John Schiller's INCOMPARABLE photographic record of the trip

This link gives access to the wonderful, incredible indescribably beautiful photographic record which John Schiller made of our trip. My words can only provide a one dimensional description but John's photos light up the trip in every dimension.

https://www.johnschillerphotography.com/Personal/Trips-and-Special-Events/India-2019/GSIA

Enjoy and admire

Initial reflections on the 2019 GSIA trip to India

How to reflect on this trip? It is seldom that advertising hyperbole lives up to its exaggerated language but in this case, the Indian Tourist Board’s “Incredible India”, in fact almost under-sells the country. This is a truly a country’s which inspires awe in every sense of the word. 1.3 billion people, living in relative harmony, with multiple religions, dialect, languages, politics, beliefs, cultures, classes, castes and with huge differences between he wealthiest and the poorest. The words ‘melting pot’ are simply inadequate and I find it very difficult to summarize my reflections about the country.

Granted we stayed at places beyond the reach of many Indians and the staff there were trained to be hotel staff but their universal kindness, attentiveness and smiles were a real tonic in a cynical world. These characteristics were not restricted to hotel and restaurants staff. Everyone we met was courteous and smiled. We had many requests to have pictures taken with complete strangers. The incident with the Post Office in Kovalem was just one such kindness shown to a stranger.

Despite warnings about aggressive vendors trying to sell souvenirs and trinkets, I found that all of them, with a polite “No” and raised hands with palms outward, backed off without persisting.

I think both MAC from what she had read and myself from previous visits to India many years ago, were somewhat afraid of the poverty and dirt and we were both very pleasantly surprised at how much had been cleaned up and how little real poverty we saw. However, there are still ‘ghettoes’ and an area near the airport, although now hidden from the road still houses many hundreds of thousands of people in small area in very poor conditions. Nevertheless, few countries, including the United States are free of poverty and a recent UN report related disturbing figures on conditions in some parts of the USA.

Yes, there probably is corruption and mismanagement in India but it is still a democracy which when one consider the size of the country and the number of people who live there is still almost miraculous. 

Much needs to be done in India but much has been achieved in the 70 years since independence from the British. Progress is visibly ongoing and the transition which I saw from the early 1970’s to now will accelerate and I would expect that if I were to return in a couple of years (and I hope that I do), I will see quantum changes. India is a country with every contradiction which can be imagined. It is a young country, just 70 years old as a free sovereign state but a country thousand of years old in history, culture and tradition. Colonists or interlopers, The Persians, Genghis Kahn, the Portuguese, the British, to name a few have had influence on the country and may have introduced some concepts from there lands but Indian as kept the faith with its own culture, religions and ethnicity all along.

One thing I would say most strongly. Before I left I said that the Taj Mahal was not high on my list of things to see in India and that there were other temples, monuments and sights which were going to be even more beautiful and interesting. 

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. 

The Taj Mahal simply takes your breath away and the sight of it burns into your retina and I will never forget it. It is the most staggering building I have ever seen. Words and photographs cannot describe for me, what the experience of standing in front of it.

Yes, it is an excessive monument and mausoleum, it probably costs money and lives to build and was the result of the hubris of its builder, but despite all that, it is simply magnificent and even that word is not adequate. My only advice to anyone is 'Go see it and judge for yourself'.

The Trip

Who could have imagined out of what were some almost casual comments at the GSIA 40th class reunion in 2015, that this trip would have been born?? This is the very best example of ‘be careful what you wish for’!!

In three weeks we could only see a small portion of this large and populous country but what a portion!!!! We covered a lot of ground and saw and experienced some life-time memorable things. Hemant and Darshana guided, shepherded, and cared for us every step of the way. The smallest detail was not overlooked, from printing boarding passes, engaging guides, booking restaurants and transport. With delays and other issues, these arrangements often had to be changed or rearranged and this was Donne seamlessly from our perspective. One can only imagine the work and worry which went on. between the two of them when we were not there. I cannot conceive of any travel agent or courier who could have managed this trip in the way it was managed. The way in which Marc’s unfortunate injury was managed with wheelchairs and treatment organized with no interruptions to the schedule for the rest of us was just amazing (a much-used word but in the context of this trip one which is truly applicable). Through it all they remained calm and instilled in us confidence which in a country which is as different from our homes as it could be, was very comforting. Any request was met if it was at all possible and Hemant must have sent some hours reconciling all their expenditures and producing his spread sheets. All the worries of gratuities and on the go expenses were taken care of without our having to be concerned. The only thing we had to worry about was to be where we should be when we should be and who would have thought that we had no laggards and everyone was on time and on cue.

