98913 PNVL-ADH Siemens Local ready to depart from Panvel Station..

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Rake no. 2037-38/Kalwa (Now Sanpada).

Shot with Nikon D90/Tokina fish eye lens.

02619 LTT-MAQ Matsyagandha Express hauled by UBL WDG-4 12046 with dead GOC WDP-4B 40064 heading towards Panvel Junction..

I have always been fascinated with reflections,especially reflections on a window. But I never managed to click a good one.Yesterday, I did manage to get a few shots on the metro. There is a story here. the small girl playing and talking with her reflection. The Metro whizzing by. People inside it in their own thoughts. Some curious,some on their mobile. But this little kid is in her own world... The outside scene has been unfolded in some shots. you can see The Leela Mumbai, the stations, billboards and much more.

It is a real joy to travel in Bombay be it the Local trains or the Metro. The Metro ride is cooler and a blessing to us. Traveling to Andheri is so cool now!!!

‪#‎Mumbaikars‬ ‪#‎WWIM11Majhi‬ ‪#‎wwim11majhimetro‬ ‪#‎worldwideinstameet‬ ‪#‎art‬ ‪#‎Reflection‬ ‪#‎Window‬ ‪#‎MetroRail‬ ‪#‎life‬ ‪#‎travel‬ ‪#‎everydaytravel‬ ‪#‎MajhiMetro‬ #‎yehhaibombaymerijaan

"Kaun Banega Crorepati" is an Indian game show based on the UK gameshow "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"?.

In this city of dreams - Mumbai, we often trade our dreams for bigger pay checks, higher designations, fame, money and what not. Which eventually results in, we being tied up. Tied up in some important work, tied up in an urgent meeting, tied up with important call, tied up at the moment. And tied up forever.

Tarewarchi Kasarat is a Marathi phrase meaning balancing on the right rope. The human figures here, tied up with different types of wires and threads, symbolizes the busy souls of Mumbaikars.

The colorful thread represents different emotions that we are tied up with, golden represent aspirations of success, fame and money, the black wire represents modern technology and development and the aluminum wire represents the inner fears and inhibitions that keeps us tied up always.

If this culture doesn't make us feel good then let's create one where we can slow down, where we can dream, where we can have all the time in the world for ourselves and for our near and dear ones.

Installation by artist:- Sonal S. Jadhav & Nikhil U. Borhade

took a lot of shots .. it was not easy to get the right composition where there r so many visitors clamoring not only to click but also to pose with these wired installations .. while clicking i had in mind that it will be a low angle shot .. will use a texture .. i just needed one shot where there were no people in the foreground and lots of people in the background with a zombie like body language of them behind .. after innumerable shots i got what i wanted ..

i personally love the dodge and burn i did in this visual in processing

Shot with Nikon D90 @ Tokina Fisheye

Metro Big Cinema and Framjee Cawasjee Hall, Dhobi Talaav, Mumbai, Maharashtra - India

on a sunday morning ...

Nikon D3x with Sigma EX 12-24mm F4.5-5.6

Single exposure tonemapped HDR @ photomatix @ lots of dodge and burn to enchance details @

wanted a vintage feel so use of many textures

Shot from Malabar Hill.

Mapping Privacy in Public Spaces Project: Findings by KRVIA Design Cell

BMW Guggenheim Lab

January 12, 2013

Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum

Mumbai, India

Where do Mumbaikars find privacy in their city? The KRVIA Design Cell talked about their findings from the Mapping Privacy in Public Space research project, conducted through the Lab’s run. They discussed their methodology and their experience in data collection across the Lab’s six sites, and shared the visual imagery and maps they created from their research from over 200 participants.

Photos: UnCommonSense © 2013 Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York

Some months back i had shot a blue hour visual of these towers with the fish eye .. so this time I thought to shoot the same with the Sigma EX 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 DG but it could not accommodate these 5 towers and one hotel in frame ... so Fish Eye once again came to rescue.

Nikon D90 @ Tokina 10-17mm fisheye

C-42 Dadlani Park Thane (West) - Rani Lakshmi Bai Chowk Sion

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2551/Kalakilla

I have almost shot all of South Mumbai's landmarks.

Dont know why I left out all the Gymnkhana's which are lined up next to each other at Marine Lines.

So here they are.

Time : 01:08:28.45+05:30 GMT

This is Climax when the Fork is born and we see innumerable branches spreading in all directions..

Part of Sequential Pics of the Lightning

Slide I: 01:08:28.00

Slide III: 01:08:28.88

Check the entire Lightning Set : Chennai Midnight Summer Storm

Date : 20, 21 May 2011 [Fri Night,Sat Morning]

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It was hot and muggy night as usual.

But Nature was preparing for a surpirse! - A beautiful summer storm.

Nature bestowed us with a short 2 Hr window into the paradise.

As mentioned earlier my train was at 11.55 am and had left Peersaabs house at. 7.30 am, I told him I could go later but because of my recent leg fracture and useless right hand I would not be able to handle the crowds .. so I set out with my heavy suitcase I thought of going and paying my last respects to my Guru and brothers Dam Madar Malangs at Sola Khamba , but than I gave it a skip..

I sorted my bag in a lane , had tea shot pictures and when I had walked all the way a few km before the station I bought some water and shot people walking by to the railway station.. I just kept shooting whiling away my time with no method to my madness ,, I was going back not as Firoze Shakir but as FM Shaikh the guy who was to do my ticket in spite of giving him my ID and old ticket had changed my poetic ethos ,, but as it was a joint ticket with a certain Mr Mistry as the group leader with his ID I did not foresee any problem for me.

On the roads while shooting the garbage piled on the road women kids guys ganged up against me bodily threatening me not to shoot the garbage ,, but they did not scare me I only shoot what I was destined to shoot ,,and I have regrets I was in Ajmer for a very short while I did not go to Taragadh to shoot the Graves of the Hijra Saint and his biological son.. a pilgrimage I took a few years back seeped in spiritual nostalgia .

