What The Streets See At 5am

A few days ago as I drove home, bleary-eyed from a terribly timed flight, I noticed how the streets around me seemed to have a life of their own. A life different from the blazing hot afternoons or humid, gauzy evenings. A view of the world unique to this time. So what do these Bombay city streets see then?

• Tired men unpacking kilos of green, leafy vegetables on the side of the road
• Cigarette toting men rooting through said vegetables and loading them onto small vans
• Newspaper sellers organising their deliveries under a flyover
• Sweaty travellers sitting on their luggage hoping for a passing cab to stop
• Sleeping dogs, always a bit too close to traffic for my liking
• Cats prowling the streets in search of dinner or an early morning snack
• Couples in their 20s stumbling out of apartment buildings trying to get home before the sunlight cracks
• A couple of fully kitted bicyclists trying to enjoy their ride before the city wakes up
• A drowsy mother trying to put her screaming baby back to sleep on the pavements they call their home
• The curious eyes of someone watching the city live in a way they had never noticed before