But to Hemant and Darshana, the ‘conductors’ of this mobile orchestra of aluminati and their partners goes the everlasting thanks of all of us, I am sure. This was a stimulating and engaging group who, despite different lives and backgrounds got along exceedingly well, due in no small measure to the ‘conductors’ superb organization, the obvious love of their country with which they infused us and the kindness and consideration they showed us. MAC and I thank you both from the bottom of our hearts.

Saturday 23rd February - our last day in India for this trip

We got up early this morning as we wanted to make a quick trip to the former Victoria Terminus, (real name now is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) the main terminus in Mumbai for the railway system. This is a magnificent building and a UNESCO heritage site. After hasty dressing we took a cab through the empty streets and past grounds where at 7.15 a.m. there were games of cricket under way with the teams in smart whites. The game is almost a religion here, blame the British for that!! We passed the High Court building which is just eye-popping in its grace and style. We were soon at the area of the station and the driver dropped us off at an underpass which made it easier to negotiate the intersection. Despite the lack of traffic at this hour, the street are still tricky to cross. We traversed the underpass and came up I’m to the booking hall of this great terminus. Trains were arriving and leaving and, although it was Saturday, flood of people were disembarking and boarding the trains. Porters criss-crossed the platforms with loads on their heads of baskets or luggage. At the front of the arriving trains was a ‘Women Only’ car with a large picture of lady on it. This is to allow ladies to travel without risk of harassment. The station has, at the moment a bit of an air of faded beauty but is undergoing extensive renovation to restore it to its former glory. This is a very worthwhile task as the station is an architectural gem. We walked around the station for a while but sadly the upper concourse was not open and neither was the very grand entryway through a garden courtyard. There were a number of dogs and cats around the terminus and one dog, in particular, took a shine to MAC and followed her around the whole time we were there, even chasing away a cat which the dog must have thought to be a threat!!

MAC and 'friend'

The exterior of the former Victoria Terminus

The booking hall

The crowds rush off the arriving train

The signs for the 'Ladies Only' car

The concourse

More exterior shots of the Victoria Terminal

We took the underpass back halfway and came up on a traffic island in the middle of the street which afforded a great camera view of the buildings. Then from a taxi stand we took a cab back to the hotel to have some breakfast with the group. Each cab trip with the tip cost $1 or less. We joined some of the group for breakfast in the hotel and I had a wonderful dosa filled with vegetables and accompanied by a piquant curry sauce. My last breakfast in India, (well for this trip, anyway), was a memorable one!!

Today’s adventure was to be to Elephanta Island which is offshore from Mumbai and contains rather remains of some cave temples. The trip involves a 50 minute boat trip (it actually turned out to be more like a 70 minute trip). MAC decided to forego this as she suffers from seasickness and was not sure how rough the trip would be. With a flight home tonight, this may have been wise. Here is some information about Elephanta Island

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Known in ancient times as Gharapuri, the name Elephanta island (i.e. "ilha do Elefante"), was given by 16th century Portuguese explorers, after seeing a monolithic basalt sculpture of an elephant found near the entrance. They decided to take it home but ended up dropping it into the sea because their chains were not strong enough. Later, this sculpture was moved to the Victoria and Albert Museum (now Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum) in Mumbai, by the British. This island was once the capital of a powerful local kingdom. In Manuscript F by Leonardo da Vinci (kept at the Library de France) there is a note in which he says 'Map of Elephanta in India which Antonello the haberdasher has.' It is unclear who this Florentine traveller Antonello might have been

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We took cars down to the Gateway of India plaza where the boats leave for all sorts of destinations and offshore islands. The Gateway of India itself is a huge archway which was constructed to mark the arrival in India of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. (Check date). It is situated close to the main Taj Hotel (there are several Taj Hotels in Mumbai), where we would return for lunch after the trip. Hament bought tickets and we soon boarded a boat. You could pay an extra INR10 to go upstairs but I decided to remain below in the shade. Our trip took us past a naval base where a large aircraft carrier and what looked like a destroyer were berthed and we could also see a large cruise shop called “Mein Schiff” (strange name), in the distance. Moored in the harbor were offshore oil-rig support vessels and other working ships. We passed two large oil or gas terminals with a couple of large tankers alongside. It was very misty which was, I suspect really smog from the still air and poor quality. It was not possible to see our destination until we came quite close. In the background one could just make out their container gantries of the new port which has been constructed to relieve the congestion which was chronic in the old port. The new port is very large and has multiple container gantry cranes.