Very soon this Ajmer series will be over and I will cover my next religious segment on Hindus ,, and once behind the camera shooting my backyard ,,, I become one with the people I shoot ,, and amazingly the people I shoot apply vermilion on my head and consider me their own.. and this happens only in India .My religion my sub cast does not matter to them.. they called me did you pray for us I said yes both at Ajmer Sharif and Pushkar ,, and these humble people of Mumbai give me strength and add a unique texture to my morality ,

At home I miss Nerjis Marziya I did speak to them last night ,, they are at the maternal grandparents house ,, I try not to disturb them much.

Zinnia my third grand daughter loves to bully me she too misses Nerjis and Marziya ,, and Nerjis my street shooting granddaughter is missed by the beggars , they were inquiring about her ,,,The guys at the Bandra Bazar Beef shop are all sulking , the buffalo meat is not liked by the Mumbaikar once beef eaters ,, business is bad they were telling me ,,

And than my mind goes back to a guy who I see on my walks every morning without fail he feeds the crows in the park , and after that he places food near the trees for ants ,, every tree near the MET Grounds .. has happy ants thanks to this caring man , and there is this Maharashtrian widow who sells milk retail wholesale , she comes at 5 leaves at about 8 am .she has a bunch of dogs that follow her as she gives them milk before starting her days chores ,, I requested her to let me shoot a video on her but she is too humbly shy.

And I shall leave for my walk at about 7 am.. I have been walking since 10 Feb ,, I will take my blood sugar in a few days before vising my diabetic doctor Mr SD Jain at Kapda Bazar Mahim.

I think I will also go to town this morning to take care of some unfinished work..

And Buddha Purnima to all my friends wellwishers .

I am working as an assistant from past 15 years but till now i have still not become an independent photographer but i m sure one day I will become one.

Now I am a freelance assistant but what i actually need is to be under one good photographer whose teachings and guidance can mould me into becoming a good photographer.

I can do any type of lighting but i don’t have much knowledge of cameras and thats is because I can’t invest in high hand cameras and thats probably stopping me in becoming independent.

Wish i had finance to buy one and get to explore the technicalities of camera.

With the combination lighting and the knowledge of camera i can do wonders in photography.

With lighting impossible visuals can be made possible .. asambhav ko sambhav karte hai photographers and this very fact attracts me to photography.

Many a time one feels that how can such a visual be possible but then photographer with his lighting makes impossible possible.

I am in this profession for so long and I feel that i should also do photography .. small or big assignment .. both are fine for me …

We all live on hope, umeed par duniya kayam hai .. ek din mein photography zaroor banunga. One day i will become a photographer.

www.humansofmumbai.in

Mumbai Lifeline 786-Sites of commuting: sights of perception

The bar-waitress who is Aishwarya Rai to herself, or a trucker’s secret desire to be a matinee idol.

An inner wall of a train compartment that has long been used as an ‘interactive’ site of pasting and defacing advertisement stickers. The texts that assure a better, affluent, trouble-free you.

The colonial edifices that might be dwarfed only by your aspirations. The cabby who drives to the mall, leaving past his days as a textile worker. The Sai Babas, the 786s and the idols that bless us all.

The exploration of spatiality and temporality in Mumbai, from the vantage-point of a newcomer and a suburban Mumbaikar, is a never-ending novel. As dream-seekers turn into day job-holders, more space is divided, expanded and commuted. I explores revisits the formulations that are basic to the perception of space and time in Mumbai.I chooses different vehicles for the formulations, literally. The present suite of his paintings deals with the centrality of public transport vehicles to the everyday aesthetics of the city.

Per se, there are only two modes of Public Transport available in Mumbai. The ‘Mumbai Local trains’ that belong to Indian Railways, the largest public undertaking in the world, and buses that belong to BEST, arguably the most disciplined bus-operator in India. All other modes of hireable transport are privately owned, though the public authorities are supposed to control their operations. Taxis and Auto-rickshaws reign supreme when the trains and buses are sparsely available: typically in after-hours, and anytime in the newly developing areas of the city. This has been the situation for last four decades, and although every mode of transport has expanded with the city’s growth, Mumbaikars haven’t entirely skipped the long wait for a public vehicle. To add to their woos, any such vehicle is crowded/already engaged. Though a major overhaul, maybe a makeover of Mumbai’s transport system is on the cards for a decade now; the existing transport experience is unchanged, thanks to bureaucracy and shortage of funds.

There is a perceived, self-engaged, sentimental side to the experience of navigating through Mumbai in a public transport vehicle. The essence of this city of dreams, its gusto and ‘It’s my life’ attitude makes its presence felt in the user-made alterations of the carriages, too. ‘Decorated’ taxis and rickshaws make their kitsch tore-interpret glam and glitz that the city is proud of. The trains and buses, in turn, are more open and accommodative. They are ready to flaunt your graffiti or even to be assaulted by the selective, playful erasure of instructions that leave a cynical, yet humorous mark. The altered aesthetics enlivens, individualizes the otherwise identical carriages.

There is utilitarian value to the act of tearing off advertisements in Mumbai. The cloth banners, torn off the roads, have long served as bed sheets for the poor of this city, whereas the flex banners now are used for making shelters. As an ever-growing city, Mumbai did not wear an identical, planned, embellished look. Mumbai’s ‘subaltern aesthetics’ is not of decoration and colour. It is rather about individual fantasy and collective pain. It then allows the utility of tearing, sees the wicked joy of defacement as incidental to making yourself comfortable. It also gives you the multiplicity of lifestyle choices coupled with the freedom to choose/grow your ‘village’ within Mumbai. The aesthetics has grown with the spatiality and temporality, as perceived by the people.My paintings, as such, populate so many intimate perceptions that it is hard to stamp them cityscapes.

- Raj more

The Hallauris from Mumbai..

The Hallauris are natives of Hallaur in Uttar Pradesh, a race that takes its origins from two brothers who had come from Arabia.

Hence you will find them fair complexioned, sharp poetic features, and colored eyes.

A very beautiful race men women and children, as earlier they married within their own kind, the resemblance is very close, and they are closely inter-related.

I have never been to Hallaur my Hallauri connection is my dear friend Cassim Hallauri, and come to think of it I have not even visited Cassims house, Cassim I met for the first time at Agnes Perreiras house at Veronic Street Waroda Road , where I was a a tenant in my struggling days and I first thought he was a Mack, meaning Christian.. this was about 10 years ago.

