The Gest Commences

A new city, a new life, a new experience! Whooh...! Having settled down in the Penthouse, which by the way, is a fancy name given to IIT Bombay's Hostel No. 5 (much like the vaguely logical innovations put into everything else around here), and the first week of our internship at B.A.R.C. almost done, my friends and I had planned a weekend trip to some of the nearby sight-seeing spots, last Saturday. With the aid of nothing more than Google maps, we chalked out a rough plan for the day, improvising each step along the way.

First it was the Mahakali Caves, not too far away from Powai Lake. A bunch of run-down structures and carvings still hid some of the magnificence that this place might have once had. The sign read that, ages ago it used to be a Buddhist monastery, but with not much left standing, the hollow cavities in the immense rock-cut structure still entertained us as we heard the ghastly echoes of our voices reverberating within the caves. It also served as a safe haven for singers who wanted to rehearse in solitude, away from the buzzing streets of one of the busiest and most populated cities in India.

Then with the help of our tab, we made our way to a nearby Gurudwara, which other than being a popular religious gathering place for Sikhs, also served us with a free and yummy luncheon traditionally known as Langarh. We were ahead of schedule and so plans were made of visiting the world famous Iskcon Temple next.

With its marble-white walls adorned with colorful paintings, the Iskcon Temple seldom seizes to amaze. We attended the Arati before keenly examining all the effigies that bordered the main hall portraying the life of Lord Krishna, a Hindu deity. Regrettably enough cameras were not allowed inside the temple, but we made sure to capture the beauty of the Iskcon complex from within its premises. But the day wasn't done yet! Not by a long shot!

What better way to finish off such a stupendous day than an evening at Juhu Beach? Juhu is normally known for its posh people, and with every turn sporting a BMW, Audi or Mercedes, it lived up to its hype. Even young osculating couples and actors chilling in roadside coffee parlors weren't an uncommon sight. The beach was baking hot which prevented us from waiting till sunset. We meandered around a bit making full use of our cameras, before finally deciding to return to our humble abode at IIT Bombay.

But this was just the first day of the weekend! We still had the whole of Sunday to bring some of our other schemes to fruition. Although the daedal plans of the previous day had forced us to lower our aims, we did make it a point to visit Hiranandani, which is a fifteen minute walk from the IIT-B campus. We feasted at KFC and toured the whole vicinity. The western U.K. style decor and the geometric perfection put into the smallest details of every single lamp, fountain, garden and building seemed like a distinguished work of art. The Gateway of India, Marine Drive and some other prominent destinations near Colaba were postponed to a later date. So, what does Mumbai have in store for us next? Guess we'll just have to wait and find out...