Karina Pandya

  Often known as Mumbai’s very own ‘Varanasi’, Banganga Temple Tank at Walkeshwar is one of the oldest pilgrimage sites for devotes in the city. A sacred water tank, there is a lot of mythology surrounding the origin of this temple. As I reached the Walkeshwar Bus Depot, I wondered what was the story behind Banganga as I heard so much about it.    At the beginning of the walk, I met my guide from Khaki Tours and a middle-aged woman who would be accompanying me on the walk. As I looked all around me there were narrow and sneaky lanes and a side of Mumbai I had never explored before. Dating back to AD 1127  when the tank was constructed, the entire Banganga area is full of 10-20 small-sized temples, over 50 dharamshalas and one main temple which has been reconstructed over time.   Surrounded by mythology and history, it is believed that the temple at Banganga came into existence when Lord Rama – the exiled hero of the epic Ramayana stopped at this site to seek the...

Previously an island with a mangrove swamp, inhabited by Koli fishermen; Dharavi’s history goes back to 1884 when the city saw a huge migration of people from rural areas to urban Mumbai.     Once known as the village of Koliwada, Dharavi is the third-largest slum in the world and the largest slum in Asia; Having an informal economy, Dharavi is home to mainly 4 industries, namely the leather industry, the pottery industry, the textile industry and recycling of plastic.   On 11th August, I made a trip here with a tour guide from Mumbai Dream Tours. On arriving there, it was not only eye-opening but also thought-provoking how people survived here.  In this small and cramped area, a population of over 1.5 million reside and work. However, it is this labyrinth settlement which forms the microcosm of humanity in the city. With Mahim and Bandra to the west and the polluted Mithi River to the north, Dharavi is also neighbouring Kurla and Sion.     ...

   With over 1,200 tornadoes hitting the US every year, Oklahoma sits within the heart of Tornado valley, one of the world’s most tornado-prone areas with at least 59 tornadoes hitting every year. It is in fact known as the Tornado Capital of the World !    This is the setting the American disaster film, Twisters with six storm chasers – Daisy Edgar Jones (Kate Carter), Javi ( Anthony Ramos ), Addy ( Kiernan Shipka ), Praveen ( Nik Dodani ), and her boyfriend, Jeb ( Daryl McCormack ) in it.    Beading into a tornado, the team launches barrels of sodium  polyacrylate  in hopes of reducing the intensity of the tornado and  securing funding for further research. However, finding themselves amidst an EF5 ( Enhanced Fujita scale) which Is rated as one of the strongest tornadoes. Once the storm calms down and the amount of chemicals is found to be insufficient to stop the tornado,  Addy, Praveen, and Jeb   are killed, leaving only Kate an...