Indian Perspective special - ” A day in the life of an Indian”
This program includes a yoga/ meditation session, presentation of a short Hindu religious ceremony (Puja), visit to temples, meals at Indian restaurants and shopping in the local bazars.
As far as short visits are concerned, different options are mentioned below and the visit can be organised as per the convenience of the clients. Each visit is usually for an hour or an hour and a half. It is possible to plan half a day, full day or even an entire weekend by mixing several options.
1. Colaba: Gateway of India, Hotel Taj, Colaba market, Jehangir Art Gallery, Jewish Synagogue
(Possibility of adding visit to the Museum)
2. Old city at Fort : Fountain, VT station, Horniman circle, Ballard Pier, Rajabai Tower, Mumbai university, etc. (The building in this area were constructed during the rule of the English and resemble the old European construction style)
3. Crawford Market/ Bhuleshwar : Bazar for all sorts of household items
4. Chor bazar : Market for antiquities and stolen/ second hand goods + large wholesale vegetable market
5. Mani bhavan : Gandhi Musuem (the building where he lived, which is now a museum)
6. Banganga Tank (sacred pond of the Hindus)) / Jain temple/ Hanging garden
7. Babulnath temples (1 Shiva temple and 1 Krishna temple) along with an explanation of Hindu beliefs. Make offerings yourself on the Shivalinga and know more about the knowledge in the Gita.
8. Mahalaxmi temple (Temple of the Goddesses ) and Haji Ali tomb (Tomb of the Muslim saint Haji Ali, situated in the middle of the sea)
9. Dhobi Ghat (guided visit by a washerman of the area containing 1,500 open-air cubicles for washing clothes) (Additional payment of Rs 100 per person for local guide)
10. Nehru Planetorium Dome theatre (short films about the universe) - Exhibition ”Discovery of India” - (mainly photographic) exhibition on the history of India and its freedom struggle.
11. Nehru Science centre (Exhibition of scientific experiments)
12. Meal in a vegetarian Indian restaurant with an explanation of indian diet and some useful tips for good eating habits according to Ayurveda (Additional expense of approximately Rs 250 person)
13. Vegetable and flower market at Dadar
Reality tours:
1. Public means of transport : Local train/ bus ride/ horse cart/ boats (Additional payment of ticket cost)
2. Dharavi visit - Probably the most comprehensive Dharavi visit including the residential slums, marketplace, school, temple & church, small industries like leather, plastic, tailoring, etc (Small additional payment might be required for local guide)
Caves:
1. Elephanta caves
2. Kanheri caves (Buddhist caves in the National Park, Borivali)
Shopping:
Accompanying the visitors to shop for antiques/ handicrafts, indian clothes, gift items, etc. Particularly helpful in areas like Chor Bazar, Colaba, etc for showing the more reliable shops in the bazar, and for bargaining
Yoga :
Yoga and meditation session for those who like to have an experience of the same during their stay in India