All about living in this crazy, wonderful city called Bombay

April 24, 2004

Everyone around me is moving on in their lives...travelling forward in their chosen directions, whether its getting married, having kids or getting on top of their careers. Why do I feel as if I am just stagnating? There seems to be no place to go from here, nothing to look forward to, no dreams that are within reach. Me just feeling very, very low for the past few weeks, and don't know how to get out of it :(

April 23, 2004

Going to the Bombay Gym is torture rather than fun nowadays...the food is bad, the service is non-existent and the reception staff is rude beyond belief. I am regretting taking membership there, should maybe have taken CCI instead!!

Btw, what's with these Bombay clubs being so pleased with themselves for having "allowed" women to become members? Shouldn't they, instead, be apologizing for not having allowed them to become members for so long? India might have moved beyond the times when "Dogs and Indians" were not allowed into hotels and other luxury establishments, but the women still seem to be non-entities without the names of their fathers or husbands, and that is something that we should all be really, really ashamed about.
Thanks Mubeena...here's another one for you. It's from Richard Bach's The Bridge Across Forever, and these are just the most beautiful words ever written about being in a relationship:

How do you meet your soulmate?

Look for a love affair that gets better with time, admiration brightening, trust that grows through storms. I used to think that these were my own special needs, my personal signs of a soulmate. Now I think they may be everyone's, but that we despair of finding them, we try to settle for less. How dare we ask for intimacy and joy when a lukewarm lover and mild happiness are the best we can find?

Yet in our hearts we know that lukewarm will turn cold; mild happiness will become a kind of nameless sadness, nagging questions: Is this the love of my life, is this all there is, is this why I am here? In our hearts we know there must be more, and we long to find the one we never found.

So often half a couple is trying to go up, the other half is dragging down. One walks forward, the other makes sure that for every two steps ahead they take three steps back. Better to learn happiness alone, I thought, love my friends and my cat, better wait for a soulmate who never comes than to make a dull compromise.

A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other.

No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we're two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we've found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.

April 19, 2004

Spent Sunday evening alone at home - eating pizza, watching Love Bug (from the Herbie movie series) and cleaning out my room...and actually enjoyed all this! Am I growing old??????????????

April 17, 2004

Have you ever worked with someone who happily stole all your ideas and/or took credit for your work? I am currently working with a group of people who don't do any work themselves -- just happily sit and pass off my work as their own!! And experience tells me that they are not going to change...so if you have ever had the misfortune of having a similar experience, please advise me on how I can hold my own!!
Cutest kid in Bombay: The girl who plays "Tamanna" in the Electrolux Plasma Guard refrigerators ad -- she is also "Sneha" in Kasauti Zindagi Ki. Have you seen her?? She is just soooooo cute and bubbly and cheery and a terrific actress despite being so young. Have taken to watching Kasauti only because of her. The kid breathes life into whatever ad or serial that she does, and is the best thing to hit TV screens in recent years :) Anybody know her real name?

April 16, 2004

Have you heard the song Suna Suna from Krishna Cottage? Don't know about the movie, but this song is sheer brilliance. The lyrics, the melody, the rhythm, the singing...this is one of those rare songs where everything just meshes together perfectly!! And Shreya Ghosal, of course, is beyond comparison amongst today's crop of Bollywood playback singers!
hey, do you know that Bombay is now India's richest city? Yippee :)

April 15, 2004

What's with all this hue and cry over how many Delhi designers and how many Bombay designers are part of the coming Lakme India Fashion Week? Does this really matter? So what if Delhi is home to a higher number of designers -- what matters is the fact that their clothes are available all over the country!! If Rohit Bal is Delhi-based and Anita Dongre is Bombay-based, does it mean that Bombay is a lesser city or something? Being a journo I hate saying this, but the media really excels in making mountains out of molehills many-a-times........!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

btw, while on the fashion scene, make-up expert Kapil Bhalla is giving Lakme gal Katrina Kaif a makeover at the Hughes Road Westside tomorrow afternoon, between 12-2 pm. And to me this is scary -- if Katrina needs a makeover, the rest of us mere mortals should just permanently hide our faces under paper bags and retreat from the public eye forever and ever!

April 11, 2004

Why I'm Resigning from Adulthood...

