Meet the Locals: Soraya from Mumbai
Amidst the hustle of India’s largest city is the quiet neighborhood of Agripada, where Soraya Postel welcomes guests from around the world with a cup of chai on her tenth-floor terrace.
Photography by Karen Dias
The Local
Soraya Postel is used to having strangers in her home. Snake charmers, cotton candy vendors, and door-to-door salesmen were among the regulars her mother invited over for tea and rice at the family’s home in Chennai, India. “We were curious to know more about them and often listened to tales of their village lives in great wonder,” says Soraya, a French teacher who speaks four languages. At the urging of a friend, she became a home host in Mumbai seven years ago.
Since then, Soraya and her daughter Fabia carry on the family’s open-door policy. They sip chai with guests from all over the world on their terrace overlooking India’s largest metropolis. “Hosting brings us closer to people from all walks of life, and we hold this connection with humanity very dear.”
Her Home
Soraya and Fabia rent out a room for two in their 10th-floor apartment. From a private, tiled terrace, guests have views of the sunrise and a garden where parrots flit among 300-year-old rainforest trees.
“We spend a lot of time cooking and feeding guests and chilling with them on the terrace,” she says. Guests revel in the homestay-like experience of home-cooked meals, good conversation, and tailored local recommendations.
One guest stayed with Soraya for a month while pursuing a film course at the New York Film Academy in Mumbai. Every evening, she returned home to discuss the selected topic of her debut short film with Soraya and Fabia, asking for their input and exchanging ideas. “We bonded like co-creators of a piece of work that would make memories forever.” The guest gave Soraya and Fabia VIP passes to the film premiere, and they were thrilled to see that their names had been added to the end credits. “Inspired by this acknowledgement, we have started writing poetry and prose ourselves,” Soraya says.
Soraya attends to her guests’ needs in more ways than one. A French couple visiting their 20-year-old son on an internship booked a stay with Soraya. When their son fell ill during their visit, Soraya called on a local doctor and used her French to act as a translator between the two, playing a central role in restoring the son’s health. The couple later invited Soraya and her family to stay with them in Paris. “We went to the country and spent 10 days being loved and cared for by all of them. That is an experience I will never forget.”
Her Neighborhood
Soraya speaks of Mumbai as a “vibrant city that has a heartbeat of its own. It’s a city of contrast — a city that lives both by day and night.” Her home is situated in the quaint residential neighborhood of Agripada, a smaller and less touristy area than its teeming surroundings of Mumbai Central and Bombay Central Station. “It’s just locals who are doing their stuff. It’s a nice concept to live in a big city where people still have friendly, open-minded personalities.” The area encompasses a large Muslim population as well as smaller Hindu, Parsi, and Christian communities who live in the old residential system of Mumbai, known as the chawl system: dwellings that were first built in the 20th century to house millworkers. It boasts an eclectic mix of local markets and jewelry shops, where local Koli fishermen hang out and people deliver bread on bicycles, all of which thread the past traditions and colors of Mumbai to its present day.
“I’m a big city browser with my daughter Fabia,” says Soraya, adding that “people are always busy in Mumbai. You’ll never find anyone idling away. It’s just pumping all the time.”
Together, they scope out new places to take their guests to show them the enchantment of Mumbai. As true guides of their neighborhood and community, they shepherd guests through off-the-beaten-track sites and their favorite spots like the market where vendors sell spicy street snacks, Indian sweetmeats, and colorful locally-made garments.
Soraya also sends her guests to a traditional halwa store called Tahoora, where the owners and salespeople greet them with a plate of delightful treats. “Indian sweets are a great part of the lives of Indians all over India. Sharing a sweet is like a good omen.”
No trip is complete without a visit to the Kamathipura jean junction, where jeans pile up from all over Mumbai only to be revamped and recycled. Just down the way, a washerman hands over a bundle of clothes to the press fellow who treats them with a cold iron.
November is Soraya’s favorite time of the year in Mumbai. From then until February, numerous festivals take place, including Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. “All the festivals are very colorful and noisy,” Soraya says. For her, it’s one of the reasons she’s never thought about living anywhere else. By opening her door, Soraya continues to make friends in places she has never even dreamt of visiting. Airbnb “has given us the best opportunity to be who we are. Our wall of friendship and our knowledge of countries and cultures have grown and are growing with each hosting experience. All these experiences have left us with richer thoughts and lasting friendships with people who were once strangers to us.”
Soraya’s Mumbai Picks
Chor Bazaar: “An interesting, 150-year-old flea market open only on Fridays where one can see an array of random goods like old books, fantasy jewelry, marble statues, old watches, and even false teeth!”
Dhobi Ghat: “An outdoor washerman’s village where one can understand the magical old-fashioned way of washing, drying, and ironing from hospitals, hotels, and houses.”
Renault Restaurant: “Seafood at its best! A traditional eating house that serves you a variety of exclusive and fresh dishes prepared in a mouth-watering style. The main dishes of curried prawns and fried Bombay duck cannot be matched.”
Mumbai Central Station: “An Art Deco station that still takes you back to the good old days of wooden newspaper stands, a laundry room, with the backdrop of present-day murals of colorful images of the city’s symbols. I like to see the building lit up at night and watch the busy working world find their way home.”
Liberty Cinema: “Watching a 20th Century Fox film in the Liberty Cinema is my kind of Saturday afternoon entertainment. The foyer and the washrooms are in old-fashioned woodwork — this is where you can meet with artistic Mumbaikars.”
About the author: Cayla Mihalovich is a San Francisco-based writer whose work has appeared in PSFK, Flaunt Magazine, and Airbnb Magazine.
About the photographer: Karen Dias is a photographer from Mumbai — the city where she grew up. Her work has been exhibited around the world. Her photographs focus on stories about women, the environment, and indigenous communities. She was recently awarded a grant from the International Women’s Media Foundation in recognition of her work.
