Late night rainy drive

Five years ago I moved bag and baggage to Gurgaon to be with my husband. We returned shortly in a very rainy August which he loathed. Next June we were back to his hometown. The rains in Delhi-NCR are few and far between. It is horribly dry, almost no one knows how to dress for the rains (women wearing whites...blasphemy) and no, they don't own fun umbrellas as they do matching stoles and shawls.

So I will straight come to the point - I missed the rains and surely so! Now that I am back, I love the rainy season every bit. I have come to appreciate the floods, puddles and the wet days. I look forward to the ominous clouds and the gloom. I look forward to being soaked to the bone at Worli sea face. I love it all.

And to honor my love for the rains, I drag my husband for long, late night drives. Here is something I captured :)

Not so mellow yellow!

Imagine a gloomy, gloomy Monday. Unwanted rains, traffic jam and then this! Bye bye Monday blues and hello yellow...

Gateway of India Instragramed!

A view from the buggy! 

Cats Sleep Anywhere

Cats sleep anywhere, any table, any chair.

Top of piano, window-ledge, in the middle, on the edge.

Open draw, empty shoe, anybody's lap will do.

Fitted in a cardboard box, in the cupboard with your frocks.

Anywhere! They don't care! Cats sleep anywhere.

Eleanor Farjeon (1881 - 1965)

(And in this case, on an empty, upturned fish basket. Indulging in delicious slumber with no cares of the world. Spotted at Macchi Bazar, Chunabhatti East)

Glorious Flora Fountain and The Hutatma Chowk Memorial

On my way to Colaba recently, I saw a huge crowd around Flora Fountain and realized it was some political rally. Bloody nuisance. But I guess the only good that came of it was that they spruced up the old fountain and the adjoining - Hutatma Chowk Memorial Statue. It was for the very first time that I stopped, looked around and took pictures.

The Flora Fountain

The Hutatma Chowk Memorial

Colors of Summer 2010

My dad's master piece! He loves his plants and it shows...

Summer 2010 Part III

Awaiting a gorgeous sunset...

Colors on the shore...

Fisher men's gear..

Old Man and the sea

Summer 2010 Part II

Some reflections in the sun...

Summer 2010 Part I

Carter Road, Bandra West is one of our [him and me] favourite hangout place. We love the Cafe coffee day here. This time round I was here with friends. 

As we all prepare beat the heat, this crow here stops by to check out what else he/she can peck at.

The sea never ceases to amaze me. So many colours and so mysterious...

Just a few minutes back, I clicked the above pic and now look at the colours...

Visiting the ruins

My cousin is leaving for France for a 40-day study trip. We are both nocturnal creatures and have in the past, stayed awake the whole night and taken walks in the morning. So this time the destination was the Sion Fort. I had heard a lot about it, passed by it many times. Mom kept saying its not safe and it is ruined by vandals. But I guess, my curiosity got the better of me.

The Sion Hillock Fort is a fort in Mumbai (Bombay), India. It was built by the British Governor of Bombay Gerard Aungier atop a conical hillock. The hillock is situated a few metres from the Sion railway station. Sion was the boundary between British-held Parel island and Portuguese held Salsette Island and the castle marked the northeast boundary of their possession. The fort was built between 1669 and 1677.

While climbing up

Almost there...

Front view of the Fort. This all that is left to it now. There is some restoration going on. I am hoping for a miracle. 

While going up...its so dreamy! 

I love the green foliage!

And sun beats down on us!

Suddenly there is a rush of pink!

View from the top

Overlooking at the factories beyond.

More fun at Juhu Beach. Picture Courtesy: Dhiraj Bhagat

Muddy Brown...

My first reaction to the very mention of Juhu Beach is a raised eyebrow! I don't go there anymore. Its  dirty and icky. Yet, to someone who is new to Mumbai, Juhu Beach is a place full of fun! Recently I went to the beach with family and this is what I did!

Colaba Causeway - A whole new world!

The Colaba Causeway - trinkets, souvenirs, jewelery, archaic objects, clothes, chappals, street food, narrow passage, all sorts of people - Mumbai's befitting answer to Delhi's Janpath and Chandni Chowk.

The eternal CST

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), earlier known as Victoria Terminus (VT) houses the headquarters of Central Railway. It is a world heritage site and one of the busiest railway stations in India. It was designed by Frederick William Stevens in 1887-1888. It bears some resemblance to St. Pancras Station in London.

Riot of Colors - Worli Seaface

As we walked along the Worli Seaface - cool breeze and these colors enticed me! Worli Seaface in another light - near the crossing at MAFCO Dairy.

More on Kalaghoda

KalaGhoda 2010... Part I

Three months is a long time. God knows what I have been up to! Finally I made it to the KalaGhoda Festival with Him. Here are a few glimpses of what we saw...

This is what the installation said:

The bell with lots of smaller energy bells.

Loved the colours...

Loved this piece of art!

Expensive but what colours...

I want this!

Trinkets..