Saw this on iVillage, and totally agreed with the sentiments!!

I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an eight-year-old again.

I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four-star restaurant.

I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks.

I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.

I want to run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.

I want to return to a time when life was simple, when all you knew were colors, multiplication tables and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care.

All you knew was to be happy, because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.

I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good.

I want to believe that anything is possible. I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.

I want to live simply again. I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive when there are more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones.

I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind and making angels in the snow.

So here are my checkbook and my car keys, my credit card bills and my tax statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood.

And if you want to discuss this further, you'll have to catch me first because, "Tag! You're it!"

April 10, 2004

Baisakhi at JW Marriott

Celebrate the arrival of the harvest season Punjabi ishtyle with mouth watering food and robust Bhangra at Saffron, the JW Marriott Hotel, Bombay's Indian Restaurant between 13th April and 25th April 2004.

Non–vegetarians can start with Choop Aur Seek Da Milan (originating from the old villages of Punjab) or Machli Amritsari (a freshwater fish marinated with a mixture of gram flour and red chilly flavoured with ajwain deep-fried, sprinkled with lemon juice and chaat masala).

Vegetarians have no reason to be envious. Chef Iqbal has ensured there is variety galore for them with Hara Bhara Kabab (a pan grilled cake of spinach and gram dal enhanced with cheese and nuts), Chenna Aur Makkai Da Seek (skewers of corn kernels and goat cheese flavour with Indian whole spices) and much more.

For the main course, there's Patiala Murg (succulent pieces of chicken cooked in delicately spiced mild gravy flavoured with nuts and cream), Tari Wali Jheenga (Arianbean sea prawn tempered with cumin and flavoured with chefs special spices) and the tender Batter Masaledar (young quails cooked in a traditional Punjabi masala coated with gravy of onion and tomato).

Vegetarian dishes include many classic favourites like Baingan da Bharta (whole aubergines roasted in tandoor, pounded with Indian spices finished with onion tomato masala) and the no-need-for-an-introduction Sarson da Saag which must be eaten with Makai di Roti. Lassi and buttermilk complement the wholesome food.

The notorious Punjabi sweet tooth is well catered to with Malpua (Indian pancakes deep fried and simmered in flavoured sugar syrup), Lauki Da Halwa (grated white gourd cooked in milk finished with sugar) and Phirni (a light creamy pudding of ground rice and milk dessert, flavoured with cardamom) among others. Ah! Nothing like reaping what you haven’t sown!

Saffron is open for dinner between 7pm and midnight from Monday to Friday and 7pm and 1am on Saturday & Sunday. For reservations, please call 5693 3225.

April 09, 2004

A very dear friend of mine -- Rajani -- got married today, and all I could do was wish her on the phone - and that too, very briefly! Wish I was able to be a part of her wedding :(

Have spent the day thinking of all the close friends whose weddings I have missed in the past few years...there is a depressingly huge number, and here's a HUGE sorry to all of them...

...to Tanu and Pooja, who I have known since I was one-month old, who I met or spoke to at least once a day for the first 20 years of my life, and who I haven't met even once in the last 3 years; Jaya, who became a buddy once we both started working in the same law firm, who I wish I knew better during Law College so that I would have had more time with her, and who is going to be a mom very soon; to Sushmita, who was one of my biggest anchors in college; to Prithvi, who was my co-prankster in school and who was about the only person who hated maths and accounts as much as I did........sometimes growing up and having responsibilities extracts too big a price!!

April 08, 2004

Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii in Melbourne

India's most successful television production house, the Bombay-based Balaji Telefilms is currently shooting in Melbourne for one of its very popular prime time television soaps Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii.

Melbourne is an international hot spot for the arts, fashion, sports and culinary excellence and innovation. The city is also a shopping paradise and a cradle of modern sophisticated living with a culturally rich heritage. This beautiful city is also home to hallmark international events from the Australian Open Tennis to Formula 1 Grand Prix to the Melbourne Cup and is set to be the host for the Commonwealth Games in 2006.

In a strategic move to add zest to the prime time drama and tap into the mind set of the growing Indian travel market, producers from Balaji Telefilms worked in association with Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) to create a plot that unfolds against sophisticated Melbourne – a city that blends style with culture.

