2013-12-14
【Aiden in English】
Finally, we arrived in Mumbai, India after we spent more than two days crossing the Arabian Sea from Oman. As for its beautiful bay, Mumbai used to be called Bombay and was the Indian financial center which made the city a melting pot of people and cultures. On one hand, the colonial architectures glorified German gables, Dutch gambrel roofs, Swiss timbering, Romance arches, and Tudor casements, in addition to traditional Indian features. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Victoria Terminus was built in Gothic Revival Style, so it was Bombay University. On the other hand, cows were strolling on the bustling emporium where sugarcane juice freshly offered a unique flavor with a pungent smell.
As I exited the cruise ship, the first thing I noticed was the pollution. The city was covered with a heavy foggy haze or smog even though the sky was clear and tranquil, and the pollution had shaded out the sun and made all symbolic architecture fade into a clog.
The second thing that stood out was the hundreds of people carrying lunch boxes. They were well-known as Dabbewallas like the pizza delivery in Mumbai. Instead of pizza, it's rice and curry vegetables. The Dabbawallas went on foot, bicycle, train, and bus to send lunch to people who worked in the office buildings at noon. If in America, they could drive a car around to deliver lunches. It was amazing how the Dabbawallas hardly missed the boxes over a century since most of them looked exactly like each other to me.
The third thing that stunned me was Dhobi Ghat, the open-air Laundromat in Mahalaxmi where the locals would pay to have their laundry hand-washed, outdoor hanging-dried, and fire-stove ironed. This had been lasting for hundreds of thousands of years longer in their tradition. The male-only washers called Dhobiwalas sweated all over the body and they seemed to be smacking the dirty clothes against a concrete basin filled with water. I couldn't even imagine how exhausted the workers must feel and I felt even worse when my eyes dropped on how much more they had to do for the rest of the day. Piles and piles of clothes went on as far as I could see. It would take at least a week or a month before they were able to finish. In addition, I wondered how they could tell apart whose clothes were whose. Hundreds of racks stood on the ground and were filled with clean shirts, pants, saris, and kurtas, but there wasn't a label in sight. That was a question I will never know the answer to.
Apparently, Mumbai not only inherited its ancient tradition but flourished a variety of European influences in history.
【红霞译文】
离开阿曼之后，经过两天多阿拉伯海航行，我们终于抵达印度孟买(意指“母亲”)。
久负“美丽海湾”盛名的孟买(意指“母亲”)是印度共和国金融中心，虽然名字历经变化，但它一直不失为各民族同胞及其多元性传统文化的大熔炉。一方面，当地经典建筑渗透了浓重的殖民色彩，德国三角墙、荷兰复折式屋顶、瑞士木框撑架、中世纪圆窗拱门、英国都铎窗扉等西洋流派横贯城区大街小巷，联合国教科文组织《世界遗产名录·维多利亚火车站》再现了典型的哥特式复兴艺术，孟买大学同样将这种古典主义发挥得淋漓尽致；另一方面，母牛大摇大摆地漫步于人声鼎沸的繁华商业闹区，邻家新鲜榨出的甘蔗汁香甜可口，准保百味俱全。
刚一走下游轮，孟买城市污染首先引起我高度注意，晴朗的天空挂上一条浓重的雾霾，雾霾遮日障目，所有著名建筑物因此而变得模糊不清，无一幸免。
