Bombay vs New York

'Whether it's their yellow taxis or our kaali peelis, the throngs at their subway stations or the madness in our locals, New York City and Mumbai have often been compared and contrasted. Now, in an ongoing photo documentation project called Bombay vs New York, 41 year-old NYC-based photographer of Indian origin, Nisha Sondhe trains the lens of her Canon 5D Mark II over her two favourite muses. The project will culminate in exhibitions in both cities in 2012

How did the Bombay vs New York project happen?
In 2008, my portfolio consisted mostly of images from abroad (outside the US). I took a book of my photographs to an interview with an NYC magazine art director, and she had a reaction that I didn't expect. She said, especially of my photographs of subjects in India, "I see that you can take pictures of exotic places and make them look beautiful, but can you take pictures of local places and make them look beautiful too?" Until then, I hadn't thought of India as exotic.

Given that my family is from Mumbai -- my mom is from Khar, and close relatives still live there -- I've been visiting India all my life. When I was very young, I even went to school in Santa Cruz. Now that I've been living in NYC for 13 years, I am constantly aware of how similar the two cities are. After that interview in 2008, I knew what I had to do -- show how exotic things are similar.

For the project, I try to capture concepts in pairs. For example, the subway trains in NYC and the local trains in Mumbai.

Here, both women, in Versova and Union Square Market were fishermen's
wives. Both sold their husband's catch and ran the business end of the trade.
Sondhe says, "My favourite thing about the shots is the same kind of
market, same kind of energy."

According to you, how similar and different are the two cities?
I'm starting to see no difference between the cities, the more I work on the project. Initially, I thought of the project as both, a comparison and contrast of the two cities, but the more I dug into it, the more I realised that city life in both places is the same. Both are financial capitals that are known for their hustle and bustle, both are teeming with a wide range of cultures and people, both are huge and unmanageable, full of wonderful people. And I adore them both equally for it.
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What kind of challenges did you face?
Sometimes, the actual shooting is the most troublesome. My initial idea for the NYC subway and Mumbai local trains shots, for example, was to catch them crowded. When I tried to shoot that photo in Mumbai, I had to let two trains go, since they were that crowded! Once I did get in, there were so many people, I couldn't get enough space to lift my camera. What ended up happening is that I started taking photos as people were leaving the train. I liked the empty train photos better than those with people.
So, in NYC, I rode the train to the end of the line and photographed it the same way, after everyone had left. It turned out to be one of my favourite pairings.

How have people responded to the project?
The response has been overwhelming. People in NYC tend to hone in on the photos of Mumbai, and people in Mumbai tend to focus on photos of NYC.

But everyone seems to identify with the everyday aspect of things. I love hearing, "Oh, they have that there too?" I think it will be a lifetime study.

What more are you trying to include in the project?
Right now, I'm working on the government and entertainment industries. I'm trying to get a portrait of Mayor Bloomberg; I'm also working with musicians and music venues to represent the important role they play in the two cities. There are things like the Marathi theatre scene in Mumbai and Shakespeare in the parks in NYC. Of course, my ultimate dream is to get both Shah Rukh Khan and Robert Downey Jr to sit for the project.

What do you plan to do with the project?
I dream of showing the work in both, Mumbai and NYC galleries simultaneously. I have three shows in mind: one revolving around 'daily life' in both cities, another about celebs and characters that make the cities run, and a final one that reveals the cities' secrets.

To view the project, visit https://www.nishasondhe.com/u00a0
sowmya.rajaram@mid-day.com

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