It may draw some stares and annoy my traveling companions, but occasionally I take out the recorder while we are on long train journeys to try and capture the sounds and memories. The following is audio from some of those train rides. Some of South India’s most beloved train lines coming to you directly in audio format. Enjoy!
Tag Archives: india
Amin Sheikh: Growing Up Mumbai
(Episode 488) Amin Sheikh grew up living on the streets of Mumbai, with all the horror and joy that only they can bring to a child with no one to turn to. Those streets might have eaten him alive, and they almost did- until someone came along and changed all that. A few someones in fact, who’s actions changed the direction of his life. His personal slogan, “I am because of you”, means exactly what it sounds like. If you’re reading this, listening to this, sharing in this experience, then he is in many ways – because of you.
We sat in his Mumbai cafe-library, “From Bombay to Barcelona”, in a state of euphoria enjoying delicious food and drink. But what really makes everything taste better is getting to sit in the presence of such a passionate and loving human being. Today on the podcast, the story of Amin Sheikh, in his own words.
This podcast is part of the “South of Mumbai” series, stories from India being recorded and produced all month on the road. If you’re enjoying, click here to show what its worth to you and help us pay for the planes, trains, autorickshaws, buses, dosas, paneers, lassi’s and massala chai’s. Seriously, for a small amount you help ensure we have chai to help keep us going.
Break Down: The Struggle For Responsible Ship Recycling
(Show #487) While global shipping is a massive and lucrative business that benefits people in so many ways, there is another side to it. Once the massive vessels need to be retired, they have to be broken down and their valueable materials recycled. Doing this using well equipped workers and proper facilities comes at a cost, and for decades, companies have been getting around that cost by sending their ships to parts of the world like India and Bangladesh where neither equipment nor proper facilities are required. Where no one is looking, and where toxic materials can be dumped and handled with minimal complaints. My guests on today’s program from the Brussels based NGO ShipBreaking Platform are among the most well informed and dedicated observers of this practice, advocated to stop harmful practices and push companies to act responsibily. A major challenge in an industry few people follow or feel able to influence, listen in and hear what is going on out there.
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37 Years; The Dubai Life of KJ Bhatia
He arrived in Dubai just as the UAE came into existence. He started working at the Dubai airport in a time where there were no computers and this town was nothing more than a stopover for flights on their way somewhere. In his 37 years as a Dubai resident, KJ Bhatia raised a family, developed a career, and enjoyed a front row seat to see a world of change in both the city and the region.
As luck would have it, one day as I was shopping for postcards, we struck up a conversation in his shop which would eventually lead to this podcast. This is one man’s story, a rare voice of experience, that runs parallel to the story of a nation. One of my favorite voices from Dubai, Mr. KJ Bhatia.
A Decade of Driving in Dubai
Mr. X seemed a bit miserable and quiet when I threw myself into his front seat. He seemed to be talking to himself somewhat and I slowly removed the soundless headphones from my ears. “Were you listening to something very closely, like your music? – I though you were. Maybe it is just habit?” I look over at the brown skinned smiling gentleman in his 60’s with streaks of silver in his dark sideburns. – You’re absolutely correct, it is a bad habit of mine.
That is how the conversation starts, the subject of audio in one’s ears is a gateway for me to bring up radio and my passion for recording stories. Mr. X, an Indian gentleman who has been driving in Dubai for over a decade, is amused, “So you record people’s stories, like who?” — Like you — I tell him. Watch, I’ll show you, and to his consternation I’ve got the recorder and microphone out and on before he can say another word. “So I just talk about me? My life? My work?” — Yes I tell him. I want the world to know that there are people inside and around this shiny buildings, that make the city what it is today.
Mr. X considers this idea and lets out a big laugh and licks his lips, “Ok then, let us try it!”
ctrp365 An Indian Quest in America
The name of the book is Roadrunner, the story is that of journalist and world citizen Dilip D’Souza. A passionate traveller and a writer who has a talent for finding the soul in everything. From down in the Bayou of Louisiana to out in the desert on Route 66, Dilip watched the changes in the landscape as well as the people around him. When there were people! Throughout the journey he reflects on what these parts of the US have in common with his home country of India, and how two places that might seem so different, aren’t.
My guest on today’s podcast is Dilip D’Souza. You can find his book, Roadrunner on Amazon.com