WHERE IN THE WORLD: MUMBAI, INDIA
Notes from the tour zone with George Fontana
Our world cruise is a living geography lesson. After leaving Singapore we cruised NW through the Straits of Malacca, then due west across the Indian Ocean, one of the world’s busiest trade routes. Departing Colombo, Sri Lanka we again maintained a NW course entering the Arabian Sea and paralleling India’s Malabar Coast passing exotically named cities such as Koyampattur, Kundapura and a name which rolls trippingly off the tongue, Thiruvananthapuram. We approached Mumbai from the south. Once a string of seven islands now co-joined, Mumbai is to India as New York is to the USA. And in the early morning haze, Mumbai resembled a cross between Manhattan, also an island, and sun-drenched Miami Beach. Once ashore, colonial architecture took center stage complemented by tree-lined streets, vibrant Indian dress, speeding tuks tuks, trucks and cars and the odd sacred cow sauntering down the middle of a street. We visited Mumbai’s famous arch, the Gateway of India; Mahatma Gandhi’s Bombay base, now a museum honoring his life and his philosophy of non-violence; Dhobi Ghat, a vast cottage industry laundry operation; and we observed the dabba-wallahs – members of the Mumbai Tiffin (lunch) Box Suppliers Association, entrepreneurs who daily deliver 100,000 home-cooked meals from homes to offices. We also learned about the commercial preeminence of the Tata Family, their influence in the areas of finance and business extend globally. What a city!
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