Cassim is a devout Shia , has gone through hell , both with his deteriorating health due to to severe pancreatic problems , but come what may he gives life to the Sabil next to Trios at Chicnchpokli road , Trios has now given way to Matriz radymade showroom..

Cassims brother too has a pancreatic ailment , his father was a well known poet who died prematurely, and Cassim is a brilliant carpenter , does interiors creatively..

Most of the Hallauris are in the interior decoration trade and Hallauris are all born poets..If you see a Hallauri doing hand matam, you will know the intensity of his Shia faith, I was a whisker away from having a Hallauri daughter in law for my remaining son, but it did not happen.

Hallauris are a unique Shia race, a community filled with piety and believers of Ahle Bayt..At Govandi there are no less than 14 Anjumans .

The Hallauri hand matam is a class by itself I reiterate nobody can do the hand matam like the Hallauris , every stroke opening up the chest without razor blades.I shall shoot this today at their Hallauri Imambara, choreography of hands and rythmic silence within reverbrating sounds of Ya Hussain , Ya Hussain..

Cassim Hallauri was the one who introduced me to the Iranian Sword Matam, yesterday he took me to the 72t aboot procession at Govandi.

The Athvi Amary procession has camels , Zuljana , Taboots but no blood, unlike the Athvi at Kazmain Lucknow where there will be much bloodshed and my dear friend Habib Nasser from Mumbai will be shooting this..

I have forefeited my birthright to Lucknow..

I think Mumbai is a Shia Safe haven for me away from cancerous Shia Wahabbis and Shia Talibans that have infested Shiasm and are dead against Azadari of Imam Hussain.

I digress so back to Hallauris, Mohsin Hallauri, is a great Matamdar, though he had promised his mother he would not cut his forehead at Rehamatabad Shia cemetery , he called her seeking her blessings and her permission to cut his head again , he did quite fiercely..

Than Syed the videographer from Pathanwadi , his wife is a Hallauri and his kids are more Hallauri tham Mumbaikars.. even his kids are upcoming videographers..

Syed runs a Shia channel..

I met Khusthar once a Hallauri poet whose rendition of Lut Gaya Ghar kis Tara Batlayegi Zainab,,has been my favorite Noha and I cant even get the CD ..

Than I know Khurshid Hallauri who is a dear friend of my father in law Abbas Qasim Qazilbash of Diamond Cassettes Nakhas Lucknow.

I guess my affinity to the Hallauris maybe due to the fact that my late maternal grandfather Daroga Nabban Saab of Patal Nala was a poet from the family of poet Mir Anis...I am a poet of sorts..pedestrian photographer cum poet..

So I go to shoot the Amari and show you the Athvi through the eyes of the Halluris of Mumbai..

38 storey tower, 12 Floors of car parking with Imported Mechanized Car Parking System from Korea, World-renowned Interior Consultant - Wong Chiu Man of WOW Architects, Singapore and Indian Architect - Hafeez Contractor House.

KYN WCM-6 20188 resting in Diva Junction..

डोंगरीचा राजा आगमन सोहळा २०१९ ❤

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Dongricha Raja Aagman Sohla 2019

C-53 Kalamboli Bus Station - Ghatkopar Depot..

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7288/G/SAA..

My Hero

I was 15 when i came to Bombay from Uttar Pradesh. I was young then, now I've grown older, have grand children. You see, its been 60 years since doing business here and quenching people's thirst with sugarcane juice. Life has passed like this.

www.humansofmumbai.in

19 Ltd - CSMT - Shivaji Nagar Bus Station.

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2332/Shivaji Nagar

Humble followers of Lord Zarathustra.

Since childhood I have had a great relationship with them my friends were Parsis and I loved their food..

Dhansak was my favorite.

And I never missed a Parsi wedding loved their fish na patra..

The building I stayed in during our early days at Wodehouse road Colaba Khatau Building belonged to Parsis.

My best friend was Keith Kanga he was Parsi mix his father was a Parsi Mr Dosabhai Kanga mother was a beautiful lady Gwendolyn a foreigner.

Both parents died when he was young and his custody went to his maternal grandmother a rabid Jehovah's witness we called Granna.

Parsi girls in college would get attracted to me thinking I was a Parsi but the moment they came to know I was a Muslim they dropped me like a hot potato.

Woman in the early 50 s and 60 s were scared to get involved with Muslims as they married so many times.

But those years were great there was not much hate and in Bombay as it was called people lived peacefully.

But what really is a point to note at Wodehouse road where we stayed we were close to the Parsi Pandya sanatorium.

And later when we moved to Colaba Strand cinema we were again close to Cusrow Bagh.

Here at Bandra it was my close friendship with late Mr Vazifdar high priest of Tata Agiary who died of a liver ailment.

So Parsis are a beautiful race I love these people.. They stay away from religious controversies and live their lives with their neighbors harmoniously.

I have documented the Parsi ethos at my Flickr timeline.

My parents taught us to respect all faith religion and on Eid people from every religion came home to wish us and to taste my moms Lucknowi Dum Biryani and Sheer Korma.

I owe all my humanity to Mumbai.. And my parents teachers friends they made us what we were.

But we never forgot that our migrant parents began their journey in the fetid slums of Kurla.

All my brothers sisters are well settled and live the life we were taught to live.

So a picture can unfold a treasure full of stories.

I can never never imagine even for a second to live in any other city than Mumbai.

I had many opportunities to settle abroad but I gave my heart soul to India.

Mee Mumbaikar

Jai Maharashtra

Shot with Nikon D90 @ Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye.

पी पी मार्गचा राजा आगमन सोहळा २०१९ ❤

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PP Margcha Raja Aagman Sohla 2019

'Flora Fountain' on a lazy sunday afternoon.

The Nehru Planetarium, commissioned on 3rd March, 1977 has grown into a Centre for scientific study of astronomy and for meeting of scientists and scholars for discussions and lectures, arranged periodically on various stellar and Astronomical events.

102,339 items / 668,037 views

Bakra Idd with all its blood , gore is also a reminder for me as a Shia Blogger photographer , that Moharam is just 20 days away and my lens will be splattered with more blood than you see here .

