|
|
Article: Mumbai stories from the slums to the stars
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- January 9, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
THE WEEK IN BOOKS
On any ordinary morning, a car journey down the long, bloated
finger of central Mumbai can leave you almost enough stationary time
to read a book. During a trip a couple of years ago, I was idly
chatting in the back of a cab as it inched - no, millimetered - its
way through the gridlock. We stopped for another endless pause just,
so I recall, as the gleaming offshore landmark of the Haji Ali
mosque and tomb came into view. A child street vendor - that heart-
grabbing spectre at the feast of boom-time India - came to tap on
the driver's window. And his wares turned out to be books. Not any
old pulp, either, but a smartly chosen selection of upmarket recent
successes, ...