Mumbai Day Four: Brush with Bollywood

Technically this is supposed to be a day off, as far as the organized tour goes. I however, have booked a couple meetings downtown of my own. M____ from B___ State is going that way for some shopping and sight-seeing, so we get a lift together. It takes over an hour to go about 10 miles. I thought of a good metaphor for Mumbai traffic: you remember those films you saw in school of the human circulatory system? All those blood cells careening through arteries and veins, all crammed together, starting stopping. That's how it is, except going in two directions at once. Ok, I hear you, enough about the traffic already.

My first stop is at the local Fulbright office. It has a loose affiliation with the American consulate here. It needs to become tighter. The Brits and Aussies are kicking our asses when it comes to gov't assistance in promoting their schools overseas. I meet a couple of the employees, one who I've been e-mailing, chat a bit about how we can work better together, and drop of a box of materials to give to interested students.

Afterwards I walk to the next office, yes walk. It feels so good to get out of the car (which M____ has taken shopping). I get a lot of looks from the locals. I'm kind of tall and kind of white, compared to them. There just aren't a lot of Yankees street hiking 'round here. The EDU World office is nearby. There I meet with Rushabh about how we can better promote my university in Mumbai. His organization is what we call agents. They get us students. We decide I should definitely try to make it back in April for the huge Times of India (newspaper) education fair. Students have just finished exams and 100,000 of them pass through the doors in two days looking for what to do next. He wants my university to man a booth at EDU World's display space, with me and perhaps a professor or two, then stay for a week meeting with interested parties. I tell him I'll give it a go.


Dude outside the pizza place

Meetings done, I call M____ and I grab some pizza at a little place nearby on Marine Drive. Finally, a cold beer. Marine Drive is what best characterizes Mumbai. If you look back at that map I posted previously, Marine Drive runs all along the edge of the inner "claw" the lower peninsula forms. Great views, lots of stores and hotels, and even a little beach, called Chowpatty. Whenever I get time, I'd like to take a stroll down its length. Not today.

M____ wants to go see the Ghandi house, which I have already seen. No problem, I go on a little safari while he takes a peek. See pics below.


Those damn cows just can't stay out of the streets


I told them later what frat boys do with those cricket bats...


Park near Ghandi house


Read this sign, great stuff

Another hour in the car and we are back to the hotel. I'm tempted to sleep, but do some e-mail and such. As the sun starts to go down, I put on my flip-flops and decide to take a stroll out to the point where there is an old fort. Whattaya know, they are in the process of filming a movie there, a Bollywood movie. For those who don't know, Mumbai has the largest film industry in the world. Yes, the world. Their films are more like musicals, and what is being filmed now is a choreographed dance scene in the old fort at sunset. There are tons of Indian guys clambering to get a look. Apparently the star is pretty hot. I climb up to the top of a cliff with a bunch of other guys and use my height to get a good look. The director doesn't seem happy. It's windy and the girls hair keeps getting blown in her face, and she or her partner screws up the steps. I don't think they got all the shots they wanted, so they will probably be back tomorrow night.