Kahaani's Om, Parvati, Shruti and Aryaan are caught in a twisting and scheming story line that captures stunning aqua marine Melbourne aquarium, the Federation Square – the new centre piece of Melbourne, Sovereign Hill, Ballarat Wildlife Park and the Royal Botanical Garden. Other locations the crew will be shooting include the Crown Entertainment Complex and the beautiful bay-side environs of St. Kilda.

Maggie White, General Manager, South and South East Asia, Australian Tourist Commission, said, "India is a key emerging market for Australia and, thanks to Balaji, millions of viewers across India will be exposed to Melbourne's vast spectrum of experiences set against the backdrop of the world’s most livable city."

"Melbourne wears its history close to its heart and its urban sophistication on its sleeve. Divided into precincts containing a treasure trove of individual attractions, unique characteristics and cultural adventures, these individual locales span the landscape of this beautiful city from the river to the sea. Artistic, entertaining, historic and cosmopolitan, this life story of marvelous Melbourne reflects in every aspect of the destination." said White

Balaji Telefilms, Creative Director, Ekta Kapoor said, "A well etched story line coupled with scenic locales is a potent combination for any visual drama on television or film. Melbourne provided the perfect visual landscape that was scenic and artistic as well as glamorous. Melbourne has it all."

"Black Cat Production house is thrilled to be the line producer for Balaji Telefilms and help showcase Melbourne in all its splendour. It has been great fun working with the Indian crew and combining the best of the vibrant locations of Melbourne, the energy of the Indian crew and the professionalism of our Australian crew." says Mitu Bhowmick, Executive Producer, Black Cat Productions.

Balaji's crew is currently shooing for 15 days starting first week of April 2004 in Melbourne and surrounding area. The Balaji visit was co-sponsored by Tourism Victoria.

April 07, 2004

Bombay Mango Festival 2004

It;s that time of year again. Mango season is nigh!

After the success of last year's festival, Bombay's Mango Festival 2004 will be held over five days from April 28th to May 2nd at the SNDT Complex in Juhu.

The aim of the festival, simply, is to bring the very best mangoes of the Konkan (vetted before dispatch by quality control centers run by the Agricultural University) directly to the consumer. However, the ultimate objective is to create employment by value addition and the development of backward linkages in the domestic and export sector.

The mango districts of the Konkan region (namely Ratnagiri, Raigad, Thane and Sindhudurg) of Maharashtra are particularly conducive to the cultivation the delicious Alphonso mango. Realizing that the farmers of the Konkan have no direct access to markets and need to find new ones, and that consumers rarely get their hands on quality mangoes, the NGOs and cooperative societies of the region conceptualized the Mango Festival as an ideal forum to market the product while simultaneously educating the consumer about the different grades of Alphonso and the various agricultural bi-products of the Konkan.

Col. Sudhir Sawant, MLC (also Chairman, Sindhudurg Zilla Krishi Pratisthan) who's been a stalwart, promoter and committee member of the Mango Festival since it's genesis in 2002 will continue to lend it his full support. This year Prahlad Kakar will act as consultant to the festival. Passionate about the fruit he's of the opinion that "the quality is decided by the size, shape, outer texture of the fruit and flavor. Alphonso is arguably the best mango in India, and therefore, possibly in the worldÂ…"

Reportedly grown in 111 countries, the mango is one of India's most significant fruit crop accounting for over 50% of world mango production. Although India grows more than 1300 varieties of the fruit, only 20 to 25 have commercial status and are cultivated on a large scale in the major mango growing states of U.P., A.P., Bihar and Maharashtra.

The mangoes will be sold under the brand name Ambo Konkan, and incidentally, the word "ambo" means "mango" in the Malavani dialect. The brand name will be accompanied by the name of the Tehsil or district as well as the code number of the farmer. For the first time, the consumer will be assured of the quality, region and district of the Alphonso mangoes he buys.

Through mango and processed food exhibitions, seminars, cultural programs, the five day Bombay Mango Festival 2004 will create a common platform for buyers, sellers, farmers, scientists, academicians, traders, exporters, the corporate sector and Government agencies.

The Mango Festival is dedicated to its long term goal and will establish a permanent office in Bombay to further the trade potential of the Konkan.

