On CNNGo today - Mumbai Magic Bazaar Walk

There's a review of my Bhuleshwar bazaar walk on CNNGo today:

Trivial pursuit: In search of god, gold and pieces of history at Mumbai's old markets
by Tarini Awatramani

We take a tour of the city's pulse centers -- the by-lanes of old bazaars -- and discover five things we never knew about this beguiling city.

The original epicenter of commercial life in the city, Crawford Market, Zaveri Bazaar and Buleshwar are like living museums. Mumbai Magic knows these interconnected markets in a way that gives you a glimpse of a time past, which you would easily miss trying to navigate through the crowds on your own.

Here are five of the many great things you didn’t know about your city, that you can learn from its markets.

Read more: Mumbai Magic: Discovering the real Mumbai in its markets | CNNGo.com

Mumbai dying?

The Hindustan Times Brunch had an interesting article, comparing Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta.

The article suggests that while the 19th century belonged to Calcutta and the 20th to Bombay, the 21st century belongs to Delhi.

Do you think this is true? Is Mumbai on a downward slide? Does the 21st century belong to Delhi?

I summarised the article here; would love to hear comments: Delhi - 21st century city?

Flamingoes at Sewri - unexpected bonus

- by Deepa Krishnan

I went to Sewri on Friday, and stumbled, literally stumbled upon *thousands* of flamingoes.

What a spectacle.

I've been to Lake Nakuru in Kenya, where they gather in larger numbers, but seeing these birds in my own backyard, so to say, was a totally different feeling.

Of course, this little photo does no justice at all to the scene. But if you click on it, I think you'll see a larger image, which is a little better.

In any case, what you see in the photo is only 20% of what I saw. What I saw was a total 360 degree scene, flamingoes everywhere on all sides and on the far shore as well.

It was all the more fabulous because it was completely unexpected. I thought the birds would be gone in May.

I am so pleased!

Theo's Adventure Capitalists on BBC2

- by Deepa Krishnan

There's a new show on BBC2 this month, that I worked on. It's called Theo's Adventure Capitalists. In the show, millionaire host Theo Paphitis helps three British companies launch their businesses in India. The India episode will air on May 11, at 20:00 UK time.

Introduction and "let's explore the market together"

The three companies are:

• Marmite - yeast-based breakfast spread - will we love it or hate it in India?
• Luxury watch manufacturer Bremont - will it sell?
• Regenatec, a company that sells kits that convert diesel engines to plant oil based engines. Will the idea even take off?

Before the actual shoot, I took Theo on a general introduction to the Indian marketplace - mostly talking about food preferences, taboos, typical characteristics of buyers, etc. We also visited a home for a look at urban families, and cooked lunch together to give Theo a sense of how Indian kitchens are set up, and whether Marmite would find acceptance in this way of life.

Photos from the pre-shoot:

At the Flower Market

The price of a pen (Theo owns Ryman the Stationer and was amazed at how inexpensive everything is in India)

Not everything is inexpensive :) Women will pay the world for things dear to their heart!

I think in this photo I was listing the defining characteristics of the Indian consumer. Not sure! Certainly my fingers seem to be counting out *something*! Discussing real estate in Mumbai

Sweaty but happy after the cooking session (introduction to an Indian kitchen, typical cooking style, figuring whether Marmite will find acceptance)