Dear readers,
Last year, when I told at work that I was moving to Mumbai, a friendly colleague (Thanks Brit:-)) immediately brought me 2 books I just had to read. And so I did. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts is the classic prior-to-Mumbai book. The obvious choice for expats and others visiting the city. I enjoyed diving into that universe of colourful characters and events, and once in Mumbai I enjoyed even more my search for Cafe Leopold and other sights from the story.
The other book I read, preparing for The-Big-Transition-Bergen-Bombay, made my soul shiver.. A Fine Balance by Rohintron Mistry is the story about the harsh lives of the two tailors Ishvar and Omprakash. I thought about it again yesterday, when I passed a tailor in his shed on the street. And just as back in our two tailors' time, Mumbai is still a magnet for fortune hunters, dreampursuers or those just looking for as better life. Mumbai with over 20 million inhabitants is the richest city in India and being the commercial and entertainment (Bollywood, guys!) capital of the country it is just as attractive to people today, as it was to Ishvar and Omprakash and their contemporaries. And the tailors today are probably just as great! They are hard working, skilled and can do wonders. You tell them whats' on your mind and they make it just like you had pictured it! You can also bring your favorite clothes or pictures of clothes you like and they will make it for you. Abrakadabra!
If you want to blend in and choose to go for a more ethnic style, the tailors can help you too! And you can even have your own colourful perfect sparkling sari made especially for you - remember I told you about my visit to Sari heaven?
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| The linen man and his assistent |
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| Pick and choose motifs: elephants, marigolds..? |
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| Bye bye from Mumbai! Stay tune for more tales:-) |
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