A DAY IN BOMBAY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3487, 11 January 1921, Page 54

A DAY IN BOMBAY.

W. T. G.

By

The sun is just setting as we cast anchor in the muddy harbour of Bombay. In front of us lies the city, its many domes and towers silhouetted against the “loriously tinted evening sky, forming a fantastic, almost dream-like, picture. Strange looking Indian dhows, with their high poops and huge lateen sails, glide lazily past us into the night. Being tropically situated here, there is practically no twilight, and in a very short time the outlines of the buildings grow faint and disappear. Soon a tiny speck of light pierces the darkness, then another and another, until the whofe waterfront is one mass of twinkling luminous points. Now a British-India liner, one blaze of lights from stem to stern, passes us and is soon lost in the darkness, next some deeply-laden, ponderous ocean tramp clanks her way out to sea. The novelty of the scene and the coolness of the night air make us unwilling to go down to the stuffy atmosphere below so we lounge about and form our plans for a trip ashore on the morrow. Three bells ! Time to wend our way below and endeavour to snatch a few hours’ sleep. The heat makes tilings most uncomfortable, but after tossing and turning for a while, kindly nature comes to our aid and we sleep more or less soundly. In the morning, every one is up betimes, determined not to lose any valuable time, as we are staying one day only. On coming on deck, one of the first sights to greet our eyes is a dozen or so canoe-like craft moored to the stern hawser of the ship, the occupants curled up in all attitudes, still fast asleep. With businesslike foresight, these dusky boatmen had come out in the evening and stayed all night in order to secure the first fares for the shore. In a short time the slumbering crews bestir themselves. Their toilet, necessarily very meagre, does not occupy much time, and culinary operations are soon in full swing. These preparations are very simple, the morning meal consisting, as far as we could see, of a variety of rice-meal cake baked over a very small fire in the boats. These men will never accept food from a white man —in fact, if his shadow should even fall on anything they a,re eating they will not again touch the food, as, according to their creed, it is then defiled. As soon as the gangway is lowered, there is a wild rush among the boatmen to secure the first passengers for the shore, and much jabbering and gesticulation are indulged in. One of the first sights on nearing the landing-stage is the famous Taj Mahal Hotel. This commodious and magnificent structure, with its many domes, embodies the Indian style of architecture, and from an aesthetic point of view is probably unsurpassed by any other hotel in the world. On leaving the pier’ we are soon pestered by dusky mendicants, quacks, and pedlars of all descriptions of rubbishy jewellery and gaudy finery, Japanese goods, by the way, being very much in evidence. Many of the beggars were horribly maimed. Some of them who were quite unable to walk crawled along on their hands and knees and turned pitiful, beseeching eyes up to us as they solicited alms. Revolting as it seems, it is quite a common practice for parents to deliberately maim their children in order that they may beg. Another type of man met with here is one who has. for religious reasons, maimed himself. Some of these, for instance, hold one arm in an upright position till the limb is quite withered and utterly useless. A large number of different castes are to be met with in the city,, chief amongst them, we were informed, being the Hindus, Mayanese, and Parsees, the latter the wealthy class as a rule, and always distinguishable by a peculiar cloven-hoof shape of headgear. The Bombay native policeman, by the way, is also a figure worthy of note. He is a most picturesquely dressed fellow, and invariably carries an umbrella. On many of the streets not far removed from the main thoroughfare, it is quite a common thing to see cows, goats, and other domestic animals wandering about or lying down quite contentedly on the footpaths. In these places sanitation takes a back seat, and consequently the odours are not altogether pleasing to the olfactory sense. The heat becoming oppressive, we decide to seek some means of conveyance. Horses are not much used here, the chief mode of passenger traffic being the “reckla”—a conveyance not unlike a small governor’s car, and drawn by either one or two small, hump-backed bullocks. These little animals are capable of nuite a surprising turn of speed, and can draw fairly heavy loads without any difficulty. On coming into the better part of the town, we are surprised to see the number oi hospitals in existence. Each institution seems to specialise in the treatment of some particular disease or part of the body, and all are well arranged and replete with modern apparatus. Proceeding a little further on we come to the Victoria Terminus, the main railway station of Bombay. This magnificent building covers several acres, and embodies much of the Indian style of architecture. What strikes one is the attention which has been paid to even the most minute details, the building absolutely bristling with ornamental work. The Indian railways are. of the extra broad gauge type, the locomotives and rolling stock being very heavy and substantial. The first-class passenger cars, which are fitted with electric light and fans, are most luxurious. The Bombay Municipality Building is another very fine specimen. With its three domed towers, it is typically Indian in structure, and-well worthy of note. Nearing the water’s edge again, we see another splendid building, the University, from the lofty clock tower of which an excellent, view of the city and suburbs may be had. We entered the building

