A sticky wicket

In 1721 there is a record of sailors on shore from East India ships playing the first match of cricket in India. Today, although not the official sport of India... that is field hockey... cricket is played everywhere. No relatively flat piece of land is overlooked as a possible pitch... roads, footpaths, vacant lots, beaches, the list is endless. On a sunny Sunday afternoon Mumbai's Juhu beach yields up hundreds of pitches once the tide is out... or before... for the most eager players.

A tiny turned toy Ganesh

Spotted in a craft expo in Bandra, this Ganesh and all the toys around it are examples of a 225 year old craft-form utilizing turned wood, natural dyes and lacquer.
These sturdy toys of Etikoppaka village in Andhra Pradesh have found favour with children worldwide. However, bureaucratic red-tape, both here and overseas may see this craft die away in the next few years. In India, the toy makers cannot get permits to source sufficient quantities of Anduku wood to use in these wood-turnings, whilst overseas, certifications and eco-friendly compliance proof are increasingly required.

Barefoot on Vaikunthlal Mehta Road

In the traffic chaos of Vl Mehta Road in Juhu, auto rickshaws, and BMWs jostle with a hand drawn push-cart bearing a mobile shrine to a religious guru. This family ekes out an existence from donations given to them by worshipers as they drag this vibrantly decorated cart through the western suburbs of Mumbai.

Elephanta Caves

Set deep in a many columned cave, the inscrutable faces of the Trimurti or three headed Shiva, dwarf visitors. This 6m sculpture is the most important carving in the basalt hewn Elephanta Caves complex, which was created before 800AD. No inscriptions naming the cave excavators have been found, so the origins of the complex remain lost in time.
A one hour boat ride from the Gateway of India transports visitors from 21st century Mumbai to this ancient and mysterious world of Hindu legend and worship on Elephanta Island.

Sunset at Juhu

Standing with their feet in the water, thousands of Mumbaikars are drawn to the sight of a great golden orb sinking into the Arabian Sea. Stretching north from Mumbai's western suburbs, Juhu Beach is a place to catch your breath and stroll with the family, away from the noise, confusion and crowds of the city. Accessible to all, this vast strand is, at low tide, one of Mumbai's few open spaces, and is shared equally by joggers who live in the luxury apartments overlooking the beach, and families from the slums, in search of clean air and the great outdoors.

Kerrs to Mumbai

And so, once again we leap eastwards, to find ourselves engrossed in the world's oldest culture.
Most of these photos will be from Mumbai, a place full of startling curiosities.
This 20 million plus megalopolis is as exotic today as it once was for Rudyard Kipling, who described it as lying "between the palms and the sea, where the world end steamers wait."