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Published: March 16th 2007
Mumbai is a perfect blend between rain washed high rise walls, old houses, industrious scrapers and the slums which like cement keep the city together. The old colonies dotted evenly with all kinds of greenery broken rudely by bustling roads and crowded bazaars. The seemingly old worldish dilapidated houses, built only to support the apartmentist lifestyle of Mumbai. Along with the shabby but clean look of the occupants could lull one into nursing dreams of buying a flat here hah!
The expressways provide two of the rarest sights in mumbai: open sky and the occasional glimpse of the speedometer needle above 45 kmph. This addition to mumbai attempts another stitch to its bursting seams. The apartments in mumbai dont have balconies for even the parts that face the sea, even the windows look securely grilled, this is uniform across. Why would the metropolis windows be so fortified no one has in my many trips have fully answered to my satisfaction. The more i look at them it seems its more built to keep something in rather than external security, for some windows are perched at heights that only a wayward mr. Parker could access them. Somewhere between having no time to soak oneself from the balconies and being afraid of losing lies (i would like to believe) the real reason behind the garrisoned houses that make up this 'free' minded city by the sea.
The truth is the grills serve a a set of important functions: they provide the much needed clothesline drying the surf and sweat soaked canopies that cover the middle class. The riot scarred mumbaikers may also believe the grills would keep out projectiles which i suspect is another possibility. Having given the country the gavaskars the tendulkars and the last theory that i can put forward given my present state is the grills prevent the cricket ball from smashing the windows from the famous gulley cricket which produces talent and apparently shattered panes.
Yesterday my travels took me to mahim, a railway station on the mumbai suburbs, surrounded by bandra in the north and the arabian sea in the west. Mahim is one of the 7 islands that make up mumbai. In 1431 a dargah of Maktum fakir ali paru was built here, more recently known for the sweetened ocean water which many drank attributing it to the fakirs divinity. This was in fact sewage water flowing into the sea tilting the saline balance near the shore. At the crossing our car was accosted by a poorly dressed man, this may not surprise anyone in mumbai but the intentions to solicit money had reasons that were unique atleast to me .
There were groups of dark skinned and obviously very poor people squatting in a line along the sidewalk. The person who solicited worked for a dhaba and would use the money to feed these urchins depending on the money you paid him @ rs 10 per urchin. The line decided who would get fed next, i havent yet heard of such a unique business model balancing philanthropy with profiteering. The mumbai extremes became apparent when during night at the colaba causeway, a similar incident of a man's solicitation signified by this touching his nose constantly meant he was an agent trader for a nefarious industry (pimp).
Mumbaikars intrigued me. In the airport lounge sitting behind me are 2 airline officials in their early 40s reading sms jokes out laughing and lamenting at the instrument at the same time. Next to me are two well heeled corporate blokes with laptops consuming a biryani over their tightly knotted ties, their obvious lack of occupation is apparent as they eat 10 spoonfuls in 1 smelly (for me) hour disturbed only by their ringing cellphones and occasional attempts to talk about their business of electronic manufacturing. I have always heard about the 'cool' mumbaiaas and anxious to meet them, i hoped to bump into them at the concert where a lady next to me asked me not to sing loudly as it disturbed her while she 'danced to the sound of floyd'. Her retort to my incredulous look was to tell her boyfriend, who couldn’t 'hear' her above the 80000 watt sound of the concert. another was screaming at the porter to charge 10 rs less or would take his job the asst manager of air india who did not let us board the plane the process to follow had closed 2 minutes ago, but there were my hosts who despite my not staying in touch for 5 years and their kid opened their heart and home to us, uday the guard at the gates of the hotel who told our auto 'theek meter se jaana', my mind still holds the bulk of delhi in a somewhat 'too loud and rude' bracket, as i pass thru 'bombay' i gradually start appreciating my rude ol delhi……
Well, the metropolis is probably the world’s largest open air kitchen, the city of vada-pav eaters, pani puri lovers serves up a mind blowing selection of (mind &) mouth watering chaats (Indian for a edible mixtures of sweet & salted semi solids with tangy colorful sauces & tamarind). The side-walk fare at Mumbai is gastrnomical retribution on the move, though it is not recommended for those with weak intestinal resolve, but when you survive this can you truly appreciate a couple of things…a) Bombay & India b) Cholera & Typhoid shots……… My trips, largely placed me at the Renaissance by the Powai Lake…whose cosmopolitan crocs are rumored to take leisurely walks through the engineering college loos next door. (the students there live under 3 constant fears: a) crocs b) cheetahs & c) passing out of IIT). Now coming back to the Renaissance….. (rhetoric..planted on purpose) …the fooding options at the hotel largely cater to those, who gets their orgasms from just dining in a five star, I suspect those pangs of satisfaction only occur while narrating that you did infact eat at a five star….in short the food is nothing to write about and I mostly recommend the sidewalk fare …you have selections from the recently set up elitist chat plaza, or for the brave the chat-wallahs available within 100 meters of wherever you maybe in Mumbai.
