Gallivantin'

Travel Writer Photographer Tour Guide in Fort, Bombay Email at [email protected] Instagram @gallivant.in Facebook: gallivantin Tweet @gallivantin

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Agrasen ki Baoli

You can see the buildings on Barakhamba Road from here. I had some vague plans to visit Humayun’s Tomb and the Dargah at Nizamuddin during my Delhi visit but ultimately, the only touristy thing I managed to do was get to the this ancient step well (baoli). Five minutes after entering the premises, in trooped a whole class of children from a local school who were being shown around various Delhi…

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Portraits from Koliwada. #streetphotography #Mumbai #bombay #worlikoliwada #worli #TravelBlogger #Travel #Travelgram #portrait #tbt #_soi #_soimumbai

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November 24, 2015, St. Thomas' Cathedral. Immediately inside on the left as you enter the church is a memorial to Gen. Ballard, after whom Ballard Estate, north-east of Fort, is named. Ballard, as the Master of the Mint in Mumbai in 1858, was responsible for the introduction of coinage bearing the image of the monarch after the Crown took over the East India Company. That, however, seems to be one of his lesser achievements, going by this plaque. Ballard Estate, incidentally, is entirely reclaimed land. #Mumbai #Bombay #everydaymumbai #MumbaiHistory #FortMumbai #gallivantin (at St. Thomas' Cathedral)

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November 22, 2015, Worli Koliwada Through the narrow alleys, I can sometimes catch a glimpse of the Dadar skyline. It isn’t New York, but it still presents a stark contrast to my surroundings. The road is narrow, too narrow for cars and bikers honk constantly to get pedestrians to make way. The Koliwada is prime property. I read online (link below) that the reason it has escaped the builder-politician nexus, so far, is because it lies in a heavily regulated coastal zone, being surrounded by the sea on the three sides. And because of the defence establishment (Coast Guard) next door. Lucky for us. As the march of ‘development’ continues unabated elsewhere, here lies preserved the remnants of a culture, or the slivers of it, that has survived for 600 years. For a little while longer anyway. **** This gentleman wasn’t oblivious to my presence. He just couldn’t care less. Which was perfect for me, as I am still learning to deal with the moral dilemmas associated with street photography - am I invading someone’s privacy, for example. **** The photowalk was organised by Caribou Drift. Online source: http://m.moneycontrol.com/news/real-estate/worli-koliwadacalmeyemumbai%E2%80%99s-development-storm_939185.html #Mumbai #Bombay #everydaymumbai #gallivantin #_soi #_soimumbai #TravelBlogger #Travelgram #worli #worlikoliwada #streetphotography #IncredibleIndia #CaribouDrift

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November 1, 2015. Nobody knows what he was trying to do here. Maybe a brief possession by Bruce Lee's aatma. gallivantin's heritage walk has now been tentatively renamed Once Upon A Time In Bombay and just like that, the story seems to write itself. I still don't have a full script but the words flow a lot easier, the narration a lot more coherent. At least that is what I thought. Our South Bombay explorers for the day, Shubhi and Rajeev, have agreed to write a review, so we can always get a second opinion. When it comes to photographs, S knows what she wants. You can clearly see the confidence in front of the camera. R, I suspect, would be happier behind one, but is still capable of something mental, as this photo shows. (at The Asiatic Society of Mumbai)

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On October 24th, I had the pleasure of taking Reshma and Anil on gallivantin's first heritage walk which has now been tentatively named Crash Course on Fort, Bombay. It turned out slightly better than a proper car crash. Slightly. But there were a number of positives. Both R & A had some great feedback on how I could improve, how the tour could be improved. But best of all was their brilliant suggestion that I should take photos of the people who take this tour and make that gallivantin's USP. R is always game when it comes to posing for photos. A, while reluctant, went with the flow and did his best to mirror R's enthusiasm. I think that shows in the photos. More photos will be put up on the Facebook page. (at Asiatic Society, Town Hall)

