Flag girl

Flag girl, Mumbai, India

“Britain governed its empire by a system of divide and rule. Now over 70 years since independence, India’s political hierarchy still play a similar game – from the civil unrest of the BJP, to the socialist corruption dressed in saffron, white and green. But the blueprint for democratic disorder was drafted in the UK. This … Read more

Shop

Shop Mumbai, India

Shop, Mumbai, India. “There are shops like this all over Mumbai. Small outlets, tightly compressed, selling fast moving consumer goods. But since India embraced the free market in 1991, moving away from Nehru’s socialist ideals, there are now global brands on the shelves, Coca Cola, Kellogg’s and Colgate sitcheek by jowl with domestic products. Sometimes … Read more

Dharavi jeans

“These jeans belong to boys working in Dharavi. Scrubbing out old oil containers – 10 barrels a day, 6 days a week. Its dirty work for long hours, as many professions are, but when they walk home at night they’ll still look morning fresh cool. Nothing’s more truthful than a world unaware you’ve been watching.” … Read more

Street stalls

Street food stalls Snapshots of Mumbai book

Everything changes when you see it from a different angle. A simple statement, but true. These are food stalls near Bandra station, dotted along the frenetic Link Rd and harassed daily by both humans and traffic. “On the ground I don’t see them, unless I’m hungry, then they serve a quick and disposable purpose. But … Read more

Tape

snapshots of mumbai, TDK cassette in an MP3 city

This cassette tape was in the broken glove box of our taxi driver.

“He looked after us like an Uncle; ferrying us from Colaba to Film City, from midday to midnight, and always off meter.
A kind man, wise to a fault on the city, he’d moved to Mumbai in the days before Partition – witnessing firsthand all the changes I now want to explore. But like a TDK cassette in an MP3 city, running out of relevance to most of the people he meets.” – Ed King