Turning the clock forward, to the concert night…I joined the moving mass of Pink Floyd fans, some friends of floyd fans and some ‘yo/oooh it’s a western music concert types’ out of the Bandra Kurla complex. Promptly I faced with the only big dilemma that one faces in a big city…left or right…generally following the crowd seemed to be a safer options, so I did. After an hour of waving my hand at autorickshaws and taxis, I added two hundred rupee notes to my weary hand. The taxi-wallah smilingly stops and opens the door and enquires politely of my well being. Taxis in Mumbai are fiats, and like the grills I keep wondering why they might be so…sitting in a yellow topped black fiat taxi in Mumbai, you are reminded once again that long legs and a good height are both a blessing and bane in here. The taxis arrived in 1911 to replace the horse carriages that trotted around….over 50,000 taxis in Mumbai enjoy monopoly over autos from Bandra to Churchgate and from Sion to the Shivaji Terminus, and no I still do not know about the big why for Fiat…
My hosts and us, we were out to get some food, I am always out to get some food. We head for the famous Bade Miyan, located in a seedy lane behind the Taj Mahal hotel, and near the Colaba Causeway...everyone in Mumbai can tell you where it is. It’s the only ‘legal’ street side joint in Mumbai and arguably the best tandoor, kebab, baida roti (egg roti stuffed with meat) and the legendary Gurda and Bheja frys…..the place is a culinary haven…open almost through the night it offers the finest of morsels at unbelievable prices…and the food is lapped up with equal gusto and band table manners and the queue of vehicles range from Lambrettas to Lamborghinis… the occupants of whom are served the same palate (in the same plates) and all the classes use their hands…….to eat. Bade Miyan acts a common standard for great food, much like Coke or Pepsi, who have unified the planet’s thirst urges.
After, stuffing my self with all kinds of meats and an hour later, we drive down the famed queen’s necklace, Marine Drive in search of dessert. The search ends at Bachelors’ Juice House the indigenous fruit & ice cream joint near chowpaaty. The place offers some heavenly fruit creams, strawberry, litchi etc and a fantast-i-cal selection of Ice creams for eg…green chilli icecream, ginger and garlic ice cream. Everything dished out at Bachelors can/should be consumed in great quantities, if you are looking to do a la Mickey Rourke Kim Bassinger - I suggest you stop to collect your strawberry cream from here.
Bachelors & bade miyan are crossroads, where families, ‘the about to be family’ and ‘the never will be family’, intersect, the cosmopolitan looking for fruit cream, the Indian looking for icecream and me looking for a good time all sat under a huge billboard advertising a million square yards of paradise by some property developer gleefully submitting to gluttony. Innovative offerings of Green Chilli ice-cream, Ginger Kulfi, Anjeer Pista spice and ice up the place. At both places the car you drove is not a differentiator; they are a world sans status, a rare phenomenon, one that rarely occurs today; even in the houses of many gods. Driving past the sea, I thought the places as great demo ‘graphic’ equalizers……..
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Ronjoy
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Minor Blog/ Major Artistry
Just happened to stumble across this blog... Very appropriately and artistically portrayed vivid and yet significant life styles of "mumbai" and "mumbaikars". A must read for all who love traveling and understanding different culture cities have to offer. An inspiration for people who love writing but don't do enough to showcase it.!!