Blog Post on Cyber Nag

Cyber Nag or Zephyr as some of us know her, talks about social issues, family and kids on her blog cybernag.in  and in her own words "The subjects I write about are varied but they are everyday stuff that everyone can identify with in one way or the other. Sometimes you will go back in time; at others you might just be living the thing."
Stepping into the wild is a photo essay I wrote as a guest post on her blog. Hopefully you will enjoy.

For those of you who have reached here from Zephyr's blog - thanks folks and do leave your precious comments and link, so that I can respond back to you.

Quintessential Mumbai .. what images come to your mind?

Taj Mahal Hotel & Gateway of India - viewed from Arabian Sea

Iconic structures make the city or does the city add to the character of structures making them iconic. Whatever way it works, one could be quiet sure that landmarks often become integral to city and sometime to a country too. What would Kuala Lumpur be without the twin towers, or New York without the Empire State building or for that matter India be without a Taj or Egypt without the Great Pyramids.

During the dynastic rule, kings and queens often built such landmark to leave their footprints in time, building monuments which would take years and many a lives to construct, (probably have bodies cremanated or burried right there) but would stand the test of time, weather and oft attacks by invaders or rule by other kings. Such monuments and landmarks are a testament of not just might and whimsical wishes of some spoilt king but also represented the culture and collective ethos and style of the whole generation.

It is a pity that India, a country so rich with classic architecture has little to talk about landmarks of Modern India. While the world was busy making the twin towers in Malaysia, the Burj or the islands in Dubai, Indian leaders at best could conjure up self adulation in form of statues (one Ms Mayawati in UP) or conspired to destroy a few in name of history or religion (we know who).

Photo credits:wired destinations

I know not when will Mumbai have its "Chatrapati Shivaji statue", not sure if it really is the best choice, not even sure if a monument alone could capture and represent this complex microcosm of humanity called Mumbai but till then.. enjoy these two images from two different side of the Mumbai Tip Taj Mahal & Gateway on the Apollo Bunder Side (see map) and Air India Building & Oberoi Towers on the Nariman Point side (see map). These buildings and Mumbai are inseparable - really, each sides representing two different eras and styles.

Air India HQ & Oberoi Towers, Nariman Point, Mumbai

What are images that come to your mind when you think of Mumbai? Do you think of any monument or sight that you deeply associate with what Mumbai is and stands for? Do you think it is even important enough to have an iconic structure - of steel or concrete to make a great city? Which great city can you think of which doesn't have any landmark structure? Lot of questions .. not many answer i have. Look forward to your comments / opinions!

Ohh by the way - Hope you liked the photographs. Please do visit the earlier photo posts on Mumbai City (part 1 / part 2) on some other not so familiar photographs of this city.