Look at Mumbai through the eyes of these five Instagrammers

Every day, thousands of us take the harbour line train. We’re all familiar with the railway station called Cotton Green. Yet, chances are, you have never actually gotten off to look at the walls under the bridge. These walls mark the boundary of the abandoned Food Corporation of India premises, and are now covered with bright neon graffiti. The broken walls aresurrounded with water fountains reminiscent of a bygone era. You may have missed it, but Kunal Tripathi (@mumbaiheritage) didn’t.

But it’s the ability to spot details like these that set these five Instagrammers apart. From the human drama in our trains, to that on water-logged roads in the rains, they capture myriad aspects of Mumbai. Be it a mouth-watering meal, an old archway in Colaba, they cover it all.

@BOMBAYBHUKKAD(Tanmay Bahulekar, entrepreneur)

1097 posts
11.6k followers

My quest is to find new food joints, says Tanmay

Photo credit: @BOMBAYBHUKKAD

The picture you are most proud of...
From the recent past, I love a picture of a bunch of mutton thalis.

The picture that got the maximum attention...
The picture of misal from a small joint called Chaan Chavdaar in Vile Parle.

What camera/phone do you shoot on?
iPhone 5.

How many restaurants have you covered since you started?
Nearly 2,000 restaurants.

What made you focus on affordable eateries and homemade food only?
They have the most deliciously cooked meals. Lunch homes, small restaurants, home cooks retain that feeling of belonging to a place. The tastiest food is almost always found in small eateries and at affordable prices.

Do you have a target for the number of restaurants ordishes to showcase in a stipulated time period?
No, I have a different set of targets. I am planning on starting a documentary series where each video will be a quest to find new food joints.

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@anushree_fadnavis(Anushree Fadnavis, Photojournalist)

422 posts
29.3k followers

I don’t tell my subjects I’m shooting, says Anushree

The pictures that got the most attention...
The pictures from my series #traindiaries, especially, some of the stories on transgender people.

What camera/phone do you shoot on?
A Sony Xperia L.

Photo credit: @anushree_fadnavis

Filter or no filter? Which filter are you biased towards?
I used to love ‘X-Pro’ and ‘Nashville’. But I don’t use filters anymore.

Why did you choose to concentrate on local trains?
It is more about the space that I am in. The train pictures just show that I prefer travelling by train.

Do your subjects know that they are being photographed?
I usually don’t tell my subjects that I am shooting them. Sometimes I do strike up a conversation and ask them if I can take a picture, or I ask them once I am done.

Tell us about a unique experience from your train chronicles.
I once asked a lady who was sitting with her laptop in a crowded train for permission to take her photo. After some time, the ladies around me noticed that I was taking her picture and objected. That made the lady get scared. It was really frustrating. Overall, there are simply so many similarities between life and local train journeys.

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@chiragwakaskar (Chirag Wakaskar, photographer)

1,400 posts
32.2k followers

For me, Mumbai is life itself, says Chirag

Photo credit: @chiragwakaskar

Since when have you been passionate about photography?

I have been inspired by the moments daily life presented, since childhood.

The picture that you are most proud of...
One of my favourite photos is the one from a Muharram rally of the Shia community.

What camera/phone do you shoot on?
A Canon 5D Mark III and an iPhone 4.

What makes you uplaod a particular photo on Instagram?
Photography is a viewpoint, and I hope to have people agree or disagree with my view.

How did @everydaymumbai (a popular account, with 44.6k followers, curated by him) come about?
I came across @everydayafrica, which is one of the first projects of this sort. So, I decided to curate a platform where several Mumbai-based photographers would be able to share their images on one page. I didn’t expect it to pick up so fast. It has been less than a year since it started, and the Instagram community has taken a liking to it.

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@mostlypoopie (Pooja Shah, entrepreneur)

276 posts
40.8k followers

Every street has a story to tell, says Pooja

The picture you are most proud of...
Lady in Red; it is the classiest, the most glamorous picture I have clicked.

What camera/phone do you shoot on?
iPhone 5S.

What are the most important criteria when it comes to uploading photos on Instagram?
Symmetry and framing of the picture is very important. I hate clutter in my frames, and try to make the pictures look as real as possible with minimal edits.

Filter or no filter? If yes, then do you have favourites?
Filters galore. I am biased towards VSCO Cam filters.

Windows, doors and shutters feature prominently in your pictures. Why the special attraction towards them?
I have a thing for old and beautiful facades, doors and windows. I’ve tried to be versatile and click other subjects, but every time I’m on a photo walk, I’m distracted by the lovely details on these windows and doors.

What is your favourite neighbourhood in Mumbai, as far as street photography is concerned?
Horniman Circle and its adjoining areas. With so much history and classy buildings, every street has there a story to tell.

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@mumbaiheritage (Kunal Tripathi, engineer)

196 posts
2576 followers

I look for the lesser-known Mumbai, says Kunal

The picture you clicked that got maximum attention…
Elphinstone Building.

What camera/phone do you shoot on?
My iPhone. A Canon DSLR is my other gear.

Your focus is on heritage buildings only. Is there a specific reason for it?
Some colleagues of mine introduced me to places in Mumbai that I had never seen before. This fuelled my interest to search for the ‘lost’ Mumbai and I started looking out for lesser-known places in the city.

Photo credit: @mumbaiheritage

What makes you mention the grade of the heritage structure?
These grades are instrumental in understanding the building’s architectural value, age, its national and local importance. So I mention it every time. The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee has mentioned the grading of listed heritage structures/zones.

What’s your take on the much-debated Development Plan, which did not acknowledge several heritage buildings?
Almost 70% of all heritage structures in Mumbai are not marked in the Development Plan. They run the risk of being been lost to reckless redevelopment. A plan that pits development against heritage cannot take Mumbai forward.