I’m currently reading Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta It’s been on my reading list for years, and probably on my bookshelf for 2, but just picked it up recently and now can’t stop.
It’s really about the underbelly of Bombay (now called Mumbai) and outlines the incredible corruption and disorganization at most every level of the city. Bombay is likely “everycity” in India but just at a level akin to being on steroids. From the police chief to the small time gang members, everyone is watching out for themselves.
It’s brilliantly written and does indeed help me to better understand all of India, but it’s terribly disheartening to realize that if India is to change and truly join the developed world, it will take decades to arrive given the levels of deception.
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The above pics were taken during my trip to Mumbai in early 2007 – long before the blasts that ripped through the city in 2008 orchestrated by Muslim terrorists from Pakistan. In order they are: Mumbai skyline, the Taj Mahal Hotel and Gateway to India. The Taj, you’ll remember, was the scene of one of the attacks but it has since reopened.
Neither of the Wanderlust and Lipstick tours visits Mumbai (for no other reason than we concentrate on the Golden Triangle and the South) but there are lots of other great sites to see on both of the women-only tours to India.
See more lovely photos at DeliciousBaby’s Photo Friday!
Travel Well!
Beth
Related Links:
North India Tour for Women
South India Tour for Women
Pushkar Camel Fair
Indian Turbans
Rajasthan Highlights
dianne says
I love this book and recommend it to everyone! It goes to show that India’s problems are not about quick fixes but instrinsically tied to the culture!