@SL_ShanthKumar

photojournalist@toimumbai

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

BE GENTLE WITH THE PLANET, SAYS BMC

Mumbai : A man walks through the rain with an umbrella in front of an environment-themed mural installed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, in a visual reminder to protect nature and live more gently with the planet.

#saveplanetearth

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

“Her Smile Was Her Shelter”

MUMBAI: Draped in a piece of cloth to shield herself from the monsoon rain, a child smiles beneath a flyover in Mumbai, a fleeting moment of innocence and joy amid the hardships of life on the street.

#streetchild #smile #dailylife #photojournalism

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

When the Headlines Left, the Flood Remained.
Beyond the headlines, Nalasopara was still underwater. Families endured four days without power, drinking water or medical care. I documented the people still waiting to be seen.

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

GETTING THEIR KICKS AT THE BEACH

Children play football on Juhu Beach under dramatic monsoon clouds at sunset in Mumbai. As FIFA World Cup excitement grows, the city’s shoreline becomes a playground where young football enthusiasts take to the sands of the Arabian Sea.

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

A fisherman cleans the hull and propeller of a fishing boat at Worli Koliwada ahead of the southwest monsoon and the annual fishing ban, which marks the beginning of the marine fish breeding season. The temporary suspension of fishing activities allows fish stocks to regenerate

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

They weren't allowed to play golf.

So they built their own clubs from scrap, turned Mumbai's slum lanes into fairways, and created "Slum Golf.

Years later, that dream took them to international tournaments.
A story of resilience, imagination, and opportunity.

#SlumGolf

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

RIDE BY THE SEA

Families enjoy horse-cart and horseback rides along Dadar Chowpatty in Mumbai as pre-monsoon clouds gather over the Arabian Sea during sunset.

#Premonsoon #Mumbai #DadarChowpatty #Monsoon #Photojournalism #MumbaiDiaries

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

ADIVASI WOMEN & GIRLS TREK 4 HOURS FOR WATER — JUST 120 KM FROM MUMBAI.
In Dapurmal village, women and little girls walk miles every day for a single pot of water.
Surrounded by water, yet fighting for every drop. 💔

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

SHE CARRIES TOMORROW

A mother walks through Dadar market with her child in one arm and toys for sale in the other carrying the weight of survival with love, strength and sacrifice every single day.

#MothersDay #Mumbai #Humanity #Photojournalism

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

FOREST PRODUCE MAKES ITS WAY TO CITY
Before sunrise, tribal women in Shahapur begin a 10-km trek to a railway station near Mal, carrying forest produce to Mumbai markets. What they bear is more than goods it’s survival, dignity, and generations of knowledge.
Resilience in motion.

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

A man sleeps on a water pipeline in Dharavi, one of Asia’s most densely populated informal settlements. The pipeline runs through densely packed homes and waste, underscoring the contrast between vital water infrastructure and the difficult living conditions faced by residents.

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

BLOOD, SWEAT & TISSUE PAPERS

Every morning, 36-year-old Satish travels from Virar to Dadar to survive. A polio survivor, he sells tissue papers from a wheelchair as his wife pushes him through Mumbai’s streets, their 2-year-old son on his lap. Life, work, and struggle together

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

Net by Net

Framed by rows of drying fish, children of fishermen help their parents disentangle the morning’s catch from fishing nets along Versova beach in Mumbai, highlighting how family labour remains integral to the survival of the city’s traditional fishing communities.

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

Minority ? Majority ?

A Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polling official verifies voter identity cards as women queue to cast their votes at a polling station in the Jeri Meri area during the BMC civic elections in Mumbai, Thursday, jan, 15, 2026.

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

Dressed as Charlie Chaplin, Afsar Khan, 50, makes a living by spreading smiles at Juhu Beach. The coins he earns help pay rent, food, and treatment for his seriously ill daughter. He came to Mumbai after driving an auto in Kolkata failed to sustain his family.

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

Blue, Between Shifts

Fishermen take an afternoon break under the shade of a banyan tree at Sassoon Dock in Mumbai, as dappled shadows fall across a blue-painted wall near the harbour. Sassoon Dock remains one of the city’s oldest and busiest fishing hubs.

#fishermen #dailylife

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

Police detain (VHP) activists during a protest near the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission.
The demonstration was held to condemn the killing of Hindu garment worker Dipu Chandra Das in Bangladesh. Anger spilled onto the streets as protesters raised slogans demanding justice

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

Cradled Between Cement and Care

During a brief pause from lifting stones and mixing cement, a migrant woman worker soothes her young daughter with a phone motherhood unfolding amid rubble and resilience.

#motherlove #child #photojournalism #life #dailylife

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
A city raised on cricket paused for football.
Lionel Messi walked out, and history listened. @leomessisite

[@SL_ShanthKumar @ShanthkumarSl]

20 Magical Photos by SL Shanth Kumar That Reveal the Pure and Joyful Moments of Childhood https://t.co/ssjBzhbd84