It was 4'o clock, when I reached Reay Road railway station. The previous night I was cycling till morning from Nariman Point to Bandra to explore the coastal areas of Mumbai. I had a good sleep till mid-day. I din't want to miss any event in Mumbai because I was not sure how long I would staying in Mumbai and I wanted to live every day intensely. For me every day is different and I do what I want. Who knows there might come a time when travelling is not possible as we wish. Moreover, I can meet new people and establish friendship with a few of them. Meeting different kinds of people has always given me a new experience every time. These are now things that I live for and love the most about traveling.
Usually, photowalks are conducted in one particular area with a theme for the day. This time, the place was Reay Road and our theme was 'fire and metals'. As a practice, we post at least two photos we clicked during the walk in the facebook group page. A large group of enthusiastic photographers assembled in front of Reay Road railway station with a range of cameras with them.
We started our walk from Reay Road Station, which is located directly east on Mumbai’s Harbour Line. We could see pavement dwellings under the overbridge just opposite to the station. You will find that these roadside homes have everything you expect in a home. Many slum dwellers had built two or three lofts atop their hovels.
Within few minutes we were looking deep into the lanes and by lanes of Reay Road. Here you can find industry workers, fishing villages, markets and more. A variety of life filled with urban energy. I saw a man having a shower right on the street and when he saw the camera, he was even more happy to pose. Like any other street I saw a man frying peanuts with sand.
The afternoon was oppressively hot, and people were roaming around the place comfortably. I noticed food cooking in brass pots over open fires at the streets.
Kids were friendly. I never saw children begging, instead what I could see were laughing children running through the lanes and playing. They surrounded us, curious to look at us and posing for our cameras to be clicked.
The micro industries were thriving within. There were numerous manufacturing units and activities. Many people work for companies in a recycling industry. We passed through a pile of plastics and stored to be reassembled for reuse.
I watched a wide range of business activities , recycling, leather tanming, barber shop, dress pressing, waste paper processing, welding and many more. And these hardworking people are contributors for the growing Indian econmy.
I walked in the narrowest lanes where people lived in extremely close proximity to each other. Poverty, apalling sanitation and illiteracy was visible everywhere. But people do live here and they were friendly and smiled at us as we walked along.
Finally we reached a water body. The area was dirty and a fire on a big pile of waste created smoke around the area. The area was congested and polluted.
I felt this place as just another neighbourhood, where you can find all activities just like any other small village. Got much more understanding of life and work in Mumbai slums. Perhaps I started enjoying Aamchi Mumbai.
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