2008 Woodie Awards
The irony of Mumbai
Blog dispatch from students in India
Mat Lohr
Issue: 7/14/08 Section: summer in india
Posted August 19, 2008
Traveling to exotic locations and experiencing foreign cultures is something all of us have dreams about. I, along with 20 other individuals, have gotten the chance to make that dream a reality. Upon telling friends and family I would be venturing to Mumbai, India, there was a lot of skepticism. Everyone told me about the poverty, food, water and political corruption. However, not until landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport did I get my first taste of everything Mumbai had to offer. Surprisingly, I didn't feel frightened or worried like most said I would be--instead I felt in a state of irony.
How ironic that I almost felt like I had just landed in New York. These two cities that are on opposite sides of the world do feel so similar. However, it wasn't until I stepped outside of the airport to get my full blast of Mumbai's beautiful irony. I thought it ironic Gandhi was displayed on every paper rupee and that despite how heavily and chaotic the traffic was in this large city, there are fewer accidents by far than the United States.
Jerry Pinto, a celebrated Indian journalist and author, told our group of travelers Mumbai is an "emergency in slow motion," and everything in the city can be seen as ironic. For example, the huge island temple that rests just perfectly overlooking a group of nuclear reactors. Or how health tourism has brought many foreigners to India for incredibly cheap healthcare, and yet people lay injured or even dead in front of the hospital doors.
I continued to find evidence of more irony as days passed. On a day trip to Mani Bhavan, where Gandhi was known to reside when he traveled to India, I witnessed a posting on the wall that Gandhi had said during his incredible life. The writing read "Woman is more fitted than man to make exploration and take older action in nonviolence. There is no occasion for women to consider themselves subordinate or inferior to men. Woman is the companion of man, gifted with equal mental capacity. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior. If nonviolence is the lay of our being, the future is with women." I read this quote out loud and then thought about how many women in the country are not being educated and the number of women who are neglected by their families and the culture they live in. The Hindu religion praises their female Goddesses, and of course, they take the words of Gandhi to heart. Not to mention India has elected women political leaders far ahead of many more developed countries. So, with such praise for females, I was left wondering why women have not made more advances in Indian society.
Traveling to exotic locations and experiencing foreign cultures is something all of us have dreams about. I, along with 20 other individuals, have gotten the chance to make that dream a reality. Upon telling friends and family I would be venturing to Mumbai, India, there was a lot of skepticism. Everyone told me about the poverty, food, water and political corruption. However, not until landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport did I get my first taste of everything Mumbai had to offer. Surprisingly, I didn't feel frightened or worried like most said I would be--instead I felt in a state of irony.
How ironic that I almost felt like I had just landed in New York. These two cities that are on opposite sides of the world do feel so similar. However, it wasn't until I stepped outside of the airport to get my full blast of Mumbai's beautiful irony. I thought it ironic Gandhi was displayed on every paper rupee and that despite how heavily and chaotic the traffic was in this large city, there are fewer accidents by far than the United States.
Jerry Pinto, a celebrated Indian journalist and author, told our group of travelers Mumbai is an "emergency in slow motion," and everything in the city can be seen as ironic. For example, the huge island temple that rests just perfectly overlooking a group of nuclear reactors. Or how health tourism has brought many foreigners to India for incredibly cheap healthcare, and yet people lay injured or even dead in front of the hospital doors.
I continued to find evidence of more irony as days passed. On a day trip to Mani Bhavan, where Gandhi was known to reside when he traveled to India, I witnessed a posting on the wall that Gandhi had said during his incredible life. The writing read "Woman is more fitted than man to make exploration and take older action in nonviolence. There is no occasion for women to consider themselves subordinate or inferior to men. Woman is the companion of man, gifted with equal mental capacity. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's superior. If nonviolence is the lay of our being, the future is with women." I read this quote out loud and then thought about how many women in the country are not being educated and the number of women who are neglected by their families and the culture they live in. The Hindu religion praises their female Goddesses, and of course, they take the words of Gandhi to heart. Not to mention India has elected women political leaders far ahead of many more developed countries. So, with such praise for females, I was left wondering why women have not made more advances in Indian society.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 12
Lauren Padgett
posted 8/21/08 @ 1:59 AM PST
India is a juxtaposition in itself. It's a coutry still struggling in it's identity, and it seems more often than not that the disenfranchised are not even considered when it comes to that identity. (Continued…)
Laurel Saito
posted 8/21/08 @ 6:44 AM PST
I think it is the irony itself that has bothered me the most this trip. The country has huge economic growth and equally overwhelming poverty. Like Jerry Pinto said, he has never seen poverty as in your face as it is in India. (Continued…)
Veronica Martin
posted 8/21/08 @ 9:53 PM PST
yes, it's just this irony, these opposing forces, that make Mumbai at times almost unbearable... yet the same force also brings the moments of peace found among the constant and flowing opposition. (Continued…)
erica webster
Erica Webster
posted 8/22/08 @ 5:37 AM PST
yes. im glad jerry pointed out the irony or else im not sure i would have been as aware of it. ooh, irony example; the other day, i saw a tall, red sign that read "clean up", but it was surrounded in trash. (Continued…)
Vincent Hobbs
posted 8/22/08 @ 5:38 AM PST
Welp, That's India...
Melissa Heintz
posted 8/24/08 @ 9:36 AM PST
Wow Vinnie... that's India! haha. Matt, I like how you pointed out the irony of the slums because I feel the same way. The people I met there were genuinely happy with their lives, which is something I have yet to experience for myself even though I come from a far more developed country. (Continued…)
Jessica Miller
posted 8/25/08 @ 12:30 PM PST
One time that I really felt the irony during our trip was in the Indian classrooms. With probably 90% women in the classes we attended, it was strange to see how these aspiring female journalists responded so differently to female professors versus male ones. (Continued…)
Rand Lutomski
posted 8/27/08 @ 5:52 PM PST
The irony in India is everywhere. I really liked that you touched on the children in the slums of Dharavi. It really goes to show that it is all relative. (Continued…)
Joshua Treybig
posted 8/30/08 @ 11:35 AM PST
India is ironic indeed. Two of my *favorite* ironies would be the signs pleading with you to keep Mumbai/Delhi/Goa wherever clean but there wasn't a trash can insight. (Continued…)
Vincent Hobbs
posted 8/30/08 @ 7:53 PM PST
On a serious note, I also saw the irony- especially at the Intercontinental Hotel. It was crazy to be in a $350-a-night hotel and see poor apartment complexes across the street. (Continued…)
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