其次，数以百计手提各色饭包的“饭盒快递”即午餐送饭员格外招人眼球，他们每天将新鲜烹饪的午餐便当从各预约人家及时运送到写字楼上班族手中，犹如比萨饼店外卖，只不过他们所送的是大米饭咖哩菜，不及美国佬可以开车送货，饭盒人多只能以徒步、骑单车、坐公交或乘火车方式完成这种登门服务。令我惊讶的是，一个多世纪以来饭盒人午餐送饭风雨无阻，尽管绝大多数饭包外表看上去没有什么特别不同，但他们几乎从不出错。
最后让我跌破眼镜的是露天贫民洗衣场，在这里所有衣物都用手洗，自然晾干后再用火炉加热的铁熨斗人工烫平，并叠好送归顾客。位于吉兆女神宝地的千人洗衣场历史悠久，工艺传统，几千年来清一色洗衣男挥汗如雨，没完没了地站在水泥搓衣板上挥臂摔打脏衣脏物，手头上的活计尚未干完，后续工作又堆积如山，也许再需花上一个星期甚至一个月的时间才能告一段落。成百上千个晾衣杆拔地而起，上面挂满了洗净的衬衫、裤子、长巾和礼服袍褂，上面连根标记都没有，他们怎么区分混杂一块的各家衣物，我肯定一辈子也找不出答案。 显而易见，孟买不仅有机地借鉴了欧洲文化，而且还执着地继承了民族衣钵，最终创造出具有印度特色的繁荣昌盛。
Today in History(历史上的今天): 2010: 等价交换(Exchange) 
Mumbai Harbour (孟买海港)
Gateway of India, A Symbol of Conquest & Colonisation (印度牌楼·“占领与殖民”的象征 12-14-2013) 
Taj Mahal Palace (皇冠陵酒店 12-14-2013) 
Victoria Train Station (胜利女王火车站) 
The Terminal @ Victoria Train Station (胜利女王火车站·站台) 
The Turret of Victoria Train Station (胜利女王火车站·角楼)
High Court Bldg (高等法院大楼) 
High Court Bldg (高等法院大楼)
Mumbai Univ (孟买大学) 
Oriental Bldg (东方大厦) 
Royal Bombay Yacht Club & Statue Shivaji @ Apollo Bunder (皇家孟买游艇俱乐部与艺术神码头·湿婆王公雕像) 
Mumbai Municipal Corporation Building (市政公司大厦)
Penthouse (顶层豪华公寓) 
Slumdog Millionaire (贫民窟的百万富翁) 
Prince of Wales Museum (威尔士亲王博物馆 12-14-2013) 
Main Lobby @ Prince of Wales Museum (威尔士亲王博物馆·主厅) 
Sculpture Gallery @ Prince of Wales Museum (威尔士亲王博物馆·雕塑馆 12-14-2013) 
Siddhivinayak Temple (象头神庙) 
Iskon Temple (黑天神庙) 
Holy Name Cathedral (圣名大教堂) 
Haji-Ali Daragh (朝圣伊斯兰教继任者清真寺) 
Mahalakshmi Temple (吉兆女神庙 12-14-2013) 
Meditation Worship @ Mahalakshmi Temple (吉兆女神庙·思祷) 
Hindu Door @ Mahalakshmi Temple (吉兆女神庙·印度教大门) 
Murals @ Mahalakshmi Temple (吉兆女神庙·壁画 12-14-2013) 
Coat of Arm @ Mahalakshmi Temple (吉兆女神庙·盾徽) 
Mani Bhavan Museum (珠宝屋博物馆) 
Natl Gallery of Modern Art (国家现代美术馆) 
Flora Fountain (植物群喷泉) 
Statue of Patriots (爱国者雕像)
A collecting Dabbawala, usually on a bicycle collecting Dabbas either from a worker's home or from Dabba makers (通常骑自行车从上班族家中或餐馆那里收集便当盒) 
Dabbawalla (饭盒快递) 
The Lunchbox (便当袋) 
Dhobi Ghat @ Mahalaxmi (吉兆女神宝地·千人洗衣场) 
All Hand-Wash Men @ Dhobi Ghat (吉兆女神宝地·全部是男人手洗工) 
Overlook of Dhobi Ghat (俯瞰吉兆女神宝地 12-14-2013) 
Queen's Necklace—Marine Drive (女王项链即海滨大道) 
Haji-Ali Daragh Blvd (朝圣伊斯兰教继任者清真寺大道) 
Rash Hours (尖峰时刻) 
Jay Walk @ Colaba Causeway (科拉巴堤道·乱穿马路) 
Carrying on the Head (头载货物) 
Traffic Police on Duty (交警当班) 
Street Veggie Stall (蔬菜地摊) 
Street Fruit Stand (蔬菜地摊) 
Street Fresh Sugarcane Press (榨甘蔗地摊) 
Folkloric Dancing Under the Stars (星空下民族舞蹈) 
Sari-Kurta Dressed Locals (身穿长巾宽松衬衫的当地人) 
Teacher & Her Pupils (老师与小学生们)
Morning Shower (早浴)
Street Beggers (街头乞讨者) 
Street Beggers (街头乞讨者) 
Street Vendor Mom (沿街推销手工品的母亲) 
Street Vendor Lady's Daughter (穷人的孩子早当家) 
Apollo Bunder (艺术神码头) 
Ferry Commuters @ Apollo Bunder (艺术神码头·等船上班的乘客) 
Haze over Mumbai Downtown (孟买市中心烟霞)
Butcher Is (屠夫岛)
Middle Ground Coastal Battery (中区海岸炮台)
Fishing Boat (渔船)
Showered Man (淋浴者) 
Toscana Dining @ Nautica Oceania (“大洋·航海”号游轮——意大利餐厅 12-14-2013) 
Toscana Dining @ Nautica Oceania (“大洋·航海”号游轮——意大利餐厅 12-14-2013) Crosslinks(相关博文): India(出游印度)
Across the Indian Ocean(穿越印度洋) |
