Saris and Elephants

Today was the festival of Raksha Bandan, where sisters tie a rakhi, or thread bracelet, around the wrists of their brothers as a symbol of their love and affection, in return the brother promises to protect his sisters and always be there for them. This does not necessarily have to be between blood brothers and sisters, a girl can tie a Rakhi on any one that she considers a close brother. However, this bond is taken seriously and the boy and girl will from then on be considered to share the bond of brother and sister, so no getting together later!I was invited by my students at Vatsalya Foundation, a centre for street children, to attend their Rakhi celebrations. Not really knowing what to expect, I arrived in the morning and was greeted by my students Tushar and Nuresh and seated at the back of the room while the ceremony got under way. The boys at Vatsalya were joined by some of the children from the Bandra centre and were all enjoying themselves singing along to the latest Bollywood tracks on the radio while waiting for the other guests to arrive.During a welcome from Ms Swati (Executive Director of the Vatsalya Foundation), all in Hindi, I was busy looking around, watching the children, when suddenly I heard my name and a room full of expectant faces turned to look at me! Before I really knew what was happening, two other volunteer teachers and I were standing at the front of the room, marking the boys’ foreheads with the traditional ‘tikka’ and rice, and tying the Rakhi to their wrists. My first ‘brother’ was a tiny boy, no higher than my knee with a big cheeky grin and huge dark eyes!Once all the Rakhis had been tied, the day continued with singing and dancing in true Indian style. Two young girls gave a great rendition of ‘I’m a little Teapot’ and other nursery rhymes, shouted in an almost military style, followed by Tushar singing a beautiful Hindi song, and a more questionable Akon number, which I hope nobody else in the room understood!At the end of the day I headed back to work, exhausted, but with a big smile on my face. These street boys had shown me so much love, and accepted me as their sister, or ‘didi’, a feeling that I really cannot express in words.  

Bademiya, Colaba; famous for its mouth-watering kebabs and ‘local’ setting, was the venue for our first work Dinner Club gathering. Nine of us squeezed around the table on the side of the street, amongst the cars coming and going and the general hustle and bustle of Colaba. Each of us ordered something different, even the strictly vegetarian among us were catered for. We had Baida roti, chicken rolls, Bhuna Ghosht, chicken cream roll, Reshmi kebab, paneer tikka…the list goes on! The meat melted in your mouth, with so many different spices and flavours Although not the five star service we are used to providing, the food arrived quickly and hot from the grill! The paratha were so soft and fresh and the meat so tasty that no one was satisfied with just one and we quickly ordered more! Once we had all eaten as much as we could manage, we headed to Café Mondegar, a popular bar on Colaba Causeway, to wash it all down with a cold beer, or two! Not as infamous as the nearby Leopolds, Café Mondegar (aka Mondys) is always busy with an eclectic mix of young locals and expats from all corners of the globe, attracted as much by the vibrant cartoon-like murals and fun atmosphere as the reasonably priced beer and variety of comfort food. All in all, we had great evening, with more food than we could eat, and all for under Rs400 (about £5) – bargain!

Welcome to my new blog!

I have been living and working in Mumbai/Bombay since March 2008, but have only recently discovered blogging! I’ve written short articles on my experiences and adventures over the last year and thought I should gather them all together here.

Teaching English in Mumbai/Bombay, every day is different, there is always something to make you laugh or to surprise you. Just when you think you understand the country, or the city, or even the people, something happens to spin your persepective.

Hopefully my ‘blogs’ will give you a little insight into life here, and maybe make you smile too!

Thank you for reading

Hannah