When I first came to Mumbai and explored some of the suburbs, I thought to myself that it looked like somebody bombed the shit out of the place. Sometimes, I can't tell if buildings are going up or coming down. But by far the most insidious hazards in the city are the many uncovered manholes. To call them manholes is being kind. Many resemble hungry gaps, jagged breaks, surly ditches, official infrastructure failures, and other synonyms closer in nature to unauthorized entrances to hell.

During monsoon season, these holes become extremely dangerous. There's always news about someone falling into them, drowning and/or vanishing outright forever. When I do happen to venture out and the streets aren't visible in the standing waters, I usually have a long umbrella with me to poke around ahead of me. So far, so good.