St. Xaviers College, Mumbai

One of the top ten colleges in India, St. Xavier's College, Mumbai is an architectural beauty that has nutured some of the best minds and faces (read Bollywood) in the country. This fact aside, I fell in love with the place, the moment I stepped my foot in the Quadrangle. The building has gargoyles, who wouldn't?  It isn't odd then that I took advantage of  the fact that I was a student in XIC to explore the place a bit on my own. You know just the door here and the window there. No breaking in. Haha. *Clears throat* 

The stone building facade that has become a part of pop culture now, what with the movies, songs and ads that were shot here.

St. Xavier's College Chapel

Hogwarts-esque staircases: I thought they would start moving any moment.

And finally the top most landing.

The view: worth climbing all the flights of stairs.

 

This is how they chill in Xavier's.

Passages that have kept secrets of those nervous first confessions of love.

The College Gym

Father Gordon: Watching over his flock. 

The view from the Priests'Quarters

The priests'chapel: few have had the good fortune to see this part. 

The view from Father Gordon's balcony: a reminder of the care God has taken to design this world. 

A small tribute to the Prakash Bhaiiya who's most amazing soyabean sandwhiches made nine months I spent at the Xavier's Campus so much more awesome.

Astaad Deboo

Having collaborated with international artists like Pink Floyd, Astaad Deboo is considered to be the pioneer of modern Indian dance. He uses traditional Indian forms like Kathak and Kathakali to create a unique style that is his own.

“Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music."
Deboo cetntrestage.

To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful.

“Dance is the hidden language of the soul”

Deboo with his troupe of dancers from Manipur, India.
Dancing faces you towards Heaven, whichever direction you turn .

The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie. 

Dancing is silent poetry. 

Waiting for his moment.

“Dance, when you're broken open. Dance, if you've torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you're perfectly free.” 
― Rumi

Yaari Rd.

Yaari Road, a very well known road in Versova Andheri is special to me for many reasons. It was the first place I stayed in when I moved to Mumbai. True to its name, Yaari Road for me stands for friendship and all the emotions that go with it.

The sound of the waves crashing on the shores produces just enough sound to allow the lovers' privacy while they confess their love to each other; the perfect background score for this movie which is your life

For a person moving to a new city, the fear of whether or not he/she will be able to adjust to it is always present. For me, this seemingly scary experience of ‘getting used to’ the place was made a lot easier because of my friend Disha. She was fairly new into the city herself but she welcomed me with into her house with open arms. It is because of her that my first memories in the city will always be the fondest; and it was Yaari road that was our domain.

Yaari Road was a fairlyland; one could never be sure what would happen on any given day. An ordinary walk to the ice-cream wala after dinner would sometimes end with the two of us sitting on the gigantic black jagged rocks overlooking the sea and talking for hours on end. We spoke of music, life, philosophy, films. I don’t think there was any topic that we missed out in these sessions. 

My home away from home in Mumbai.

Oh the road was full of obstacles, but I did not stop.

They also serve Celebrity/Star Spotting besides cheesecakes.

Sitting on the ledge of her French windows and watching the rain falling, sleeping till two in the afternoon on Sundays and then going to ‘Chai Coffi’ for brunches, Yaari Road is home.

--

Help me continue bringing you untold stories through photos and films. Become my Patron. Follow the link: https://www.patreon.com/prashansa