My Neighborhood in Juhu

My Juhu Beach Neighbors

I lived and worked in Mumbai in 1998. India was a difficult assignment. A year in India changed my life; I gained 40 pound while there and still carry it today.

I shared an office with a woman from Bangalore for some time prior to leaving for India. She was vegetarian and complained frequently about the lack of vegetarian variety in American restaurants. She was very excited for me. Said I would love the vegetarian food selection there. I was looking forward to it; healthy vegetarian food would help me shed a couple of pounds picked up eating borsch, pellmani and smetana in Russia.

She never told me about ghee.

I stayed in Juhu beach. A walk in the neighborhood was frequently a walk on the beach. As a westerner, wherever you go in India, you will be pressed upon by the very poor. Beggars and children with there hands out are everywhere. They can be very persistent. Most westerners find that among the most difficult aspects of life in India.

That was not the case for me. I had little difficulty with the beggars and the very poor. When I walked I carried a small pocket full of wrapped candies. The beggar children in the neighborhood quickly learned that if I had six pieces of candy and there were eight children no one got any candy. They learned to approach me in small numbers. They also learned that if I had a candy, I would give it to them. If I had none, I said so. There was no need for persistence. They would run off and leave me to my walk.

The woman in the photo approached me on the beach one day. With very broken English she asked if I lived in a hotel. I was very puzzled and unsure why she was asking. Finally I understood. Baby Shampoo. She was asking if I had any of the little hotel shampoo bottles. She wanted shampoo for her daughter. After that, I always carried a couple of bottles of shampoo. It was the candy for the ladies.

I was at first surprised by how many people would ask to have there photo taken. I would take photos then, later after the film was processed, I would carry copies of the photos as I walked. If I encountered the same people, I gave them a photo. The smiles I received remain a highlight of my time in India.

I have posted some pictures of the people of Juhu Beach in My Juhu Neighbors a PhotoSet on Flickr. Check them out. Leave a comment. Let me know you’ve been there.