Yes we all look forward to Moharam, when color will give way to black, the only red will be the wounds on our heads and back.

On 1 Dec I shot the Mahim Police sandal of Maqdoom Shah Baba , but my most interesting new subject for photography is the Siddis performers of Junagadh, I had gone to the Dhuni yesterday and again today.

Yesterday the Mumbai Police hassled me endlessly even after shooting so much footage of the cops at the Mahim station..the cops at the gates saw no difference between me and a terrorist..in spite of having a Press Card like a noose round my neck. And it frightens me this excessive use of security for people like me who share cultures rites and rituals all free without even begging for donations to buy a new camera.

.I must be the only blogger that has given prominence to the Mumbai Police at all the feasts and the functions I have shot.. simply because beneath the khaki uniform resides a God , and the policeman is a savior of society..

The Mumbai Police are the most neglected police force, thanks to political interference and apathy and undue interference in the process of law.

Yet the Mumbai Police picks on the barefeet blogger of Mumbai.. yes I am as much a Mumbaikar as they are..

This evening at the Dhuni I shot the Siddis performing I went into Kaif collapsed on the floor luckily I had handed over my camera and camera bag to a guy from the area.

He was quick enough to shoot my trance and my fall.

I was barefeet and my feet are already bruised cut since the Mahim Police Sandal adventure.

I am very depressed with the state of the Chancawalli Rafaees , they have all dispersed , a handful remain under Barsati baba and Amanat Baba..no Hassan Ganda or Farukh Baba..

I met Chalak Ai but did not shoot his pictures..

I do not feel like going to the Dhuni anymore after Handi Sais death..

There are some new babas, and Amanat Baba was quite serious when he told me that they had heard of my death in Rajastahan.. and had offered prayers for my departed soul..

Well dying does no scare me but not paying back the money I borrowed from friends and have been unable to pay would kill me more easily..

So welcome after this to the world of Rafaees .. Siddis and no Hijras..

Mumbai (/mʊmˈbaɪ/; also known as Bombay, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India and the ninth most populous agglomeration in the world, with an estimated city population of 18.4 million. Along with the neighbouring regions of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, it is one of the most populous urban regions in the world and the seсond most populous metropolitan area in India, with a population of 20.7 million as of 2011. Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2009, Mumbai was named an alpha world city. It is also the wealthiest city in India, and has the highest GDP of any city in South, West, or Central Asia. Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires and millionaires among all cities in India.The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing colonies. For centuries, the islands were under the control of successive indigenous empires before being ceded to the Portuguese and subsequently to the British East India Company when in 1661 King Charles II married the Portuguese Catherine of Braganza, and as part of her dowry Charles received the ports of Tangier and seven islands of Bombay. During the mid-18th century, Bombay was reshaped by the Hornby Vellard project, which undertook reclamation of the area between the seven islands from the sea. Along with construction of major roads and railways, the reclamation project, completed in 1845, transformed Bombay into a major seaport on the Arabian Sea. Bombay in the 19th century was characterized by economic and educational development. During the early 20th century it became a strong base for the Indian independence movement. Upon India's independence in 1947 the city was incorporated into Bombay State. In 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as the capital.Mumbai is the financial, commercial and entertainment capital of India. It is also one of the world's top ten centres of commerce in terms of global financial flow, generating 6.16% of India's GDP and accounting for 25% of industrial output, 70% of maritime trade in India (Mumbai Port Trust and JNPT), and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy. The city houses important financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India, the SEBI and the corporate headquarters of numerous Indian companies and multinational corporations. It is also home to some of India's premier scientific and nuclear institutes like BARC, NPCL, IREL, TIFR, AERB, AECI, and the Department of Atomic Energy. The city also houses India's Hindi (Bollywood) and Marathi film and television industry. Mumbai's business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living, attract migrants from all over India, making the city a melting pot of many communities and cultures.

ETYMOLOGY

The name Mumbai is derived from Mumbā or Mahā-Ambā—the name of the patron goddess (Kuladevi) Mumbadevi of the native Agri, Koli and Somvanshi Kshatriya communities - and ā'ī meaning "mother" in the Marathi language, which is the mother tongue of the kolis and the official language of Maharashtra.

The oldest known names for the city are Kakamuchee and Galajunkja; these are sometimes still used. Ali Muhammad Khan, in the Mirat-i-Ahmedi (1507) referred to the city as Manbai. In 1508, Portuguese writer Gaspar Correia used the name Bombaim, in his Lendas da Índia ("Legends of India"). This name possibly originated as the Old Portuguese phrase bom baim, meaning "good little bay", and Bombaim is still commonly used in Portuguese. In 1516, Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa used the name Tana-Maiambu: Tana appears to refer to the adjoining town of Thane and Maiambu to Mumbadevi.

Other variations recorded in the 16th and the 17th centuries include: Mombayn (1525), Bombay (1538), Bombain (1552), Bombaym (1552), Monbaym (1554), Mombaim (1563), Mombaym (1644), Bambaye (1666), Bombaiim (1666), Bombeye (1676), Boon Bay (1690), and Bon Bahia. After the British gained possession of the city in the 17th century, the Portuguese name was officially anglicised as Bombay.

By the late 20th century, the city was referred to as Mumbai or Mambai in the Indian statewise official languages of Marathi, Konkani, Gujarati, Kannada and Sindhi, and as Bambai in Hindi. The English name was officially changed to Mumbai in November 1995. This came at the insistence of the Marathi nationalist Shiv Sena party that had just won the Maharashtra state elections and mirrored similar name changes across the country and particularly in Maharashtra. According to Slate, "they argued that 'Bombay' was a corrupted English version of 'Mumbai' and an unwanted legacy of British colonial rule." Slate also said "The push to rename Bombay was part of a larger movement to strengthen Marathi identity in the Maharashtra region." While the city is still referred to as Bombay by some of its residents and Indians from other regions, mention of the city by a name other than Mumbai has been controversial, resulting in emotional outbursts sometimes of a violently political nature.

A resident of Mumbai is called mumbaikar; in Marathi language the suffix kar has a meaning resident of. The term has been in use for quite some time but it gained popularity after the official name change to Mumbai.

EARLY HISTORY

Mumbai is built on what was once an archipelago of seven islands: Bombay Island, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli, and Old Woman's Island (also known as Little Colaba). It is not exactly known when these islands were first inhabited. Pleistocene sediments found along the coastal areas around Kandivali in northern Mumbai suggest that the islands were inhabited since the Stone Age. Perhaps at the beginning of the Common era (2,000 years ago), or possibly earlier, they came to be occupied by the Koli fishing community.

In the third century BCE, the islands formed part of the Maurya Empire, during its expansion in the south, ruled by the Buddhist emperor, Ashoka of Magadha. The Kanheri Caves in Borivali were excavated in the mid-third century BCE, and served as an important centre of Buddhism in Western India during ancient Times. The city then was known as Heptanesia (Ancient Greek: A Cluster of Seven Islands) to the Greek geographer Ptolemy in 150 CE. The Mahakali Caves in Andheri were built between the 1st century BCE and the 6th century CE.

Between the second century BCE and ninth century CE, the islands came under the control of successive indigenous dynasties: Satavahanas, Western Kshatrapas, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Kalachuris, Konkan Mauryas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas, before being ruled by the Silhara dynasty from 810 to 1260. Some of the oldest edifices in the city built during this period are, Jogeshwari Caves (between 520 and 525), Elephanta Caves (between the sixth to seventh century), Walkeshwar Temple (10th century), and Banganga Tank (12th century).

King Bhimdev founded his kingdom in the region in the late 13th century and established his capital in Mahikawati (present day Mahim). The Pathare Prabhus, among the earliest known settlers of the city, were brought to Mahikawati from Saurashtra in Gujarat around 1298 by Bhimdev. The Delhi Sultanate annexed the islands in 1347–48 and controlled it until 1407. During this time, the islands were administered by the Muslim Governors of Gujarat, who were appointed by the Delhi Sultanate.

The islands were later governed by the independent Gujarat Sultanate, which was established in 1407. The Sultanate's patronage led to the construction of many mosques, prominent being the Haji Ali Dargah in Worli, built in honour of the Muslim saint Haji Ali in 1431. From 1429 to 1431, the islands were a source of contention between the Gujarat Sultanate and the Bahamani Sultanate of Deccan. In 1493, Bahadur Khan Gilani of the Bahamani Sultanate attempted to conquer the islands but was defeated.

PORTUGUESE AND BRITISH RULE

The Mughal Empire, founded in 1526, was the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent during the mid-16th century. Growing apprehensive of the power of the Mughal emperor Humayun, Sultan Bahadur Shah of the Gujarat Sultanate was obliged to sign the Treaty of Bassein with the Portuguese Empire on 23 December 1534. According to the treaty, the seven islands of Bombay, the nearby strategic town of Bassein and its dependencies were offered to the Portuguese. The territories were later surrendered on 25 October 1535.

The Portuguese were actively involved in the foundation and growth of their Roman Catholic religious orders in Bombay. They called the islands by various names, which finally took the written form Bombaim. The islands were leased to several Portuguese officers during their regime. The Portuguese Franciscans and Jesuits built several churches in the city, prominent being the St. Michael's Church at Mahim (1534), St. John the Baptist Church at Andheri (1579), St. Andrew's Church at Bandra (1580), and Gloria Church at Byculla (1632). The Portuguese also built several fortifications around the city like the Bombay Castle, Castella de Aguada (Castelo da Aguada or Bandra Fort), and Madh Fort. The English were in constant struggle with the Portuguese vying for hegemony over Bombay, as they recognized its strategic natural harbour and its natural isolation from land-attacks. By the middle of the 17th century the growing power of the Dutch Empire forced the English to acquire a station in western India. On 11 May 1661, the marriage treaty of Charles II of England and Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal, placed the islands in possession of the English Empire, as part of Catherine's dowry to Charles. However, Salsette, Bassein, Mazagaon, Parel, Worli, Sion, Dharavi, and Wadala still remained under Portuguese possession. From 1665 to 1666, the English managed to acquire Mahim, Sion, Dharavi, and Wadala.

In accordance with the Royal Charter of 27 March 1668, England leased these islands to the English East India Company in 1668 for a sum of £10 per annum. The population quickly rose from 10,000 in 1661, to 60,000 in 1675. The islands were subsequently attacked by Yakut Khan, the Siddi admiral of the Mughal Empire, in October 1672, Rickloffe van Goen, the Governor-General of Dutch India on 20 February 1673, and Siddi admiral Sambal on 10 October 1673.In 1687, the English East India Company transferred its headquarters from Surat to Bombay. The city eventually became the headquarters of the Bombay Presidency. Following the transfer, Bombay was placed at the head of all the Company's establishments in India. Towards the end of the 17th century, the islands again suffered incursions from Yakut Khan in 1689–90. The Portuguese presence ended in Bombay when the Marathas under Peshwa Baji Rao I captured Salsette in 1737, and Bassein in 1739. By the middle of the 18th century, Bombay began to grow into a major trading town, and received a huge influx of migrants from across India. Later, the British occupied Salsette on 28 December 1774. With the Treaty of Surat (1775), the British formally gained control of Salsette and Bassein, resulting in the First Anglo-Maratha War. The British were able to secure Salsette from the Marathas without violence through the Treaty of Purandar (1776), and later through the Treaty of Salbai (1782), signed to settle the outcome of the First Anglo-Maratha War.

From 1782 onwards, the city was reshaped with large-scale civil engineering projects aimed at merging all the seven islands into a single amalgamated mass. This project, known as Hornby Vellard, was completed by 1784. In 1817, the British East India Company under Mountstuart Elphinstone defeated Baji Rao II, the last of the Maratha Peshwa in the Battle of Khadki. Following his defeat, almost the whole of the Deccan came under British suzerainty, and was incorporated into the Bombay Presidency. The success of the British campaign in the Deccan marked the liberation of Bombay from all attacks by native powers.

By 1845, the seven islands coalesced into a single landmass by the Hornby Vellard project via large scale land reclamation. On 16 April 1853, India's first passenger railway line was established, connecting Bombay to the neighbouring town of Thana (now Thane). During the American Civil War (1861–1865), the city became the world's chief cotton-trading market, resulting in a boom in the economy that subsequently enhanced the city's stature.

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 transformed Bombay into one of the largest seaports on the Arabian Sea. In September 1896, Bombay was hit by a bubonic plague epidemic where the death toll was estimated at 1,900 people per week. About 850,000 people fled Bombay and the textile industry was adversely affected. As the capital of the Bombay Presidency, the city witnessed the Indian independence movement, with the Quit India Movement in 1942 and The Royal Indian Navy Mutiny in 1946 being its most notable events.

INDEPENDENT INDIA

After India's independence in 1947, the territory of the Bombay Presidency retained by India was restructured into Bombay State. The area of Bombay State increased, after several erstwhile princely states that joined the Indian union were integrated into the state. Subsequently, the city became the capital of Bombay State. On April 1950, Municipal limits of Bombay were expanded by merging the Bombay Suburban District and Bombay City to form the Greater Bombay Municipal Corporation.

The Samyukta Maharashtra movement to create a separate Maharashtra state including Bombay was at its height in the 1950s. In the Lok Sabha discussions in 1955, the Congress party demanded that the city be constituted as an autonomous city-state. The States Reorganisation Committee recommended a bilingual state for Maharashtra–Gujarat with Bombay as its capital in its 1955 report. Bombay Citizens' Committee, an advocacy group of leading Gujarati industrialists lobbied for Bombay's independent status.

Following protests during the movement in which 105 people lost their lives in clashes with the police, Bombay State was reorganised on linguistic lines on 1 May 1960. Gujarati-speaking areas of Bombay State were partitioned into the state of Gujarat. Maharashtra State with Bombay as its capital was formed with the merger of Marathi-speaking areas of Bombay State, eight districts from Central Provinces and Berar, five districts from Hyderabad State, and numerous princely states enclosed between them. As a memorial to the martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, Flora Fountain was renamed as Hutatma Chowk (Martyr's Square), and a memorial was erected.

The following decades saw massive expansion of the city and its suburbs. In the late 1960s, Nariman Point and Cuffe Parade were reclaimed and developed. The Bombay Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) was established on 26 January 1975 by the Government of Maharashtra as an apex body for planning and co-ordination of development activities in the Bombay metropolitan region. In August 1979, a sister township of New Bombay was founded by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) across the Thane and Raigad districts to help the dispersal and control of Bombay's population. The textile industry in Bombay largely disappeared after the widespread 1982 Great Bombay Textile Strike, in which nearly 250,000 workers in more than 50 textile mills went on strike. Mumbai's defunct cotton mills have since become the focus of intense redevelopment.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which currently handles 55–60% of India's containerised cargo, was commissioned on 26 May 1989 across the creek at Nhava Sheva with a view to de-congest Bombay Harbour and to serve as a hub port for the city. The geographical limits of Greater Bombay were coextensive with municipal limits of Greater Bombay. On 1 October 1990, the Greater Bombay district was bifurcated to form two revenue districts namely, Bombay City and Bombay Suburban, though they continued to be administered by same Municipal Administration.

From 1990 to 2010, there has been an increase in violence in the hitherto largely peaceful city. Following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the city was rocked by the Hindu-Muslim riots of 1992–93 in which more than 1,000 people were killed. On 12 March 1993, a series of 13 co-ordinated bombings at several city landmarks by Islamic extremists and the Bombay underworld resulted in 257 deaths and over 700 injuries. In 2006, 209 people were killed and over 700 injured when seven bombs exploded on the city's commuter trains. In 2008, a series of ten coordinated attacks by armed terrorists for three days resulted in 173 deaths, 308 injuries, and severe damage to several heritage landmarks and prestigious hotels. The blasts that occurred at the Opera House, Zaveri Bazaar, and Dadar on 13 July 2011 were the latest in the series of terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

Mumbai is the commercial capital of India and has evolved into a global financial hub. For several decades it has been the home of India's main financial services, and a focus for both infrastructure development and private investment. From being an ancient fishing community and a colonial centre of trade, Mumbai has become South Asia's largest city and home of the world's most prolific film industry.

GEOGRAPHY

Mumbai consists of two distinct regions: Mumbai City district and Mumbai Suburban district, which form two separate revenue districts of Maharashtra. The city district region is also commonly referred to as the Island City or South Mumbai. The total area of Mumbai is 603.4 km2. Of this, the island city spans 67.79 km2, while the suburban district spans 370 km2, together accounting for 437.71 km2 under the administration of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). The remaining areas belong to various Defence establishments, the Mumbai Port Trust, the Atomic Energy Commission and the Borivali National Park, which are out of the jurisdiction of the MCGM.

Mumbai lies at the mouth of the Ulhas River on the western coast of India, in the coastal region known as the Konkan. It sits on Salsette Island (Sashti Island), which it partially shares with the Thane district. Mumbai is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west. Many parts of the city lie just above sea level, with elevations ranging from 10 m to 15 m; the city has an average elevation of 14 m. Northern Mumbai (Salsette) is hilly, and the highest point in the city is 450 m at Salsette in the Powai–Kanheri ranges. The Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Borivali National Park) is located partly in the Mumbai suburban district, and partly in the Thane district, and it extends over an area of 103.09 km2.

Apart from the Bhatsa Dam, there are six major lakes that supply water to the city: Vihar, Lower Vaitarna, Upper Vaitarna, Tulsi, Tansa and Powai. Tulsi Lake and Vihar Lake are located in Borivili National Park, within the city's limits. The supply from Powai lake, also within the city limits, is used only for agricultural and industrial purposes. Three small rivers, the Dahisar River, Poinsar (or Poisar) and Ohiwara (or Oshiwara) originate within the park, while the polluted Mithi River originates from Tulsi Lake and gathers water overflowing from Vihar and Powai Lakes. The coastline of the city is indented with numerous creeks and bays, stretching from the Thane creek on the eastern to Madh Marve on the western front. The eastern coast of Salsette Island is covered with large mangrove swamps, rich in biodiversity, while the western coast is mostly sandy and rocky.

Soil cover in the city region is predominantly sandy due to its proximity to the sea. In the suburbs, the soil cover is largely alluvial and loamy. The underlying rock of the region is composed of black Deccan basalt flows, and their acidic and basic variants dating back to the late Cretaceous and early Eocene eras. Mumbai sits on a seismically active zone owing to the presence of 23 fault lines in the vicinity. The area is classified as a Seismic Zone III region, which means an earthquake of up to magnitude 6.5 on the Richter scale may be expected.

ARCHITECTURE

The architecture of the city is a blend of Gothic Revival, Indo-Saracenic, Art Deco, and other contemporary styles. Most of the buildings during the British period, such as the Victoria Terminus and Bombay University, were built in Gothic Revival style. Their architectural features include a variety of European influences such as German gables, Dutch roofs, Swiss timbering, Romance arches, Tudor casements, and traditional Indian features. There are also a few Indo-Saracenic styled buildings such as the Gateway of India. Art Deco styled landmarks can be found along the Marine Drive and west of the Oval Maidan. Mumbai has the second largest number of Art Deco buildings in the world after Miami. In the newer suburbs, modern buildings dominate the landscape. Mumbai has by far the largest number of skyscrapers in India, with 956 existing buildings and 272 under construction as of 2009.

The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC), established in 1995, formulates special regulations and by-laws to assist in the conservation of the city's heritage structures. Mumbai has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and the Elephanta Caves. In the south of Mumbai, there are colonial-era buildings and Soviet-style offices. In the east are factories and some slums. On the West coast are former-textile mills being demolished and skyscrapers built on top. There are 31 buildings taller than 100m, compared with 200 in Shanghai, 500 in Hong Kong and 500 in New York.

DEMOGRAPHICS

According to the 2011 census, the population of Mumbai was 12,479,608. The population density is estimated to be about 20,482 persons per square kilometre. The living space is 4.5sq metre per person. As Per 2011 census, Greater Mumbai, the area under the administration of the MCGM, has a literacy rate of 94.7%, higher than the national average of 86.7%. The number of slum-dwellers is estimated to be 9 million, up from 6 million in 2001, that is, 62% of all Mumbaikars live in informal slums.

The sex ratio was 838 (females per 1,000 males) in the island city, 857 in the suburbs, and 848 as a whole in Greater Mumbai, all numbers lower than the national average of 914 females per 1,000 males. The low sex ratio is partly because of the large number of male migrants who come to the city to work.

Residents of Mumbai call themselves Mumbaikar, Mumbaiite, Bombayite or Bombaiite. Mumbai has a large polyglot population like any other metropolitan city of India. Sixteen major languages of India are also spoken in Mumbai, most common being Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and English. English is extensively spoken and is the principal language of the city's white collar workforce. A colloquial form of Hindi, known as Bambaiya – a blend of Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Konkani, Urdu, Indian English and some invented words – is spoken on the streets.

Mumbai suffers from the same major urbanisation problems seen in many fast growing cities in developing countries: widespread poverty and unemployment, poor public health and poor civic and educational standards for a large section of the population. With available land at a premium, Mumbai residents often reside in cramped, relatively expensive housing, usually far from workplaces, and therefore requiring long commutes on crowded mass transit, or clogged roadways. Many of them live in close proximity to bus or train stations although suburban residents spend significant time travelling southward to the main commercial district. Dharavi, Asia's second largest slum (if Karachi's Orangi Town is counted as a single slum) is located in central Mumbai and houses between 800,000 and one million people in 2.39 square kilometres, making it one of the most densely populated areas on Earth with a population density of at least 334,728 persons per square kilometre. With a literacy rate of 69%, the slums in Mumbai are the most literate in India.

The number of migrants to Mumbai from outside Maharashtra during the 1991–2001 decade was 1.12 million, which amounted to 54.8% of the net addition to the population of Mumbai.

The number of households in Mumbai is forecast to rise from 4.2 million in 2008 to 6.6 million in 2020. The number of households with annual incomes of 2 million rupees will increase from 4% to 10% by 2020, amounting to 660,000 families. The number of households with incomes from 1–2 million rupees is also estimated to increase from 4% to 15% by 2020. According to Report of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) 2016 Mumbai is the noisiest city in India before Lucknow , Hyderabad and Delhi.

ETHNIC GROUPS AND RELIGION

The religious groups represented in Mumbai include Hindus (67.39%), Muslims (18.56%), Buddhists (5.22%), Jains (3.99%), Christians (4.2%), Sikhs (0.58%), with Parsis and Jews making up the rest of the population. The linguistic/ethnic demographics are: Maharashtrians (42%), Gujaratis (19%), with the rest hailing from other parts of India.

Native Christians include East Indian Catholics, who were converted by the Portuguese during the 16th century, while Goan and Mangalorean Catholics also constitute a significant portion of the Christian community of the city. Jews settled in Bombay during the 18th century. The Bene Israeli Jewish community of Bombay, who migrated from the Konkan villages, south of Bombay, are believed to be the descendants of the Jews of Israel who were shipwrecked off the Konkan coast, probably in the year 175 BCE, during the reign of the Greek ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Mumbai is also home to the largest population of Parsi Zoroastrians in the world, numbering about 80,000. Parsis migrated to India from Pars (Persia/Iran) following the Muslim conquest of Persia in the seventh century. The oldest Muslim communities in Mumbai include the Dawoodi Bohras, Ismaili Khojas, and Konkani Muslims.

CULTURE

Mumbai's culture is a blend of traditional festivals, food, music, and theatres. The city offers a cosmopolitan and diverse lifestyle with a variety of food, entertainment, and night life, available in a form and abundance comparable to that in other world capitals. Mumbai's history as a major trading centre has led to a diverse range of cultures, religions, and cuisines coexisting in the city. This unique blend of cultures is due to the migration of people from all over India since the British period.

Mumbai is the birthplace of Indian cinema - Dadasaheb Phalke laid the foundations with silent movies followed by Marathi talkies - and the oldest film broadcast took place in the early 20th century. Mumbai also has a large number of cinema halls that feature Bollywood, Marathi and Hollywood movies. The Mumbai International Film Festival and the award ceremony of the Filmfare Awards, the oldest and prominent film awards given for Hindi film industry in India, are held in Mumbai. Despite most of the professional theatre groups that formed during the British Raj having disbanded by the 1950s, Mumbai has developed a thriving "theatre movement" tradition in Marathi, Hindi, English, and other regional languages.

