Green Power

I have long considered carrying a camera along with me to capture candid moments. The temptation is usually strong when I see some ridiculously misspelt word in a slogan or shop name. Now though I think I may actually end up doing so.

Simply to capture the little spurts of greenery in Mumbai.

The chawls near my house all have faded flower pots neatly lined up in the tiny balconies of the crumbling façade.

The big houses facing noisy Peddar Road, have a row of greenery in special stands installed outside their windows.

In the crowded Lower Parel area where concrete and construction rules, I spotted a small, lovingly tended plant next to a tiny front door as a sea of traffic did its best to kill the plant.

Looking out of a restaurant window, I noticed plants lined up on the concrete compound wall of the adjacent building.

For a city whose denizens do not think twice about spitting everywhere and throwing trash everywhere and whose real estate is so valued that the concept of balconies is going the way of Dodos, I am amazed that there is space in people’s homes and hearts for a little bit of greenery.

Sometimes Mumbai totally surprises me.