Monsoons evoke mixed emotions in Mumbai. There is the obvious good that they bring — feeding the lakes and reservoirs that supply water to the city, providing respite from scorching summers, enriching the earth beneath our feet, and enabling us to absorb the pleasure of a heavenly shower. Then there is the dark side.

Photo by Sudharak Olwe.

Every year, and inevitably it seems, rains disrupt and destroy the lives of so many Mumbaikars, especially those already teetering on the edge. They lead to ailments and diseases and they leave in their wake potholes and landslides, collapsed buildings and flooded streets. Each of these is cause for calamity because, at its worst, the Mumbai monsoon maims and kills. The toll extracted is grim and the victims, be they from a slum or a well-appointed apartment, have little recourse from a governance system whose apathy borders on criminality.

Photo by Sudharak Olwe.

This collection of images by award-winning photojournalist Sudharak Olwe frames the struggles of citizens trying to cope with Mumbai’s excessive, or merely errant, monsoons. Shot over a timespan of more than three decades, these are portraits of resilience, even desperation. They reflect a reality that is at odds with the city’s much-exalted spirit, a phantom quality made credible through constant parroting.

Text by Philip Chacko, writer and editor

(Mumbai-based Sudharak Olwe is a Padma Shri awardee)