In Mumbai, India, commuting long distances is a given and getting caught in heavy traffic means you may have to spend hours on the road. You can always look out of the window to entertain yourself, but Rachel Lopez, a journalist in Mumbai, found a new world of creativity by looking up at the ceilings of local taxis.
Lopez sometimes takes as many as eight taxis in a day, as she goes about her interviews and appointments, and it was in the summer of 2017, on hailing a cab (locally called "kaali peeli") she happened to glance up at the ceiling and saw a ghastly chocolate brown background, with purple and green strawberries strewn over it. She clicked a selfie against it for fun, and wondered idly how many more designs could be on other taxi ceilings.
“It started as a joke, but ultimately the joke was on me,” she quips. Lopez would not have imagined that she would end up documenting as many as 500 designs since. Her popular Instagram account documenting the designs and the anecdotes that go with it is called The Greater Bombay and has more than 11,000 followers.
Lopez, 39, is an editor and columnist and working for the Hindustan Times, and also produces a podcast called Wordy Wordpecker, which delves into how words have changed over time.
Mumbai has a big fleet of as many as 55,000 taxis, and is the most cost effective and popular way to get around the city for many. The art swathing the ceilings is actually not mere decoration or the interior aesthetic of the drivers, but stems from a very practical reason. Since the windows are usually kept open, and dirt and grime can spoil the original felt-covered ceiling, they are covered with plastic or vinyl that can be easily wiped clean.
“This covering is heavy-duty plastic usually sourced from China and when the taxi is sent to the garage to be painted and fitted with registration plates, the ceiling is also covered with the plastic material, with motifs which are rarely the driver’s personal choice,” explains Lopez.
“Indians do love decorative elements like frills, motifs and images and tend to cover every surface with these. Maybe we suffer from what is termed as ‘horror vacui’ or the fear of empty spaces,” says Lopez.
Most of the motifs found on the ceilings are generic ones that are replicated on everything from shower curtains to plastic tablecloths. From floral trellises, honeycomb patterns, canopies of roses, funky zebra and animal prints to abstract designs, chess board patterns, platters of fruits, even Bollywood actors and cartoon characters – this is a quirky, moving gallery of art. Some drivers even add their own touches, sticking flowers or glitzy decorations on to the ceiling.
The Instagram account has images of half of Lopez’s face, usually with a scarf covering her head, against a ceiling pattern of butterflies, kitschy fruits, squiggles or dots.
Lopez says, ”What I find extremely hilarious is that when I inquire about the art on their taxi ceilings, most of the drivers just grunt and are totally disinterested, as for them it’s just a practical aspect of their taxis. They obviously don’t see what we see.”
More than 100 of Lopez’s images of the ceilings were showcased earlier this year at the Kala Ghoda Art Festival, one of Asia’s largest street festivals of art, and got a great response from the public. Many locals who take these taxis on a daily basis and even lifelong residents of the city realised that they had not paid attention to the ceilings.
Part of the charm of this collection is also the anecdotes and thoughts that Lopez shares on her account. She delves into her knowledge of art and compares an abstract pattern on the ceiling to the art of Turkish artist Fahrelnissa Zeid. She finds patterns that look like "a gorgeous linoleum carpet print", "an artist’s rendering of the coronavirus" and even "a pothole ridden road after five days of rain"! The fun comments on the Instagram account range from “that matches your scarf” to “that’s my grandmother’s tablecloth".
“The typical Mumbaikar ignores the city around him and only has [a] surface appreciation of it, he may not notice the art deco or heritage building in front of him or some stunning street art as he is absorbed in the daily, busy schedule of making a livelihood. Unless someone documents it, it may be lost forever, swept up in the wave of development, like our old textile mills which are now glitzy malls,” says Lopez.
“It’s the same with these taxi ceilings and their quirky art. One day, you may find them just fading away and we will lose this gallery of art forever. Until then, I will continue uncovering them, one taxi at a time.”
Lopez proves that art is everywhere, if only you bother to pay attention to your surroundings.
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Norwich City 0 Southampton 3 (Ings 49', Armstrong 54', Redmond 79')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
Brief scoreline:
Burnley 3
Barnes 63', 70', Berg Gudmundsson 75'
Southampton 3
Man of the match
Ashley Barnes (Burnley)
Premier Futsal 2017 Finals
Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side
Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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