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Fairly self-explanatory. I went looking for these plaques in St. Thomas' Cathedral after reading about them in Zero Point Bombay, a compilation of essays by Kamala Ganesh, Usha Thakkar and Gita Chadha. It took me a while but I finally found them. The pew is just before the altar, besides the memorial to Dr. Thomas Carr, the first bishop of Bombay. At a right angle to the pew are the chairs used by King George V and Queen Mary. There is another plaque behind the chairs which states that these fine looking chairs are reserved for trustees of the church. A bit of trivia about the #cathedral: Originally called Bombay Church, it was only dedicated to the St. Thomas after its consecration on 7th June 1816. #StThomasCathedral #Church #Bombay #Mumbai #Travelgram #somumbai #everydaymumbai #travel #TravelBlogger (at St. Thomas' Cathedral)

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Since the announcement in one of the previous posts about my lack of foodieness, I have been hesitant to write about food and restaurants in the city. But right now, on an hour-long local train ride to Thane, sheer boredom compels me. And I believe this is an addition to my list of unique experiences in #Bombay, since I don't think there will be all that many Burmese places in the city. After another long walk through Fort, the first thing I needed when I entered #BurmaBurma was a cold, fruity drink. Burmese Blossom sounded interesting and was summarily ordered. Since I was sitting at the bar - a misnomer since the place doesn't serve alcohol but I don't know what else to call it - and the drink was being prepared right in front of me, I got a good look at the whole, um, brewing process. Two large slices of watermelon, cut into small pieces and dropped in the mixer along with cherries with the seeds taken out. Suitably mixed, the concoction was poured into a tall glass and two rose petals -- one red and one white were placed at the top. A drop each of cranberry juice was poured into the petals while a little more went into the drink. The end result - sheer delight. This simple drink is what a smoothie should be before anything else. Smooth. After the Burmese Blossom came the Sticky Rice with Shan Tomato and Brown Onion Salsa. It's one of those rare days when everything goes right. Let me only say that the main course was a good foil for the Blossom and leave you with a word of advice, while I revel in the feeling of having done something slightly adventurous (tried a new cuisine). Do try Burma Burma. Maybe I was just really hungry which is why everything tasted great. But even then, I am certain the food does lie somewhere in the good-to-great range. I hope you have a good time discovering where. #foodreview #RestaurantReview #Bombay #Mumbai #TravelBlogger #Travel #Travelgram #IncredibleIndia #BurmeseFood (at Kala Ghoda, Fort)

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Just like #Bombay, there is much to admire in #Calcutta. And much to trouble you. I was walking to a friend's house in Ballygunge Circular Road after registering as a volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity when I saw the sight that will stay with me forever. After a particularly heavy downpour, the water in the gutters was overflowing onto the streets. Next to one puddle, an old woman was sitting on her haunches, wearing a saree without a blouse. Using a mug, she was dipping into the puddle and pouring that water on herself. This was her bath. So think about it. What does she do when it doesn't rain? Is the water flowing out of the gutters better than the water she could get elsewhere, if at all? Even for someone who is pretty desensitised to people doing their business next to the local train tracks in Bombay, this was particularly disturbing for reasons I have not been able to fathom. And when it rains, no city in the country is probably more dirty. But despite everything, there is something about this city, something that calls out to you. Maybe it is the weight of history. Just like the rest of the country, you see the battle being played out across the city, the battle for the city's soul, a battle between glass and steel on one side and marble and stone on the other. Maybe it's the last sigh before an old world gives way to the new. I would have stayed longer if I hadn't quickly become disillusioned with the whole volunteer experience. And now I don't know when I will go back. This picture was taken from the lovely riverfront path between the Vidyasagar Setu (in picture) and the Howrah Bridge. #Kolkata #Travel #TravelBlogger #Travelgram #IncredibleIndia #WestBengal #Vidyasagarsetu #Hooghly #Architecture #_soi #cityscape #bridge #Suspensionbridge (at Vidyasagar Setu)

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#Flora and the crow. The old Bombay Fort had three gates - Apollo Gate, Bazar Gate and Church Gate. Flora Fountain is built at the exact spot where Church Gate stood. It was called Church Gate because of the St. Thomas Cathedral next door. #FloraFountain #Mumbai #Bombay #Travel #travelgram #somumbai #_soi #FortMumbai #Churchgate (at Flora Fountain)

