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| For many secret couples in Mumbai, Bandra Land's End is a haven from prying parents [Photo:BBC] |
Finding a place to love in Mumbai, India's most populous city, is not always easy.
Every day hundreds of young couples line the city's seafront, to escape the prying eyes of their parents. In India dating is still seen as taboo by many.
"When you come here all you see is love," exclaims Rama Shankar. "All they do is kiss, but it's nice watching them kiss," he adds.
Shankar is a mere peanut seller, not a voyeur, but as he roams around the seafront in one of Mumbai's suburbs, it is hard for him to avoid catching a glimpse of an embrace or even more.
Atop rocks with jagged edges which jut out onto gentle waves, sit dozens of young couples.
Many are holding onto each other with an iron grip, the girlfriend's head resting on her boyfriend's shoulder, his arm wrapped around her back protectively.
Some stare out into the sea, barely exchanging glances, while others, the ones who catch Shankar's attention most, are engaged in full-on, lip-locking, saliva-sharing, kisses.
This area, next to the remains of an old Portuguese fort, at Bandra Land's End, is one of the many stretches of the city's coastline which are a haven for young lovers desperate to find a secluded place to be together.
For others, it is not just a place, but space.
'Parents can't catch us'
Mumbai, with a high population density of more than 20,000 people per square kilometre, is a cramped city, where there is simply not enough room to conduct a relationship.
While dating is slowly becoming more acceptable in India, it is still not the norm.
