India, August 2003

TankardsAweigh.com

Note: Click on any image to view a larger version.

In August 2003, I was sent on a business trip to Mumbai, India (formerly known as Bombay).

The Leela Hotel


		The Italian restaurant on the 8th floor.
		The view from room 435.
		The main lobby.
		The reception area.
		Room 607.

		The view from room 607.

		The fancy laundry basket with my clean socks.

Leela	www.TheLeela.com/delphi - This one was built in the early 1980's, but it has many modern ammenities.
Sheraton	www.???.com/delphi - ???
Hyatt	www.???.com/delphi - ???
Meridian	www.???.com/delphi - ???


		A small temple.


		Sacred cows wandering the streets.
		Dogs and birds picking at the garbage.
		A schoolgirl in uniform.
		A typical push cart for hauling materials.
		The local gas station.
		Everything gets recycled in India.



		These flower garlands are for making offerrings to the gods. They are placed directly on idols/statues, or placed at the feet of the idol. Incense is also burned at the feet of these idols as an offering.



		Nirmal's parents live in a gated community such as this one. Small condominiums currently sell for the equivalent of a quarter of a million US dollars in the subburbs of Bombay.


		Barbed wire fences surround the SEEPZ enclave, which is locked up tight between midnight and 6 am. So, anyone who volunteers to work graveyard is stuck there for the duration.

		CGI is at the first intersection you get to after entering SEEPZ.

		The CGI building has four floors with an atrium throughout.
		The basement floor consists of a planter surrounded by meeting rooms, the "pantry" (kitchen), eating areas, and 2 recreation rooms.
		This is the team assigned to TCI that Craig was sent to train.




		Due to reorganization, Sunil Subhedar was just stepping down from running the CGI Mumbai office the week that Craig arrived. In the foreground is Mira Uchil, who serves as what we would call an office manager. She is the one who made Craig's transportation arrangements and such.
		The road in front.
		Craig & Nirmal Jalla. Nirmal is based at CGI's Oklahoma City office and is the project manager for the TCI contract.
		Sridhar Ramamurthy & Nirmal. Sridhar is a Principle Consultant at CGI Mumbai. He is the manager who assigned the team members. He lives in Bangalore, but spends most of his time in the Mumbai office.
		Nirmal reading his e-mail.
		Table tennis is a favorite pasttime at lunch and especially for the workers who stay after hours to make phone calls to the U.S.

		Craig's teammate is Girish Bhatia. He is the CEO of India Operations (both Mumbai and Bangalore).
		Henna art to celebrate the engagement of a friend.
		Henna is also (especially) used for the weddings themselves.


		Dhobi Ghat -- Sort of like a "dry cleaners" for all of Mumbai.
		The "Gateway of India"
		The Taj Hotel -- The original hotel is on the left, with a new wing on the right.
		Sridhar and Craig enjoyed a sumpuous buffet lunch at the Taj.
		A 2600 moment (an inside joke for Vlad).
		Natraj -- The name for Lord Shiva when he's dancing the dance of destruction.
		Marine Drive (also known as the Queen's Neckless when lit up at night).

		Mumbaiites pay 10 rupees to gain admission to the museum (about 20 cents). Foriegners are charged 300 rupees, and there's a 30 rupee surcharge if you want to take photographs.
		The museum consists of 3 floors, each with 4 different exhibit rooms.
		This statue is in a form commonly used to depict the 3 main Hindu gods: Brahama, the Creator, Vishnu, the Protector, and Mahesh (aka Shiva), the Destroyer.
		This ornate column is typical of the museum's architecture.
		The nautical exhibit was off in a remote corner of the first floor. We almost missed it.