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City of Brass

This is a symbolic New Year’s eve indeed. The hopelessly pedantic will argue that the decade ends next year but the overwhelming common sense consensus is that tonight marks the end of the first decade of the 21st century of the “common era”. And what a disappointing decade it was, from a global perspective –…

I was saddened to hear of the violence in Iran during Ashura, in which Ali Mousavi (the nephew of reform candidate Mir Hosein Mousavi) was among the protestors who were shot and killed by the security forces. Police denied however that anyone had died in the clashes, which witnesses said came as tens of thousands…

One of my best friends on the planet turns, um, 34 (ahem) today. Happy birthday, Aamer! Aamer has been a guest poster on this blog, and one of his favorite pieces of mine was his exposition on Hajj as a near-death experience from last year. I hope to coax more posts out of him in…

I didn’t really hear the news about the Nigerian muslim who tried to blow up Detroit-bound Northwestern flight 253 until I arrived at the airport and read about it in discarded newspapers while waiting for 5 hours in transit in Chennai. The would-be bomber Abdulmuttalab is clearly another Richard Reid shoebomber type, with delusions of…

I’ve been meaning to comment on the Copenhagen conference, since the perspective from the Indian press is probably quite different from that in the US media. According to the papers here, Obama forced his way into a private meeting between Chinese premier Wen Jibao and Indian PM Manmohan Singh because he didn’t want them “negotiating…

This is the view from an apartment of friends of ours who live in Cuffe Parade, Mumbai. The view is west, over the Arabian Sea (see the map). CP and Colaba and other areas at the very tip of Mumbai are among the most exclusive areas of the city. Getting here from Marol took about…

There’s some irony in the recent news that in Gujarat state, that democracy will now be mandatory: All registered voters in Gujarat will be required to vote. Those absent will be asked to submit a valid reason with proof within a month. The Bill empowers the election officer to declare people who do not vote…

The sign on the back of the foremost rickshaw was harsh indeed. I’ve been forced to walk most of the time because the surplus of Bohra pilgrims to Ashara has made it a suppliers’ market, as far as transportation goes. It’s anyone’s guess whether walking or taking a rick is actually safer, though… (see more…

The architecture of Mumbai is chaos incarnate, with slums and skyscrapers alongside. But there are also magnificent examples of British-era style that stand out and remind the observer of a different time, when a city named Bombay was the center of the mercantile world under an empire and queen. (see more of my photos here.)

Mumbai is a foodie’s delight – and I’ve definitely been making the most of it. Every morning at the hotel we have a buffet breakfast which includes fresh made staples such as the idli-sambar and masala dosa pictured above. I would feel guilty about the calories and fat, but a. I’m burning it off anyway…
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