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Mumbai Diary by Fabien Seguin
I spent two months in Mumbai in June and July 2006. During this stay, I kept a visual diary. I wanted it to reflect my experience of this country and represent what surrounded me every day.
I lived for a month in the suburbs of Bandra, at the 4th floor of a condominium building where I was awakened every morning by crows shrieks and rickshaws engine noise. In July I moved to the city center, in Cuffe Parade, the southern tip of Mumbai, in a retired Parsi lawyer’s apartment who didn’t believe any more in democracy and who loved talking about Napoleon.
During these two months, I roamed the different districts of the capital of Maharashtra, Churchgate, Malabar Hill, Cuffe Parade, Colaba, Mahalaxmi, Cumbala, Dadar, and the northern suburbs, Bandra, Andheri, Borivli, Thane, Santa Cruz, Khar, Mulund, Goregaon. I lingered without reason on the beach of Chowpatty. I made an excursion to the nearby city of Pune. I watched the deluge of the monsoon from my window. I took a boat to Elephanta Island. I opened wide my eyes on the youth and vitality of this city, on its social contrasts too. I commuted on the suburban lines at rush hours, when there isn’t a square inch of space in the car and it turns into a collective sweat bath. I took taxis whose floor had big holes. I wandered on Marine Drive on Sunday, amid joggers and enlaced couples looking at the sea.
When I had to fly back, Mumbai had seduced me and I didn’t want to leave. I knew one day I would come back to experience it again.
About Fabien :
Fabien Seguin, b. 1980 in France, is a China-based documentary and fine art photographer. His personal work currently focuses on our relationship with nature, trees, nakedness and China. He works in medium format, mostly in color. His work has been exhibited in France for several festivals, as well as in China and USA. He will soon collaborate with a French photographic agency.
www : http://fabienseguin.com
blog : http://fabienseguin.com/blog/
cell : +86 1300.719.5003
present location : Wuhan, China
Mumbai Paused
I’m sure the photographer is going to come back for more!
Feb 02, 2010 @ 2:51 am
onear
Very, very good! Seriously! Some images are simply magical…. Great collage!(if i may use that word)
Feb 05, 2010 @ 8:20 am
Hayley S.
These are very beautiful images. It seems like a study of the culture, showing different places and people and giving us an inside look. I especially like the photos of the candid photos of the people. When a subject isn’t aware of the picture being taken, it lends to a more natural, relaxed feel.
Feb 08, 2010 @ 7:26 pm
Ayan
I just loved this simple text and the photographs.
Fabien, very good work mate. I had the same impression when I went to Mumbai. I stayed only for 3 days; but those memories will be forever in my mind. So lively and so vibrant city it is.
Mar 04, 2010 @ 12:10 am