Moments in Mumbai: Yes, I’m obsessed.

Here is the truth, I’m officially obsessed with India.

This obsession stems from a culmination of features: The colourful charm it processes that draws you in, the magical sunsets that serenade you into darkness or the everyday sights that make you more curious than ever. And now, I can’t get enough of this hot, captivating and extraordinary country with less than two weeks to go.

With time here in India cascading past, I’m going to briefly provide some insight into special moments from my time here in India – Happy reading 🙂

The purpose behind this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is to complete a global internship. And I’ve had the extreme privilege to work and learn as an intern for K Corp Charitable Foundation. K Corp Charitable Foundation is the philanthropic arm of K Hospitality Group, one of India’s largest food and beverage organisations. K Corp Charitable Foundation works on projects that support the first 1000 days of life from 0-2 years of age. With this, I’ve been doubly privileged to have also been given the opportunity to visit a slum in Mumbai. Walking through a slum is always a unique opportunity to recognise your privilege because you won’t find anything else like it: Narrow passageways, steep stairs, tiny homes, goats, extreme poverty and storage techniques that would give Marie Kondo a run for her money. But with this, you’ll also see smiling mums, kids, volunteers, and teachers who are igniting a revolution of breaking cycles of poverty through education! I found the gleeful energy of the people in these slums encouraging, and I’ll often think about them. To me, they serve as a reminder to be grateful. As India is riddled with poverty, malnutrition levels are significantly high and addressing this is a core issue for K Corp Charitable Foundation. Therefore, interning at K Corp Charitable Foundation has been so valuable and uplifting.

While Mumbai has been treating me well, the rest of the PMSA Mumbai group and I ventured out of the depths of hot and sunny Mumbai to the more familiar climates of Delhi and Agra. So after an arduous 5 AM wakeup, and a relatively brief 2-hour flight, we landed in a sunny yet slightly cooler Delhi. And here’s the tea: While I love Mumbai, seeing Delhi is when I became obsessed with this country. So I adored seeing a different part of India. The new experiences and ancient forts were, of course, highlights from this trip. One of the many things I noticed was Delhi’s different customs. For example, the streets lined with men going to the toilet where they pleased – a seemingly acceptable practice in Delhi and not something I’ve seen in Mumbai. One thing I wanted to see when coming to India was nature and its different landscapes. But it was the wondrous Taj Mahal, with its engraved Arabic calligraphy, sleek marble and inlay work of precious gems, that took my breath away. I’m not going to talk much about the Taj, only because it will not do it any justice. I promise its beauty must be embraced, experienced and enjoyed in person.

One thing you will hear from the Mumbaikars (a local) is that we came to Mumbai at an ideal time. The temperature is cooler, and you avoid the monsoon season (we have been here for six weeks, and it has not rained once). Beyond this, we’ve come at the right time because of the events we’ve been privileged to attend. We hit up the Mahalaxmi Racecourse for Lollapalooza India and explored the local art at the Kala Ghoda arts festival. I cherished the Kala Ghoda arts festival, with different art sculptures scattered around and complimented by artists at stalls trying to sell their work; it truly infused charm and character. This art festival was right around the corner from where we were staying in Mumbai, so I went along as much as possible to appreciate and buy some of the eclectic art. It’s always compelling to attend events like these because you see a distinct and different kind of local. These Mumbaikars are artsier, highly fashionable and more in touch with western culture (they also probably absorb a higher wealth).