The Gateway of India

The Gateway with the old and new Taj Hotels in the background

The ferry boats to the island

The Indian Navy's aircraft carrier

In the mist, the large German cruise ship called 'Mein Schiff'

We arrived at a the island, disembarked from our boat and walked the short distance to a small train which carries visitors along the quite long jetty to the shore. The train took just a few minutes and was very welcome to avoid the long walk in the rising heat of the morning. 

From the train, we embarked on the long climb to the caves. Linda who is not well and also has knee problems elected to take a chair to make the climb. The chairs are strapped to long bamboo poles on each side which are then lifted by 3 or four men, none of whom look that strong. The ride is a bit bumpy as the men negotiate the slopes and steps to get to the top but with a short break about halfway they made it and Linda was able to see the caves without too much stress. We all labored up the steps with varying degrees of huffing and puffing and reached the top. There were more steps after this but we did not go right to the top of the hill, just to the caves.

The small train to take us along the jetty

At the entrance to the caves we met a feisty elderly lady who informed us that our group of 10 (Steve, who was not too well and MAC being absent) had to have a licensed guide to enter the caves. After a brief discussion and negotiation with Hament she was engaged and proved to be a very interesting and knowledgeable guide.

She told us that the date of the caves which were excavated from the rocks is not certain. Inside the caves are multiple statues and carvings of the god Shiva and other characters associated with the deity. Unfortunately, the Portuguese when they came her in the 15th century used the stone works for target practice and some of them are damaged but may retain very fine detail. Our guide explained the meaning of each set of carvings and I will have to research them to make sure that I recall them correctly. Each depicts a particular incident in the history of Shiva and his life. More detail will follow. The guide ended with a nice story about the lotus flower which is the national flower of India. She said that although the lotus plant grew in dirty muddy ponds and lakes, the beauty of the lotus flower shines through its environment. This gave us a lesson that whatever our surroundings of corruption or chaos, we too should retain our inner beauty and transcend the environment in which we find ourselves. Here is some onformation from UNESCO regarding these caves:

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The Elephanta Caves are located in Western India on Elephanta Island (otherwise known as the Island of Gharapuri), which features two hillocks separated by a narrow valley. The small island is dotted with numerous ancient archaeological remains that are the sole testimonies to its rich cultural past. These archaeological remains reveal evidence of occupation from as early as the 2nd century BC. The rock-cut Elephanta Caves were constructed about the mid-5th to 6th centuries AD. The most important among the caves is the great Cave 1, which measures 39 metres from the front entrance to the back. In plan, this cave in the western hill closely resembles Dumar Lena cave at Ellora, in India. The main body of the cave, excluding the porticos on the three open sides and the back aisle, is 27 metres square and is supported by rows of six columns each.

The 7-metre-high masterpiece “Sadashiva” dominates the entrance to Cave 1. The sculpture represents three aspects of Shiva: the Creator, the Preserver, and the Destroyer, identified, respectively, with Aghora or Bhairava (left half), Taptapurusha or Mahadeva (central full face), and Vamadeva or Uma (right half). Representations of Nataraja, Yogishvara, Andhakasuravadha, Ardhanarishwara, Kalyanasundaramurti, Gangadharamurti, and Ravanaanugrahamurti are also noteworthy for their forms, dimensions, themes, representations, content, alignment and execution.

The layout of the caves, including the pillar components, the placement and division of the caves into different parts, and the provision of a sanctum or Garbhagriha of sarvatobhadra plan, are important developments in rock-cut architecture. The Elephanta Caves emerged from a long artistic tradition, but demonstrate refreshing innovation. The combination of aesthetic beauty and sculptural art, replete with respondent Rasas, reached an apogee at the Elephanta Caves. Hindu spiritualistic beliefs and symbology are finely utilized in the overall planning of the caves.

