Where

The story is mostly based in Mumbai. But the familys life starts out in a small Nilgiri Mountain villiage. All of the locations in the book are real places that I visited. And I have described them in detail as I recall them from my actual trip to India.

Below are a few maps to show you the actual real locations upon which the book is based.

This image shows the distance from Nilgiri to Mumbai.
The train trip is described in the book. It is typically
a two day journey by train.

The map above shows Ooty (also called Udhagamandalam) which
is at the end of the line up the Nilgiri mountain. To get there, you must first
catch the train from the coast to Coimbatore, leap onto the bus
to Mettupalayam and then catch the Nilgiri Mountain Railway on up to Otty. From Coimbatore and
if you start very early in the day, a return trip can be done in a single (but very long) day.

The map above shows southern Mumbai where much of the story is set.
Narayana lives in the 'boot' on Malabar Hill (the top left arrow). Chowpatti Beach (the middle
arrow) is also described in the book. My trip starts from Colaba (the lower right most arrow). 

Please enjoy the fictional story knowing these places and the wonderful people who live there are very real.