Cousins-in-Arms - Mumbai, November 2009
Mumbai, November 2009
Yes, catching up with my cousin Qays who has been missing in and around Bombay during the past 15 years since my last visit, WAS a wonderfully surreal experience and one I will always remember. Especially roaring around Mumbai on the back seat of his 6-cylinder Honda (my Volvo wagon is a puny 4) to take pictures. Not to mention his two-dozen-plus collection of bikes, from among which I selected the 1954 Sunbeam as the one with my name on it. So I'm determined to keep him and other like-minded cousins within sight at all times.
Qays is my second cousin. I know him better that my other Indian cousins as the bungalows we grew up in were just across Sophia College Lane from each other and we have been in touch over the years, albeit sporadically. Qays is the son of my Uncle Faiz and Aunt Shafiqa Tyabji.
I asked Qays to take me for a spin around Mumbai on one of his bikes and he showed up at 7 oclock one Sunday morning on his monstrous 6-cylinder Sunbeam. This was to be a special treat for me as I hadn't been on a motorcycle since I sold my Matchless twin in Bhutan nearly 30 years previously. Additionally, I wanted to photograph Mumbai's iconic architectural styles which are a testimony to the city's unique cultural history. Many buildings, structures and historical monuments remain from the colonial era, blending Gothic, Victorian, Art-Deco, Indo-Saracenic and contemporary architectural styles. Mumbai. after Miami, boasts the second-largest number of Art-Deco buildings in the world.
Zooming around on a bike early on a Sunday ensured relatively unobstructed views of the buildings, with little traffic to worry about. I did get quite a few pictures and they can be seen on Flickr. Click HERE to view.