The fifteen large reliefs surrounding the lingam chapel in the main Elephanta Cave not only constitute one of the greatest examples of Indian art but also one of the most important collections for the cult of Shiva.  

The caves are the most magnificent achievement in the history of rock-architecture in western India. The Trimurti and other colossal sculptures with their aesthetic setting are examples of unique artistic creation.

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The chairs for those who choose not to walk up the hill

Linda's porters take a break at halfway

A map of the island

Our Guide for the caves

The representation of Shiva which was worshiped

Some of the sculptures in the caves

After touring the ruins we descended again down the hill and re-boarded the small train to take us back to the jetty where another boat was waiting. The journey back took about 80 minutes possibly because the tide was flooding and several large vessels were on the move, arriving and leaving the port. A very big APL vessel arrived as an equally large MSC vessel sailed.

On arrival back at the Gateway of India pier, there was quite some confusion in finding a place for the boat to moor and allow us to disembark. Eventually after some maneuvering we found a spot, double berthed with another boat which was also disembarking so we had to squeeze past the throngs from both boats but made it safely to shore.

We walked the short distance to the Taj Hotel and the Sea Lounge on the second floor just off the magnificently grand main staircase with its bust of the hotel’s founder very prominent. High tea not yet being served we had lunch instead. I had Pani Puri which are small puff balls filled with vegetables and into the hole in which, you poor a mint liquor. Then, quickly, to avoid spillage you place the resulting treat into your mouth and it just literally explodes with flavor. I could have ordered another serving of them!! We also shared a salad and MAC had another Puri dish. The restaurant is very grand and high tea started while we were there. It is in the form of a buffet and is very popular with visitors and hotel guests alike.

From here, we took cabs back to the hotel for a quick freshen up. MAC, during the day, while I was away on the trip to the island, had completed most of the packing.

Then we walked the short distance to the Performing Arts Center which is about 200 meters from the hotel to see w are from ace of Sufi music and dance for which MAC had secured tickets during the day. The show was very interesting and told stories and poetry of a Fakir Hussein (need to confirm this). From Lahore in Pakistan whose teachings are followed by the Sufi. The cast which consisted of a singer/narrator, a singer/dancer, a tabla player and a guitarist had woven together original music with poetry, song and dance around the work of the poet and guru. The rhythms and singing were not too familiar to the western ear and it might have been a help to have some form of super-titles for those of us not familiar with the language which was not Hindi (what was it?),  although there was some narration in English. The singing and dancing were very atmospheric and, in places the dancing was quite energetic and in other places very subdued and expressive.

Then it was in another cab to the InterContinental Hotel and up to the Dome Bar on the 8th floor. The is affords a wonderful view of the ‘Queen’s Necklace’ which is the name given to the curve of the bay which, when lighted at night appears to be like a necklace. The rest of the city stretches out behind it.

Here we were joined by Linda and Stevie, had drinks and listened to a beautiful Indian flute player who told me he was originally from Somerset in England, moved to New Zealand and had them settled here where he had lived for 13 years.

Artist name is Jared Woody and his contact no is 9821142157 and email id is  fluteplaya@gmail.com 

He told Hament the name of her Indian flute teacher and Hament said that he was the very best. His music was very soothing and fitted the atmosphere perfectly. We toasted our wonderful hosts Hament and Darshana and thanked them for the staggering amount of work and effort they had put in to make this truly a lifetime experience for us all. We may have covered a lot of ground and it may have been hectic at times but MAC and I both agree we would not have missed one second of it.

Then it was down to the Kebab House for dinner. Here we had some spicy kebabs, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian and also celebrated Claire’s birthday with a cake and a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’. This had really been the birthday trip!! We had Marc, Steve, Darshana and Claire, 4 from 12, not bad.

We had to cut our meal a bit short to go back to the hotel, check-out, pick up our luggage and take the car to the airport. We stopped for a final farewell group photo in the lobby and said farewell to our great traveling companions and, of course our tremendous hosts before heading off for the car and the airport.

Traffic was not too bad and we were at the airport in good time, checked in and shortly ensconced in the GV? Lounge in comfort. We did have a secondary security check before boarding but everything went smoothly and we were soon in our very comfortable lay-flat seats on the Air India Boeing 777. Take-off was delayed and we left at 3 a.m. instead of 2 a.m. The headwinds are scheduled to make the flight over 15 hours so we will be a bit late into Newark.

