Mumbai Guy

Just returned from a few days in Mumbai. What a mind-expanding experience! I was there to speak for an IBM conference for middleware vendors and customers.

1. The contrast in living conditions for the very rich and the very poor is eye-opening—and I didn’t see the absolute extremes of either.

2. I’ve never seen such vivid colors in all aspects of dress, decor, etc.—even the money is pretty.

3. “Traffic safety” is an oxymoron. Luggage isn’t tied down on roof racks. People ride on top of trucks. I saw a family of four on a motorcycle. Having said this, I saw no accidents.

4. Speaking of traffic, it can take two hours to travel fifteen kilometers there. If you have a choice, try to arrive on Saturday or Sunday. Speaking of arrival, I’ve never been to an airport that’s jam packed at 2:00 am.

5. Computer connectivity is very good. Furthermore, I was amazed that my Verizon phone worked without a hitch. EVDO did not work, but it was only because of the lack of a roaming agreement.

6. The food was fabulous. For example, I’ve had many a set-up day, pre-show, backstage meal, but nothing as good as what was at IBM’s conference the day before it opened. There was even a curry chef who would make curry to spec.

7. I loved Indian pricing strategy: for example, 10 rupees for residents and 300 rupees for tourists at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Museum.

8. I also appreciated the Indian carpet-sales strategy: “Come in and have a seat; I will get you some tea; let me show you a few carpets; we can fold these up so small that they will fit in your suitcase (and they really could have); these are made in Kashmir; everything is washable; they will not wear out; I’ll give you a special price...”

9. IBM India has 43,000 employees. The conference was very well run and attended. It felt like a TIE event in Silicon Valley except that the food at TIE events isn’t as good because TIE inexplicably usually serves American cuisine like rubberized chicken.

10. The place that most impressed me was Dhobi Ghat. This is an area where laundry workers wash and dry clothes. I can’t quite explain why it had such a profound effect on me. It was just surrealistic: bright colors in dark washing pens and flogging stones.

11. India has its own version of Amazon.com. At two intersections, kids came up to the car to sell us paperback versions of current business books. We bought a copy of The World Is Flat for $3. Not sure if I should be happy or depressed, but The Art of the Start was not available.

If you’d like to see pictures from my trip, click here.

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Comments

[JRMcNulty]

I have to agree with all your assesments. Though, my introduction was just Dehi, I came to many of the same observations.

[Innovation Zen]

Regarding point 7, I think these pricing strategies are used in a lot of asian countries. At least in China, and specially in Shanghai, it is pretty much the same.

[Sanjay Nasta]

Great pics. Reminded me of home--truly got the flavor of the place.

As for accidents, sadly Mumbai has 10 times the accident fatality rate of the U.S. Heard and experienced too many tragedies. My general rule when visiting is to get in the largest vehicle possible (thought it may not be the most comfortable). I frequently take the train around the city and a 2 hour car trip can be reduced to a 15 minute train trip. Trains can be hugely crowded in rush hour--sometimes first class helps.

Unfortunately the food in five star hotels is far from the best in the city--so I indulge in mid-tier restaraunts. My rule not to get sick is only eat hot food (prefer when I can see the kitchen), no ice, water straight from a sealed bottle (even brush my teeth with the stuff and am careful when I shower).

Next time you're there have someone take you to Chor Bazaar (is it still safe??). Literally Thieves Market but you can find some interesting things if you look in the right places. I've bought some gorgeous Rolleiflexes there.

[Alexey]

Just to put the folkloristic romantic notion of Mumbai traffic chaos into perspective: every given day an average of 3-4 people fall of trains or busses and get killed that way. Gives a new perspective on work competition.

[DM]

Only because you actually noticed the difference between ' and ’ (if these don't get transformed in the posting process) and use em-dashes (from what my eyes can tell) in your latest blog entry, why are you using two hyphens in your page/site title???

[Hint: shift-option-"-". Just in case, I am not "sniping" you. Your blog is much appreciated....]

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I use dumb apostrophes and dashes because RSS feeds turn smart ones and em dashes into garbage. It offends me, typographically, that this is so.

Guy

[DM]

In the comment for Photo 55, you refer to the man as the "Indian Dizzy Gillespie"... this guy is playing a saxophone, not a trumpet....

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What do you expect from a Guy who doesn't know who Beck is?

Guy

[Morgan Ramsay]

Great photos! FilmLoop should allow comments per image though.

I didn't understand the apostrophe joke at first, but given the context--a series of juxtapositions--I should have.

The shot of the video camera recording a speaker was strange. The speaker being recorded is not the person speaking unless, of course, the speaker being recorded was already recorded and the camera was not recording the speaker currently speaking...

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Morgan,

FilmLoop does allow comments and captions on individual pictures. Why do you think it doesn't?

The person in the picture is the person on the video camera. Not sure why you think she's different too.

Thanks,

Guy

[R. Hoffmann]

Great observations! Two things that don't get across in words and pictures are smell and noise. Both of which are certainly a strong experience (good and bad) in Mumbai.

[Brajeshwar]

Hi Benjamin Strong,

> How did you keep from getting sick?

I'll share the tip that our American collegue did while in India.