Baisakhi Festival at Papa Pancho

Papa Pancho da dhabha is once again celebrating the spring harvest of Baisakhi from the 10th of April 2004 every evening, 8 pm onwards. Hot steaming parathas, tangy chaats and chilled lassis accompany the traditional "song and dance" routine of the Punjabi!!

For the regulars, Lahori Raan, Kakar da Kukkad and Laseez Mutton chops are back on the special Baisakhi menu. And as their motto goes........"Aao...Khao te phatte chak do......!!!"

For reservations call Mahesh or Ganesh on 26518732/33.

April 06, 2004

A Traditional Easter at the JW Marriott, Bombay

At Bombay's JW Marriott Hotel, Easter is a time for new beginnings. And how better to herald Spring by breaking bread with near and dear ones?

Easter – is it merely an excuse to eat chocolate or can you get some great food too? Leave the chocolates to Chef Ronald at the Bombay Baking Company. He is gearing up to celebrate Easter in full swing with a wide array of special bakery products andconfectionerys to choose from during Easter week over and above the unmissable traditional Easter eggs.

And leave the rest to Lotus Cafe, Mezzo Mezzo and Saffron. They will host an elaborate Easter brunch on Sunday, April 11. Savour Easter Lamb roasted with Artichokes and Potatoes, Easter Fruit Salad with Fondant Almonds, Caramel Sauce and Heart Waffles and Smoked Salmon with Bavarianomelete. All this and much more at Rs. 800 per person all inclusive with unlimited beer and sparkling wine.

Call 5693 3000 for reservations.

Alyque Padamsee on Bombay's Colaba Causeway

In the 1960s, I started work on my first play – The Taming of the Shrew – in a historic building called Kulsum Terrace overlooking Colaba Causeway. Today, forty years later, I am working on another Shakespearean drama – Romeo and Juliet – at the same venue. It's the same playwright, the same building and the same locality…yet everything else around me has changed.

I was born in Kulsum Terrace, which belonged to my father, and hence have a very special relationship with Colaba Causeway. The building is one of the country's principal theatrical landmarks – my elder brother Bobby started the English theatre movement in Mumbai from there in the 1940s, and it later went on to become the focal of the Theatre Group of Bombay.

In the 1950s, when I was a schoolboy reveling in shooting small, green peas at the passersby below, or ogling the leggy blondes as a teenager, the Causeway was the premier shopping center of the city. Back then nobody gave a second glance to Warden Road or Linking Road. Colaba Causeway was the most prestigious shopping street, offering everything from garments to shoes, provisions and artifacts. It attracted a very cosmopolitan crowd – Anglo-Indians, Parsis, Sindhis – and it was a childish thrill to hide and watch the fisticuffs that the British sailors would get into outside the Prince of Wales Bar, opposite the Bombay Dyeing showroom.

The Prince of Wales Bar is no more. Neither is Swabal Stores – a Parsi shop selling the most delicious pickles or Atlantic Stores – that had the best variety of provisions and foodstuff in town. The demise of the Strand Cinema is, of course, one of the Causeway's biggest, and most well documented, tragedies.

What survives from the original Colaba Causeway are mainly shops from the golden era of Indian mills and their grand, open showrooms like Bombay Dyeing and Vimal. Or the few oldies like the Regal cinema, Phillips Antiques, Bata and Leopold Bar – whose never-say-die sense of pride and belief in the area is extraordinary. They are extraordinary structures that have altered little in the last half-century. The other shops have changed hands pretty often, and quaint names like Binny's and Kwality have been replaced with Nike, Adidas, Scullers and Barista.

Not that I am complaining. I love change – without change, the world cannot go on. The capacity and love for change is what has kept me young. And private enterprise across the Causeway has certainly improved in terms of quality. Earlier the shops used to be dark and dingy, and the shopkeepers were totally callous towards the buyers. I remember being whacked by a shop-owner simply for standing and admiring a shirt in his display window. Of course, I was so furious that I never ever went back there again!

