Mumbai Meanderings

Darien (CT) Community YMCA CEO Pat Morrissey shares with us a view of the streets of Mumbai (formerly Bombay), where Pat visited on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the YMCA in India.
Pat reflects on his introduction to the YMCA of Mumbai. . . . .

“After an hour on the bus, our guide stopped. Somewhere among the narrow maze of city streets we arrived at what appeared to be no place in particular. We followed him single-file down a short alley, carefully stepping around the debris, the puddles, and the mud until we got to a huge metal door covered with long vertical bars. It looked like a stable to me. After tugging open the door, we entered the windowless hallway lit by a single hanging light bulb. I was convinced that this was a livestock annex. However, when we turned the corner we found a classroom of bright-eyed pre-school children waiting quietly and patiently for our arrival. The teacher motioned for us to take off our shoes and we entered one of the schools run by the YMCA in Mumbai, India. The contrast of this quiet and orderly schoolroom with the teeming streets a few yards away was representative of things we saw again and again as we explored this amazing city.”

If you are curious about the work of the YMCA in Mumbai or the nation of India, click on the following websites. . . .

World Alliance of YMCAs - http://www.ymca.int/index.php?id=113&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=387&tx_ttnews[backPid]=111&cHash=a9b2b28d82

National Council of YMCAs of India - http://www.ymcaindia.org/

YMCA Bombay – www.ymcabombay.org