India Diary: Transit Day

Transit day, so a lot of time in airports and on planes. It was a great opportunity for the social side of things though, and great to have a sit down with a few of the other startups. We had a great group chat over free beers in Singapore (FYI if you’re connecting in Singapore with Singapore airlines you can get a free $20 voucher. Just enough for a pint at the bar).

When we finally arrived in Mumbai we had an hour or so bus drive into town. I pulled back the curtains and watched the world go by in awe. It’s like a visual symphony, so much to take in and on so many differences. The textures, the colours, the grime and the beauty. Everything in India happens together. All the contradictions co-exist, but in such close proximity that they blend and merge into each other. There’s shocking poverty but also vibrant joy, and they share the same street and the same sidewalk.

As a visual person the bus ride was so stimulating. There’s was something new to explore, something to distract you, something to amaze and shock you within all of your vision. Gone is the clean hard differentiation of the western aesthetic, replaced by a decadent layering of grime and colour and a patina that makes the city look like it grew out of the ground rather than being built.

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This post is part of a series logging the whole trip:

• India-Australia Day
• Transit Day
• Bootcamp Begins
• Mumbai Incubators
• Social Enterprises and Business in India
• Venture Debt and the Mobile Future
• The Weekend
• A Trip to Pune
• The Last Leg

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