Bombay 2004

By Nikhilesh Dholakia

Islands of Opulence
Swaths of Destitution
Sleek new Mercedes
Decrepit tottering taxis
Ambitious bank’s Zen office in a “park in the sky”
Hovels of misery leaning on fat sewage pipe
Twenty-nine varieties of twelve-dollar martinis
Litter strewn unmentionables in front of shanties
Extravagant Bollywood billboards
Aggressive eunuch beggars
Cacophony of contrasts
Chorus of coexistence

Mumbai, August 19, 2004