A street in Powai

Inside IIT's Main Gate Rickshaw parked inside IITB's Main Gate Autos in the rain
Inside IIT Bombay's Main Gate, some busy guards and an idle auto-ricksaw; Outside, traffic in the rain

IIT Bombay is in Powai, a town-suburb of Bombay. Where the IITB campus is active but sedate (humming with determination), the town around it seems the opposite: moving faster and yet (apparently) doing less. One sees it in the children sitting on doorsills, the clusters of people orbiting around (or sitting on!) the produce, not buying, not selling, talking in staccatos of Hindi or (I am told) Tamil ... my untrained Western ears detecting the occasional English word, or, likely, English word imported from India (like veranda, bungalow...).

Bananas in the rain Cow and Scooter Vegetables Stand
Bananas in the rain; Traditional and modern mingle freely (notice `computers' sign above vegetable stand)

The main thoroughfare (on which IITB's main gate opens) is hectic. Vehicles in a range of size and number of wheels: bicycles, scooters (2); same with sidecars, motorized rickshaws (3); autos from the tiny to the US compact, jeeps galore, giant buses (4); trucks (4, 6, 8...). Some cows, crows, and many many dogs. Children playing or serious in school uniform, women in traditional garb, men (almost always) in Western long trousers and long-sleeved shirts -most people of both sexes wearing sandals or less.

Rickshaw moves Crows in the trash Bus stop and Cow
Some are on the move; some pick and choose; some wait for their bus

Produce Fruit stand
Shopkeepers often sit with their produce

Paper Recycling Garment District Sundries
Paper recycled here; Garments (saw few glass windows); Sundry items

Store at night Grain is sold in bulk Fruit is sold well into the night
The merchants remain open late

© Cris 1998-Y2K
updated 98/09/13