Mumbai

Sunday was the last time we took an auto home, past the cocnut grove the plastic tarplin tent shelters past famileies sat picking the kids hair clean, just before the yard of yaks and back to the house. Benny, the brazilian couple, victor and manjula had come for a final lunch, and veronica kept the coffee coming til late into the night. It wouldnt all be bad memories from that place.

We were in hgh spirits as we left for mumbai (bombay) reclaiming itspre-british identity. We flew kingfisher, and imressive new cheap airline, and as we were landing the beauty of mumbai could be seen, rivers, sea, the houses flowing over hills. But as we got a closer look the beauty faded as i saw asias biggest slum spread benieth. All you could see was corrigated iron roofs like a pack of playing cards little glimpses of allies between roofs. there was only one thought in my head 'why had we been evangelising and performing down south when this was an hour north, why werent we here?' 'next year' was my second.

The taxi ride from the airport was an hour squashed next to margarita and cotty in one of mumbai's rather cool old taxis. So many people sleeping rough on the street such poverty amoungst the ecclectic mix of fantastic art deco architecture next to tower blocks that looked like they were built from mould. As i smiled at goyo alba and rebeccas cab behind i noticed one of the skany buildings read HOSPTAL in big letters, my heart sank.

When we finally arrived at the hotel it was third floor, our room down a dingy flourescent lit corridor was a small room with twin beds pushed together, a little shelf with a small tv and a cage boxed window that looked out onto about 2m of concrete, however it was locked had a/c and was clean enough once we'd asked for clean sheets.

Outside the hotel was a sauna, the pavement a mni market of silks pashminas (r100) sandlas, leather purses, ankle chains and cussion covers. We headed down to mcdonalds, which normally goes against...well my choice (im not well enough informed to technically say my principles) but they took the order at the table brought the food over and it was actually pretty good, they had no meat on the menu though (remember cows are holy here) and so the big mac was a mac tajmahal a curry sauce chicken bigmac.

Elephant island, an island reached by ferry from the gateway, the gateway itself a rather impressive monument, as we waited for the others have been completely ripped off by the taxi driver who cooly replied "yes" as i exclaimed "you ripped us off!" there were venders with giant balloons, roasted spicy nut sellers and fishermen a dozen at a time pulling huge boats up the gangway.

When the others arrived we had missed the last ferry, it didnt matter to me i was hardly excited about speding my last rupies on an island full of idols when there were silk on the next street for a pound each. Walking round the gateway two little boys latched onto me, the older one called Raoul the younger i forget, they took my hands and were like little boys really happy, i knew they wanted money but it didnt matter, i gave them some change and my bottle of water and asked them about their families. Their mother had a bad leg (possibly amputated) and either thier mother or sister had a one month old baby, they were out to beg from the tourists. When i told them i wouldnt give them more money they still wanted to come with us, but i said if they needed to take money home they should get money as we couldnt help them more, reluctently they left, only to find us in the market outside the hotel later. If i could have taken them home i would they were beautiful and not a bit hardened by begging or being out so young, it was surprising, maybe i was nieve as to their circumstances, but it didnt change the fact that they were gorgeous.

Another boy came along he didnt speak english, Raoul said he was asking for me to take him back to my country, i wasnt sure if his parents were sick or dead but either way it killed me, then came along a guy in a cart his legs were limp and skinny, i wasnt sure what was wrong with him but he couldnt walk, He didnt start by asking for money though he started talking to us, he said his job was to clean the cobbles, i wasnt sure i believed him, his tools looked more like a matt, but between him and the kids it was starting to feel like a begging que. we gave some money and left.

Eating dinner that night the food was fantastic but my eyes were firmly fixed on life in the street, the street kids, the taxis, the vendors and gringos. It was so wierd to see gringos again and for the first time i looked at them like many people had looked at me, i sa them walking round without a clue about what was appropriate, walking round in their own world, wnad wondering why men looked at them in their near naked state of western dress. i was shocked at myself, i was no better, I had spent so much money shopping i was no better but yet my perspective had changed.

In the cab from the airport into mumbai I had looked at the homeless and asked myself alot of questions - if I retruned to work or first study architecture could i come out and do something useful? was it better to stay in england earn the pound and send it out? how did you know where your money was going with so many stories of corruption in charities and overheads in legit ones? was it better to be out here and be a pair of hands? If i was moved by compassion but did nothing was i better than someone who felt nothing? We were westerners who were using 4/5 of the worlds resources for our 1/5 of the worlds population, as humans (and especially christians) surely our mimimum basic obligation was to pray and give finacially. I was overwhelmed by the work to be done in this city. where did you start?

As we were leaving the dirt didnt stop this city being attractive maybe it was the faded colours of the arachitecture, I hoped I wasnt romancing the place as we then drove past the rubbish and waste piled higher than the taxi. I started to think of things to do here, I dont know what will happen or whether i will return here, maybe it will fade in other pplans for the future, but maybe i will see mumbai again.