Simply Mumbai - 8

Survival In Mumbai

Simply Mumbai - 7 : 'Hamaal'

A 'hamaal' pulling a handcart loaded with vegetables at the APMC market in Vashi.

Simply Mumbai - 3 : Swachh Navi Mumbai

Swachh means Clean.
Navi Mumbai Municipal Staff does a great job cleaning the streets in Sanpada.
They are usually in sarees with a blue jacket over it. Since winter time is really cold this time, this lady is wearing a scarf and a sweater and doing her job sincerely in the early morning hours.

Simply Mumbai - 2 : Young Entrepreneurs

These two little girls were collecting bunches of coriander (cilantro) leaves, discarded by the wholesale sellers in the APMC vegetable market. A couple of sprigs of each bunch were spoilt.

They were sorting the coriander leaf bunches, removing spoilt sprigs and making fresh bunches. When I asked what they would do with them, one of them said 'we will sell them for Rs. 5 a bunch'. They looked busy and focussed and didnt really care to be photographed, and got on with their work after replying me.
 In a market where retail sellers buy cartloads full of veggies, or a basketful to carry on the bicycle and sell, these two girls found their own way of making money.

They seem to have acquired life supporting skills to survive in the fast paced city. I am inspired by these little workers and would like to call them 'Young Entrepreneurs'.

Monday Shopping and Markets : Char Bangla Market

Vegetable vendors at Char Bangla market in the Andheri(West) suburb in Mumbai.
Take a close look and you will find they have all the fresh ingredients for your speciality dish like yellow and red peppers, mushrooms, sprouts, baby potatoes and tomatoes, fresh corn and the regular veggies too.

This one is from my archives, but the market is still very much the same.
There is also a fish market nearby.

Simply Mumbai - 1 : Seasonal Fruit - Guava

Winter brings these delicious guavas to Mumbai markets. Guava is locally known as 'peru' and comes in the white and pink flesh types. The skin, seeds and flesh are all edible. An excellent source of vitamin C, guavas are great for the skin. This pink variety tastes the same as the white one, but looks prettier and more tempting, especially when cut in this ziz-zag manner.

You will see many fruit vendors selling them in fruit baskets by the roadside, in Mumbai.