plaza receive complimentary continental breakfasts each morning at Bayview, featuring a 24-hour coffee shop and buffet- style meals throughout the day. Authentic Chinese specialties can be enjoyed at the hotel's other dining area, the Oriental Blossom, or guests can unwind with cocktails at Geoffrey's, the English-style, guests only pub.

Bandra-Worli Sea Link

The Bandra Worli Sea Link will be an 8-lane, cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete viaduct approaches, which will link Bandra and the western suburbs of Mumbai with Worli and central Mumbai, and is the first phase of the proposed West Island Freeway system. The Rs 1306 crore Project of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is being executed by Hindustan Construction Company and is likely to be completed by December 2008. The Sea Link will enable speedy travel between Bandra and Worli.

Features:

• An 8-lane bridge with 2 lanes dedicated for buses.
• Unique bridge design for the Link Bridge to emerge as a landmark structure in the city.
• Single tower supported 500 metre long cable-stayed bridge at Bandra Channel and twin tower supported 350 m cable-stayed bridge at Worli Channel for each carriageway.
• Modern toll plaza of 16 lanes with automated toll collection system.
• An intelligent bridge with state-of-the-art systems for traffic monitoring, surveillance, information and guidance, instrumentation, emergency support, etc.
• Development of promenade and landscaping to enhance the environment.

Project Benefits/ Other Features:

• Estimated savings in Vehicle Operating Costs (VOC): Rs. 100 Crores per annum.
• Considerable savings in travel time (20 to 30 minutes) due to increased speed and reduced delays (23 signals avoided)
• Stress free driving.
• Reduced accidents.
• Reduction in traffic on existing roads because of traffic diversion to the Sea Link. *
• Reduction in Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Oxide Levels in Mahim, Dadar, Prabhadevi and Worli along existing roads.
• Reduced noise pollution in Mahim, Dadar, Prabhadevi and Worli along existing roads.
• No adverse effect on fisheries, marine life and livelihood of fisherman.
• Landscaping along the approaches and waterfront promenade will enhance the environment and add green spots to the city.
• Mumbai gets a new landmark.

Amchi Mumbai!!!

Horse carriages at Gateway of India for the tourists...

Penguins basking in the morning sun...traffic cops of Mumbai.

Sunrise at Gateway of India.

A local laundry....

News papers sorted at a signal.

Check your weight for a buck.

Gone are the sidewalks, ....the sidewalks are home to millions in Mumbai.

Me, Marathi.......by Shoba De

Correct me if I am wrong, Raj... but I consider myself an assal Marathi manoos. Born in Maharashtra to Maharashtrian parents etc. Proud to be Marathi (even though my language skills in my mother tongue are embarrassingly dodgy). I don't know how to make the perfect puran poli but I do love aamti..

This is clearly not enough anymore. Going by the checklist, I could be disqualified on several scores. I am married to a Bong, who has lived and worked in Mumbai for over 30 years (but alas, has not been appointed ambassador to the state of West Bengal yet!). He attends Durga Puja regularly and prefers maacher jhol to vangi bhaat.

Fortunately, we don't have a daughter-in-law to name a college after, either in Kolkata or Mumbai.... And our children (like yours) did not attend Marathi-medium schools.. We employ people based on their competence, not caste or region. And I have never asked the vegetable vendor, breadwalla, taxi driver, dhobi, sweeper, elevator attendant, security guard, pizza delivery boy or any of the other people who make my life easier, which part of India they come from.

This is Mumbai, meri jaan! Who cares where anyone comes from? Dhanda is all that matters.. Mumbai is India 's most powerful magnet. Once you get here, you never leave. Don't believe me? Ask those innocent bhajjiwallas and doodhwallas who were beaten up and stoned by your men last week. Even with blood-soaked bandages around their heads, and broken hearts, they are staying put. As they should.

Aaah, the natak of your dramatised 'arrest' was not lost on anybody. Had Rakhi Sawant's slapping stunt not grabbed those eyeballs on Valentine's Day, viewers would still be stuck with the image of a nattily dressed you (mmmm...loved the styling), clambering in and out of the police van. If Rakhi cleverly stage-managed the incident, what should one say about your brilliant coup? Overnight, Raj Thackeray was elevated from being the discarded Thackeray to a national figure. In one well-orchestrated move, you went from being a neglected nephew of an ageing tiger, to a sharp-clawed, teeth-baring cub with an independent act of his own. The circus acquired a brand new star attraction — you!

It was never easy being a Thackeray. Ask Balasaheb. If he targeted south Indians in the '60s, you smartly headed north. Same agenda, diametrically different directions. By questioning the bona fides of those who have made Maharashtra their home, both of you tapped into the vulnerabilities of the average Marathi manoos. It is worth asking the very people whose interests you are protecting, whether they really want to do the dirty work currently being handled by the northies.

Will the Marathi manoos agree to put in 18 hours a day plying taxis, selling veggies, washing clothes and so on? Who's stopping them from turning into vendors of milk, food grains, and other commodities? Perhaps, the Marathi manoos considers such occupations demeaning? The truth is, these jobs have always gone abegging, and there have been any number of hungry, unemployed people from other states ready and willing to grab them. Kick the 'outsiders' out at your own peril, and see what happens...

Why do farmers commit suicide in such numbers only in Maharashtra ? The answer, dear Raj, may surprise you.

In your defence, let me say you received the worst press — biased at best, and shrill to boot. Most of the semi-hysterical reporters from prestigious news channels were embarrassingly ill-informed as they blabbered incoherently each time a leaf moved outside the magistrate's court!

Surely, you are not complaining? Everything seems to be going according to the master plan. You have 'made it' in one swift move. And women are finding you kinda cute in that sleeveless baby blue pullover. Great copy, great photo ops. What more does a neta want? To keep Mayawati and Lalu out of Maharashtra ? Now, that's a tall order!

Mumbai, Random pictures around the city.....

Garbage pickers..

A cobbler...

I wonder where he got his spellings from.....

Eco friendly way of transporting fuel. No pollution, no wastage of fuel.

This smart crow, rode this taxi eating out of the fish baskets for more than 300 mtrs...

Waiting for the crooks to come to them....

Waiting for the bus....

Break time...

A street in Kalbadevi....

"Not much yet, this is just the first Bakra for the day"......

Cafe Leopold

The New look...

The older look.....

This bar and cafe has become an institution in Bombay. It has no doors and that adds to its welcoming spirit. Interestingly, Leopold was named after the Belgium King. The bright, high-ceiling, airy cafe is always full with people guzzling down beer and gorging on Mutton Tikkas and Chicken Fry. There is Elvis on the walls and a blow-up of a trillion dollar note. The service is brisk and true to Mumbai-ishtyle. You have to pay for your liquor beforehand because the management has had some bad experience with people not paying up. There is an air-conditioned bar upstairs with cozy corners and all but it is only favored by the yuppy brigade.