No, the tragedy of Colaba Causeway is not the changing nature of its shops. That was inevitable. The tragedy of Colaba Causeway lies is in the sheer callousness and indifference of the Municipality. The municipality of 'A' Ward has no time for the Causeway – they are too busy looking after the posh residential area of Cuffe Parade.
Why are the pavement squatters allowed to occupy, and defile, the beautiful arcade of Colaba Causeway? In the former days this would never have been tolerated. The Causeway was known for its beautiful, breezy arcade and was an extremely fashionable street for an evening stroll. Today, the thought of having to dodge the encroaching hawkers and their pavement stalls is enough to put anybody off the idea of coming here. There is no place left to walk on that pavement, let alone to spend some leisurely time.

And then there is the garbage problem – Colaba Causeway is fast turning into a slum, with open piles of rubbish stinking away to glory. There is a marked shabbiness to the entire area, and its dirty and crowded. Thank God, the open-air buses of old have been retired – having to navigate through the congestion of today would not be at all pleasant!

My advice, or plea, is simple – remove the garbage heaps, banish the hawkers and wash the streets regularly. That is all that is required to restore Colaba Causeway to its true heritage. Because, I firmly believe, there is still a very gracious road under all the filth and overcrowding.

Colaba Causeway is one of the city's most exceptional areas. The narrowest strip of land in Bombay, it is a five-minute walk away from the sea from all sides. With Apollo Bunder on one end, and Backbay on the other, it is extremely central. Most importantly, the Causeway has suffered very little structural changes over the years, unlike the rest of the city. There is still time to save it.

And while we are at it, let me put on record that I was born on Colaba Causeway in Bombay, and will (most probably) die on Warden Road, and I know of no such place as Mumbai, AK Naik Marg or Bhulabhai Desai Marg!

(As told to Anubha Charan for Design Today)

April 04, 2004

This is for journalists around the world....because of the logistics involved, we at the Vintage and Classic Car Club of India will be able to accept very, very few for the Indo-Pak vintage and modern car rally to be held in December this year (see post dated March 19, 2004 for details) . If you are interested, please write to me on anubha76@anubhacharan.com for the accreditation form and travel details ASAP!!

April 03, 2004

I am so confused...my current cell phone has outlived its life expectancy and now I have to buy a new one. With the problem being that I just cant figure out which one to buy. Totally fell in love with the Nokia 7200, but at approximately Rs. 30,000 its way outside my budget. But the textile covers are just sooooooooo cool...sob! sob! sob! sob!

Then there is the Nokia 9500 - the new Communicator - but its only going to be released in the world market by the end of the year 2004. Which means that it will be early 2005, which is a year from now. And I really need to buy a phone within the next month.

What do I do??????????????

April 02, 2004

The one thing that I really miss in Bombay is Starbucks. We don't have one in all of India, and I make up for it by literally living in Starbucks when I am traveling. There is something so cool about popping into Starbucks for a quick coffee-on-the-go or reading a book or poring over a book in its cushy environs. Some of the best decisions of my life have been taken over a cappuccino at the Starbucks in Deira City Center, Dubai. Barista is somehow just not the same thing :(

April 01, 2004

I just finished reading this really hilarious book called Saving Karyn, which a novelized version of the true story of a New York city girl who racked up US$25,000 in credit card debts buying "fun" and feel-good stuff like Gucci sunglasses and Prada handbags. Then she lost her job and could not even meet the minimum on all her cards, so she started this website -- www.savekaryn -- and asked people for donations from one cent upwards to help her pay off her bills. The most interesting part was that she did get enough money from strangers who saw her website to be able to clear all her debts in just 12 weeks!!!!!

I totally empathise with her plight -- which of us haven't gone overboard with a credit card once in while? I, for one, seem to have lost all control over my cards, and still continue to love shopping :) And its fun reading all the excuses and justifications Karyn makes to herself to buy yet another goodie -- a Gucci bag is a career investment because in today's world you need to look good to get ahead; a Miu Miu coral top is an investment in your love life; a $2000-a-month studio apartment in Manhattan is justified because it would save commuting money to office (which, incidentally, is $1.65 everyday); a La Mer face cream is justified because it prevents your skin going so bad that you would need regular facials, which are far more expensive.........the list goes on and on and on and on........its like she got into my head and put all my thoughts into her book!!!!!

What is seriously scary is that I thought all her justifications made 100% sense, and rather than speaking to me about the perils of shopaholicism, it inspired me to go out and buy more of the lovely stuff she writes about.....here's to my new Altec Lansing speakers :) :)
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived...This is the meaning of success.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson