Bombay baarish…

…sounds so much better than Mumbai monsoon, no?

Anyway, the free ride is on and it is a lovely rainy evening and so what better time to head to Marine Drive? The sea link bridge has heavy slow-moving traffic, despite Amul’s latest ad that says ‘no jam, only butter’. I kept my eyes peeled for a signboard that says ‘no bullock carts‘ (I agree with Dilip, I wouldn’t live anywhere else) but cannot spot it. I want to go back when it is bright and dry, though the drive over the bridge is wonderful in the rain, with the blurred glimmer of the lights.

The sea is calm and grey, none of the high tide that sends the water right back to to the roads.

And at Marine Drive… (all these shots hand-held, mostly through the windshield in the pouring rain…)

Mein na rahungi, tum na rahoge, phir bhi rahengi nishaniyaan

And the ghoda gadis waiting for a ride…

I love the bits of color that pop up here and there, in all the rainy grey…

At Marine Drive and Worli Sea Face, people are out walking, some holding on to umbrellas that want to fly away into the cool breeze, some covered partially in raincoats, and many without any cover – couples sharing an umbrella aadhe aadhe bheeg rahe thae, children running around enjoying the rain (I love such parents), groups of friends chatting loudly – it is business at usual everywhere…

I cannot think of any other city in India where people go out just to get wet in the rain. And I cannot but think again about how much I love Bombay…

Raindrops keep falling on my lens…

…and on the windshield…

I love the rains in Bombay, the clogged roads, the wet clothes, the potholes, the frogs and warts and all.

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