BACK IN BOMBAY

March 2 - 4

From Room 1842 in the Taj Hotel Lands End I am looking down, through the sunset on the steel cables of the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link. From this distance the bridge’s cables look like the filaments of a spider’s web. Two hundred and sixty four cable stays from pylon towers four hundred feet high keep this bridge above the open seas. Each day forty thousand vehicles cross from West to South Mumbai.

We landed in Bombay very late on Saturday evening and are installed in the hotel by midnight. A pleasant 32 degrees each day, we took Sunday as a day of rest after sorting out the 
game plan for the assignments next day and Tuesday.

Relaxing by the pool I adjust my sun lounger to follow the sun’s gaze.  A lazy time interspersed with cool towels, bottles of water and fruit kebabs, all delivered to my bedside.

Monday evening we cross on the Sea Link Bridge and through the streets of the city to the Four Seasons. Here, thirty-four floors up, we enjoyed the night with a 360-degree view of 17 million people. Drinks and snacks in the Aer Bar. Later on the music switches to Ibiza circa 2011, a group of men, slim and tall in dark suits arrive to remind us that forty per cent of the countries income tax is created in Bombay. These bankers slither over this city and hardly leave a trail.

The assignment complete I head out on Tuesday evening, actually 02:45 Wednesday morning for the flight to get me into London for a workshop on Wednesday afternoon. The ride to Mumbai airport is through light traffic along another familiar airport route.

Bye Bye Bombay. Back soon.