and had a chat with several of the Indian students, who were very keen and refined, and spoke splendid English. In close proximity to the University is a very fine statue of the late Queen Victoria, Empress of India. In this artistic piece of workmanship, the Queen, holding the symbols of office, is represented as sitting on a richly ornamented and canopied throne. Bombay has several very well-appointed restaurants, the menus of which are very comprehensive, and the food, on the whole, excellent, with the exception of the butter, which, we were informed, is made largely from goats’ milk, and to the discriminating taste of a New Zealander seems very poor. Proceeding through the European quarter after lunch we find in this part a strange air of restfulness after the bustle and noise of the city, and on seeing the many beautiful residences, each replete with its garden of luxuriant tropical flowers and vegetation, one realises that, though life in tlie tropics has many disadvantages, it also has its compensations. On one of the hills outside the town is to be seen a building round which a great flock of vultures is circling. This is a Parsee “Tower of Silence.” It is the strange custom of this caste to place the bodies of the dead upon one of these towers and leave the vultures to pick the bones. No white man, we understand, is allowed within the precincts of one of these places. On the way back we drive through the native quarter—a truly interesting experience. The streets are thronged with people dressed in many colours, and present quite an animated and kaleidoscopiclike scene. Here we see dozens of pedlars of fruits, strange drinks and nuts, not to mention the many peculiar productions of Indian culinary art. Small boys flock round and pester one to buy all manner of wares, mentionable and unmentionable. Every form of quackery is practised in this quarter, self-styled eye and ear doctors, hand and foot doctors, etc., being very much in evidence. Some of the chiropodists are rather smart, and have some very ingenious home-made instruments, but as sterilisation is quite unknown, anyone submitting to their tender mercies runs grave risks of poisoning or disease. A picturesquely-dressed fellow comes up to a member of the party and endeavours to dispose of some “very fine precious stones,” and the following conversation ensues: “You buy, sahib, two very good sapphires, only £l.” “Go away—give you 3d.” The would-be vendor draws himself up haughtily and intimates that such a monstrous offer could not be considered. A little later the member of the party feels a tug at his coat. The vendor is back again. “You give me 3d for the sapphire, sahib? Very great bargain.” “Right,” and our friend finds himself in possession of two specimens of badly cut glass. In the native quarter there are many temples, the facades of which are covered with carvings of all manners of grotesque figures and signs understandable to an Indian only, but nevertheless possessing much interest to the tourist. In many parts of this quarter, sanitation and cleanliness are mere side issues, the streets being indescribably filthy. Small, underfed infants, clad in nature’s garments only, crawl contentedly about the dirtv footpaths or play with mangy looking cats. Small wonder that once any epidemic gets a hold in such places it is so very difficult to stamp out. Presently we are out of the quarter and back again to the better part of the town where we have some curios to buy. It is possible to buy some very fine specimens of Indian work in Bombay for quite a small sum, provided the buyer has patience enough. Shopping is necessarily a very lengthy process in these places, for the dealer invariably asks about three or four times the value of the article sold. Consequently much haggling and bargaining must be indulged in to bring things down to something like a fair price. It may even be necessary to walk out of the shop once or twice before the dealer agrees reluctantly to the proffered figure. After tea we are well recompensed by a visit we make to the Victoria Gardens. The Gardens are replete with a very fine collection of tropical plants and shrubs, and arc well worth a visit. Returning to town again, we take a stroll along the Apollo Bunder, Bombay’s magnificent esplanade, and return to the ship, having had a most unique, interesting, and instructive day ashore. There are, of course, many sights we have not seen, for in a city of the magnitude of Bombay, everything cannot be seen in one day, but., by introducing just a little system into sight-seeing, one can cover a wonderful amount of ground.