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I am back in Ideal Corner, a good two hours before closing this time. Kheema Gotala (Kheema with burji) has been ordered, along with Pallonji's ginger lemon. I can now confirm something I've long suspected. I am not a foodie. What others think is the best thing in Ideal, I am having a hard time swallowing. The ginger lemon was my idea, another bad one at that. Never having that again either. Will probably stick to mutton cutlets and cheese omelette next time. #mumbai #bombay #foodreview #fortmumbai #travel #travelblogger #parsifood #travelgram #idealcorner (at Ideal Corner)

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It was 4:15 PM when I reached Ideal Corner, a mere 15 minutes before they closed for the day. I asked one of the waiters if I could get tea, he said no and pointed to another shop down the road. But I was on a mission, to have tried something in each of the last surviving Irani restaurants in the #Fort area. So I ordered a carrot juice. Not an inspired choice, as it turned out. But mission accomplished, unless someone can point out a restaurant I may have missed. Anyway, my research, if you can call googling something now and then that, suggests most Hindu traders were wary of setting up their establishments in street corners -- bad vaastu or something. The Parsis and Iranis, not prone to such superstition, thus found themselves with many prime properties for setting up their eateries. Cafe Excelsior, Britannia, Ideal Corner, Jimmy Boy, Cafe Military are all at street corners, still flourishing, though I use that word a bit too freely perhaps. The only Irani restaurant not at a corner (in the Fort Area) is Yazdhani. And it doesn't really look like it's doing all that well. But what do I know, I haven't seen their books. Kyaani's is also not on a street corner but it isn't in Fort either. Update: Just realised that Excelsior lies outside the Fort Area. #Mumbai #Bombay #somumbai #travel #travelblogger #travelgram #FortMumbai #IraniRestaurant #IdealCorner (at Ideal Corner Restraunt)

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A dash of colour in a dull grey sea, the fishermen brought the only bit of excitement to an otherwise lousy morning when we went to photograph the Bandra-Worli Sea Link from Bandra Fort and I discovered the limitations of the 50mm prime lens from Canon, the only lens I had bought with the then new Canon 600D. #Fishing #bandraworlisealink #Bandra #sealink #Mumbai #Bombay #Travel #travelblogger #travelgram #_soi #everydaymumbai #somumbai (at Bandra fort Garden)

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As I trawled the internet for unique experiences in #Bombay, a suggestion that often cropped up was to see a B-grade movie. Quite specifically, at the Capitol. So one Saturday afternoon, I set out in search of Capitol. For some reason, #Google Maps shows its location as inside the #CST complex. Other websites mentioned its location as opposite CST. For a structure like CST, with multiple entrances, "opposite" does not really help! So it was quite by chance that I found the Capitol. I decided to take a step back and look at CST from a vantage point across the street and from there, figure out where Capitol might be. The vantage point turned out to be in front of the Capitol. The place looked like it hadn't screened a movie in years. The guard loitering outside confirmed as much. "Saalon se bandh hai," he said. Well, so much for that, I will have to find another cinema to see a B-grade movie. For those of you who would still like to see the shell of the Capitol, it is actually opposite the main entrance of CST, across the road from the BMC building. #CapitolCinemas #Mumbai #Travel #travelblogger #cinema #cityscape #Travelgram #everydaymumbai #_soi #somumbai (at Capitol Cinema)

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How Green Was My Valley. (at Yeoor Hills)

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#cityscape #Architecture #London #bigben #Travel #travelblogger #mobilephotography #ispy (at Westminster Abbey)

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When life gets dull, jump off a cliff. Literally. The village of #Kamshet is just a few hours away for the folks in #Mumbai and #Pune and you will find a few paragliding schools in the area. I took a three-day course with the oldest one @flynirvana, a lovely bunch of people with the right attitude to safety. If a course is not what you are looking for, you also have the option of booking tandem rides. #ParaGliding #AdventureSports #Maharashtra #Travel #India #mobilephotography (at Kamshet)