Bradford Manning narrows his eyes as he turns to look up at the basalt turrets of The Gateway of India, his eyes mirroring the gentle blue of the monsoon sky. It's the last day of his week-long break in Mumbai, where he met his partner's Iranian family. Travelling on a CST local and surviving Sassoon Dock's "assault on the senses" topped his list of exciting to-dos. "It was fascinating to see the extreme labour that goes into running an authentic fish market. What will stay with me is the city's diversity. You have places like this," says the American national, pointing to the Taj Mahal Palace & Towers where he is put up, "and then the lanes of Crawford Market," he adds about going hugger-mugger in the alleys to buy dry fruit.

He hurtles over sentences to sneak in a bit about the magical moments of joining members of a pandal during Ganesh visarjan. "I stood out a little, which made me a target for the people with red powder. We don't have a festival quite like it in New York. It was religious, yes, but also a big party. Although I wasn't very good at the dancing."