Friday 22nd February

We were rather slower to wake and get up this morning!! We managed to get downstairs by about 9.30 a.m. and we walked along the sea front to the left from the exit of the hotel. This was not very far and the walk came to an end at a small jetty. This was close to the National IndianPerforming Arts Center where there are some concerts over the next couple of days. These concerts are of Sufi music and dancing. We decided to see if we could fit in one of these performances before we leave on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

On returning to the hotel, we contacted the concierge Mr. Fagun and introduced ourselves as Narendra, our neighbor had recommended.

MAC went off for shopping within the hotel complex and I waited for the group to join us at 11 a.m. Darshana asked the concierge if we could buy tickets fore the show at the PAC but he told us that there was no show this evening which we knew not to be true but we left the matter for the time being.

Linda came down to the lobby but was coughing badly and had a very heavy cold which coupled with asthma is causing shortness of breath so she elected to stay in the hotel and rest. In view of the poor air quality outside, this is probably for the best.

At 11 a.m. the cars came and we took them into the city for a walk through the streets. The cars dropped us off and we walked through the streets checking out the stalls and shops in the area around the Flora Fountain and the University. We passed Bombay House which is the headquarters of the huge conglomerate TATA. We also passed a large crescent of houses similar to the one in Bath, England.

We arrived at a store called Fabindia which sells and promotes local crafts from all parts of India. This includes clothes, furnishings, spices, cosmetics, etc. This took quite a long time as there were three floors of merchandise and several of the group invested quite heavily.

Then it was on to Thacker a small restaurant which was entered by a small doorway at 31, Dadisheth Agyari Lane off Kalbadevi Road and up a flight of stairs. Except for the fact that is is written up in every guide book, you would never find it or even consider going there. It was very crowded and we had to wait for about 20 minutes for tables to accommodate all of us. If you are in Mumbai, don't miss it, it is a real treat.

St Thomas Cathedral

Bombay House

Morning nap!!

The lunch delivery service

Very colorful street food

Just some of the wonderful streetscape of the area

When we sat down, steel trays with small bowls were set in front of us. Then a large selection of dishes, breads and chutneys were brought in and the bowls and trays filled with delicious curries, soups and sauces. This was a really tasty meal with lots of different flavors and textures washed down with buttermilk. The owner of the restaurant, Shree Thacker Bhojanalay, joined us. The restaurant  has been around in his family for nearly 75 years and he told us his niece lives in New York and we all said this format would be a big success there. By the end of the meal we were all more than well fed.

The street where the restaurant Thaker is located

Our meal at Thaker, no comment needed!

To help digest the meal we walked for a while through the jewelry district, called Laveri Bazaar and called in on Darshana’s cousin’s jewelry design store where he told us that despite the value of the goods sold on this street, there was no security and no crime. In each city we have visited, the small stores are often grouped in areas, with all or most of the small stores selling similar things, such as textiles, saris, wedding invitations and stationery, books, jewelry, paper goods, spices, etc. The amount of competition must be tremendous. One area in Delhi which sold saris was such a colorful and attractive area one wonders how a shopper can manage to choose any one store or item over the next, so great is the selection on offer

Just some scenes from the wonderful bustling, busy streets with a myriad of vendors

...and in the middle and ornate temple!

A vegetable salesman

The textile market

A huge mosque

The textile market, (photos were not allowed but I didn't find out until I had taken these. Whoops!!)

Crawford Market, the fruit and vegetable market with its colorful arrays. The last picture if of the Alphonso mangoes, said to be the creme de la creme of mangoes.

We walked on through the paper district and then through Mangaldas Market, the textile wholesale market which is a riot of colors of cloths of cotton and silk. Then it was on again ending up in Crawford Market which is the fruit and vegetable market and which sells all manner of produce in every color, size and shape. The aisles seem to go on for ever which hundreds, maybe thousands of small vendors. Quite a sight.

After negotiating the street crossing in rush hour traffic, a feat in itself, we met the car and drove back to the hotel. On the way, we decided to poll everyone to see if they would like to forego the dinner arranged for this evening and just have drinks in the hotel instead. The majority, still digesting the lunch, agreed.

After a freshen up we met in the Opium Den bar in our Hotel and had drinks before retiring to bed after another wonderful day in this amazing city.