Contemporary art is featured in both government-funded art spaces and private commercial galleries. The government-funded institutions include the Jehangir Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Modern Art. Built in 1833, the Asiatic Society of Bombay is one of the oldest public libraries in the city. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly The Prince of Wales Museum) is a renowned museum in South Mumbai which houses rare ancient exhibits of Indian history.

Mumbai has a zoo named Jijamata Udyaan (formerly Victoria Gardens), which also harbours a garden. The rich literary traditions of the city have been highlighted internationally by Booker Prize winners Salman Rushdie, Aravind Adiga. Marathi literature has been modernised in the works of Mumbai-based authors such as Mohan Apte, Anant Kanekar, and Gangadhar Gadgil, and is promoted through an annual Sahitya Akademi Award, a literary honour bestowed by India's National Academy of Letters.

Mumbai residents celebrate both Western and Indian festivals. Diwali, Holi, Eid, Christmas, Navratri, Good Friday, Dussera, Moharram, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja and Maha Shivratri are some of the popular festivals in the city. The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is an exhibition of a world of arts that encapsulates works of artists in the fields of music, dance, theatre, and films. A week-long annual fair known as Bandra Fair, starting on the following Sunday after 8 September, is celebrated by people of all faiths, to commemorate the Nativity of Mary, mother of Jesus, on 8 September.

The Banganga Festival is a two-day music festival, held annually in the month of January, which is organised by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) at the historic Banganga Tank in Mumbai. The Elephanta Festival - celebrated every February on the Elephanta Islands - is dedicated to classical Indian dance and music and attracts performers from across the country. Public holidays specific to the city and the state include Maharashtra Day on 1 May, to celebrate the formation of Maharashtra state on 1 May 1960, and Gudi Padwa which is the New Year's Day for Marathi people.

Beaches are a major tourist attraction in the city. The major beaches in Mumbai are Girgaum Chowpatty, Juhu Beach, Dadar Chowpatty, Gorai Beach, Marve Beach, Versova Beach, Madh Beach, Aksa Beach, and Manori Beach. Most of the beaches are unfit for swimming, except Girgaum Chowpatty and Juhu Beach. Essel World is a theme park and amusement centre situated close to Gorai Beach, and includes Asia's largest theme water park, Water Kingdom. Adlabs Imagica opened in April 2013 is located near the city of Khopoli off the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

WIKIPEDIA

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Origin : Largest Cannon at Janjira Fort, 3rd Largest in india

Location : Janjira Fort,Murud,Raigad,MH

EDITING INFO_

Software used :Lightroom 4, Adobe PhotoShop CS6

Filters Used : _

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TECHNICAL INFO_

Camera Model : Nokia n79

Lens Type : Carl Zeiss Teaser Lens

Mode : Auto

Prachi calls herself a true 'Mumbaikar'. She grew up in Byculla, very close to the church where this was photographed.

She loves food and is a self taught Artist who specializes in oil painting, charcoal sketching and abstract art.

She currently works in the Advertising and Digital space.

Two pictures stictched together.

On nearing Khandala.

Had a tough time with the Mist surrounding around.

Edited in Photoshop Elements by slicing image and treating each section differently to get desired contrast :-)

Mapping Privacy in Public Spaces Project: Findings by KRVIA Design Cell

BMW Guggenheim Lab

January 12, 2013

Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum

Mumbai, India

Where do Mumbaikars find privacy in their city? The KRVIA Design Cell talked about their findings from the Mapping Privacy in Public Space research project, conducted through the Lab’s run. They discussed their methodology and their experience in data collection across the Lab’s six sites, and shared the visual imagery and maps they created from their research from over 200 participants.

Photos: UnCommonSense © 2013 Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York

Mumbai is seething with anger .

God save the politicians from the wrath of the angry Mumbaikar..

Not one not two ,but hordes of them who were out on the streets a protest never seen before the most vociferously vocal..

I am happy that I shot this for posterity..

Mumbaikars will never be taken for a ride ever again, was the final verdict..the youngsters screaming their lungs out, Vande Mataram and Fuck Pakistan - were the two most famous ones..

I as a pedestrian poet and as a photo blogger will show you through pictures the pain of the Mumbaikar and his restless angst..

This is a fight to the finish between we the people and the inept politicians..

I went to Leopold but the angry boss did not want media within its premises, I dont blame him..He is a very courageous man I knew his family when I studied at Holy Name High School Convent Street..

The Leopold is a fight back of we the people..

From Leopold I came to Nariman House here the cops were polite , and told me to go through a back lane , I have spent my entire childhood here , so I know this place inside out, I was allowed to see Nariman House from far fiercely guarded I took a single shot the candles lit in the memory of the dead and the living two year old Moshe Holtzberg..

This was a sad moment I prayed for the soul of his parents and those that did not make it..

I cursed the mother fucking adherents of Lashkare Toiba and other such radical elements that have hit Islam , verily a religion of Peace and Brotherhood..

Because of them the entire Muslim race suffers in silence, and honestly it is our silence that saw Ali killed in a mosque, our eunuch silence that saw Hussain the grandson of the Holy Prophet a victim to the most barbaric cruelty at the hands of Muslims .. Yazid was nothing but a Muslim , and its his progeny of hate that is what modern Jehad is all about..

I will not be crossblogging pictures of this event to my other websites , so please see it all at my Flickr photostream, save this one photo...

Yes the politicians have let us down very badly this time, changing heads makes no sense the body is corrupt completely..

I am not an expert but I think the Israeli commandos should have been called in to fight this global terror jointly.. without any ego ..

The Nariman House siege and its aftermath shall haunt us much after we ae dead and gone.

I was too tired , my diabetic condition not making me go to the Trident..

The one person who is worthy of love of us all Mumbaikars is the GM of the Taj who has borne his tragic irreparable loss in silence without any media attention ..

We salute the courage of this Man along with the rest of the brave martyrs of Mumbai..

They died so we could live...as Indians and proud Maharashtrians .. migrants Marathi Manoos and all.

Including our foreign guests.

Last but not the least the Firemen of Mumbai who controlled the fires of Hate not letting it envelop the fabric of our fragile society.