* Drink bottled or boiled water.
* Get an anti-malarial shot (something like that)

[Krasimir [FilmDailies.com]]

I couldn't find "The Art of the Start" in any of the brick and mortar bookstores I visited (around Tottenham Court Road). Too bad!

[Marilee Veniegas]

India's workforce can't be ignored in today's global culture. For anyone who's looking to outsource make sure your agency has a list of your American holidays and you have a list of their holidays.

Like today, Oct. 2nd., Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday -- majority of places are closed.

For Guy's first point in the disparity of economy I encourage you to see PBS's Wide-Angle special 1-800-INDIA or Morgan Spurlock's 30Days episode on India.

[Patrick]

I love IBM as they gave Microsoft an Operating System, Bill Hayden and Michael Dell an Industry Standard Architecture, and Oracle a Data Base. Now that is friendship!

Cheers to Big Blue!

[Benjamin Strong]

Guy,
I am traveling to Mumbai, for a week, on Friday. How did you keep from getting sick? Or did you just leave that part out?

Your photographs were excellent. I can't wait to arrive, see the culture, eat some great curry and meet the wonderful people.

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When I'm traveling, I'm extremely careful because I cannot afford to be sick and miss a speech. Thus, I drink only bottled water and brush my teeth with bottled water. I eat only in five-star hotels--and not even fresh fruits and vegetables anywhere.

This does limit my true exposure and understanding of where I go, but I'm there on business, and it's inconceivable that I tell an IBM that I'm sick so I cannot give the keynote speech it just flew me across the world and paid big bucks for.

Guy

[Rahul]

Guy,

While you were there, did you learn what "Guy" means in Hindi? Hint: You already have a picture of what it means ;-).

Rahul

[Stephan H. Wissel]

Hi Guy,
I missed you by one day, kind of colateral damage of IBM's policy to send in their speakers in "just in time". I would have loved to hear you talk.
I shared the same impressions you had. To feel it to the fullest I used Auto Riskshaw (or Tuk Tuk how you would call it in Thailand) for local transport and took a train from Pune to Mumbai. The most intreaguing difference to me over there was the spiced up smell (which I felt quite pleasant): whereever you travel in Mumbai there is the smell of Curry and Spices in the air.
:-) stw

[Milo Riano]

I have worked with indians before and will most likely work with them again in the next month or so. I'd say they are smart and interesting people. Project teams have so much interesting things to tell after they arrived from India.

[Andy Arnott]

Great info, great photos. Very interesting :)

[Kishor]

Guy: People travelling on top of trains, buses are a common sight and quite normal in this part of the world. You bet…India will be at its colourful at this time of the year with a host of festivals around. Next time around, make a trip southwards to Bangalore, Chennai, Kerala, etc. You’ll love the food and hospitability. And when you are in Bangalore, be prepared for more traffic woes!

[Jason Brown]

Guy,

As a hobby photographer, I thought those cloudy shots were hands down the best. You should patent a foggy lens filter and call it the "Fogasaki Lens." But in the future to protect your camera, put it in a Ziploc Bag whenever you go from cold to warm. The condensation will settle on the bag, not your camera. As soon as your camera warms up to ambient temperature, you can take it out of the bag.

Jason Brown

[John C. Randolph]

Guy,

Apple sent me and a couple of colleagues from your old group (software evangelists) to India for a week a couple of years ago.  Your description of the carpet-shop experience is about the same as the treatment I got in a silk shop in Bangalore.  I only spent a couple hundred bucks, but you'd think I was buying the store from the way they treated me.

The biggest surprise I got on that trip though, is just how good tea can be.  The stuff we get from Lipton here is swill!

BTW, the next time you're in India, you really should take a side-trip to Agra and see the Taj Mahal.  

-jcr

[Debbie Weil]

Guy,

I also was bowled over by my trip to Mumbai. It was in 1997 and we landed on August 14th, the 50th anniversary of Partition. I *loved* it! The colors, the filth, the teemingness, the splendor... and of course the poverty. In your face in a way that is hard to describe. Interestingly, I was with 50 members of my executive MBA class. Half fell in love with it; the other half couldn't wait to get back on the plane. They hated it. We also went to Pune (just south - kind of a university town) and took a side trip up to Delhi where we saw the Taj Mahal. You have to go back! The Taj Mahal is even more magnificent than in photos.

[harshal]

Thanks for sharing/writing this. Glad you've been so kind to my home city :)

Have been looking forward to getting your book, in part because I've heard a few of the mp3's on someone else's machine. Believe your book is just out in the stores.

Yes, maybe there's a sense of beauty in this hetrogeny. And loved the bit about the differential pricing - could you even imagine how well segmentation works here?

[John Cleary]

hahaha - actually ignore my last apostrophe comment Guy. I just clicked to the next photo and instantly realised what you meant! You know you are a Mac geek when......

John

[John Cleary]

Hey Guy,

I can't see what's wrong with the apostrophe in the "Groom's Room" sign.. unless you're implying that they have more than wedding on at the same time?

John

[Ali]

Hey Guy,
Whenever I see your name I always wonder if you're related to Robert Kiyosaki from http://www.richdad.com. Are you or do all japenese people have similar names? ;)