Bombaypolis Moments.... Part 5

An year on and Bombaypolis Moments is back!!!

"There is no way to happinness. Happinness is the way"

True, if you drive a SX4!!!!

Never too late to say sorry....

And the BMC ought to apologise to us for giving us such pathetic roads...

Shoppers' Stop Juhu promises to Re-Dress us all.....

We were promised Shanghai in Bombay by Manmohan Singh, but each year, we get a Venice here.... And Aircel gives us a "gondola" to get past the Milan Subway each year!!!! At least someone thinks of us....

Selective discipline defines the city. Queues work for BEST buses but not for the suburban trains... Why?

That's what I wanted to tell the autowallah for refusing to ferry me....

An i-pod makes the brisk walk interesting.....

Graffitti outside HDFC Bank, Lokhandwala. I wonder if that was for the shitty service the branch gives?

Going crazy over pani-puris at the Spice of Lokhandwala.

A Swades Moment

Last Sunday, Neeti and I travelled to Jambulwadi with a group of socially conscious people. Jambulwadi is a small hamlet nearly 80 kilometres from Bombay about 10 kilometres off the Nasik highway. Our cousin, Anshum, joined us for this trip.
Our objective was to help the villagers help themselves. We had organised a fruit tree plantation programme for them. The fruit trees would not only be a source of livelihood but also check soil erosion and help recharge the water table.

We left Lokhandwala at 7.45 AM in a bus - a cloudy lazy Sunday morning. We were a group of nearly 25 adults and a handful of playful kids.

Within half an hour we touched Eastern Express Highway, which in itself is a feat, given the reputation of traffic in this megapolis!

Each one of us were in very high spirits. We were all enthusiastically participating in dumb charades. For me, it was the first time - I had never done dumb charades before. But it was indeed a thrilling experience. All this proves only one thing - the city really sucks you dry. And every opportunity to get away does help, so to say, to recharge one's "batteries"!

Stopped at a roadside eatery for a quick breakfast and then continued on towards Jambulwadi.It's amazing how the countryside turns green on the onset of the Monsoons. The varied hues of green are a treat for the eyes. It's always wonderful to see the colors that Nature shows us. But do we have the time is the biggest question.At Jambulwadi, we were given a traditional welcome with a tikka, a wild flower bouquet and a welcome song by the tribal schoolgirls. We had taken biscuits for the village kids. The peels of glee and joy from little village kids was an expression of pure emotion, which is again so hard to find in the city.Our group then proceeded to the fields to plant the saplings. The children accompanying us enthusiastically participated in planting the trees. After completing the plantation, we trekked down towards the small rivulet. It was a wonderful steep trek down with birds chirping and the clean fresh air, that we all yearn for. Almost the entire group, kids and the elderly, took to the stream like ducks to the water. A few kids went about searching for fish in the rivulet.

The villagers told us that they had to fetch water from the rivulet at least three times a day. It must be quite a task to trek up and down the steep valley. We very often take water and electricity for granted, but it's a completely different matter in the countryside. Makes me think there are two Indias - one with plenty and the other which barely survives. I am told eastern India is worse off in that sense.

On the way back, we saw men ploughing the land and women planting paddy. Barely do we appreciate the effort that goes into growing the food that we consume. Silently, I saluted these hardworking men and women who toil for their existence.

Truly, a Swades moment, as Anshum had put it....

Bombaypolis Moments.... Part 2

Bombaypolis Moments back now with the second series 0f mobile grabs......

MMRDA wants you to drive safely along the Western Express Highway, but who thinks of repairing the potholes that are as wide as cars, that can be fatal?
A sample flat from a reputed builder looks so attractive. Even if one manages to buy one of such over-priced properties, one is always left with a thought - "Will I get what I am promised?"





A dozing security guard in a residential building. Does that inspire any confidence?

We may be largest English speaking nation in the world, but surely, we need a crash course in English!!!!

A homely, sleepy and green lane in Bandra, off Linking Road. Reminds me of good ol' South Delhi

Bombay is amazing in the rain, especially, if you get to drive from Haji Ali to Worli....

And not to forget, a late night drive along the Queen's Necklace....

This brightly lit advertisement looked amazing against the backdrop of the night skyline, along Lokhandwala's New Link Road.

Thank God it was Saturday!

Sometimes one just wants to escape .... escape from the reality ... freshen up oneself, get out of the routine.

And that's precisely what we did yesterday.... we tried to, for a moment, forget what's coming up and tried to live the day. A week passed by since both of us had been down with a bad flu, a few months had passed by of trying in vain to get what we rightfully deserve .... and what the hell....Saturday was the time to break loose. Well some what!

Again it was one of the days when we missed the gym again, but could there be a better day to binge? I guess not.

After a late breakfast of oat porridge, boiled eggs and poha, we headed out to Inorbit Malad at 1 PM. Gosh - what discipline - breakfast at 1 PM???

The recession is here for sure, so we thought we ought to cut our costs right? So we parked our Dreamliner at Hypercity - the parking coupon is redeemable against purchases at the store - and we walked down to Inorbit, a couple of minutes away.

Got into Shopper's Stop for window-shopping, we could not help exclaiming how fast things have come back to normal after 26/11 - the mall-rats were back, finally!!! But the security was pathetic as ever. While I was frisked reasonably, Neeti went through casually - do we give a damn for security?

To compensate for our inability to visit our gym today, we sauntered up and down Inorbit for about an hour, fairly briskly, burning those calories stored in the flab and then as always, a cuppa was what was needed! So our pace quickened towards Coffee World, where we consumed a few more calories alongwith some refreshing Assam tea - afterall the company was great, to chai ho jaye!!!

While enjoying our tea, we were preparing for the worst - making contingency plans just in case Mr. Kasab's mates walk in with a few crackers - we quickly mapped our escape routes, etc. etc. Fortunately for us, Mr. Kasab's mates probably haven't yet commenced their voyage on the high seas!!!

And then, Halleluiah!!!! It was time to head to my temple - the meat and poultry section of Hypercity, where I have to dutifully pay my obeisance, everytime I am in the vicinity of Malad!!! Picked up some pomfret - thank God, Neeti has finally given in to the joys of a carnivorous existence, after over 3 years of my patient convincing!!!!!

And what recession are we talking of? People are still splurging - filling in trolleys with goodies. Now what's the truth? No doubt inflation has hurt us all. No doubt malls were running empty till about two weeks back. How was today different? Perhaps, people who were sick and tired of being at home after the attacks suddenly loosened up and vented out their feelings by mall-ratting. Perhaps, people were lulled in by the "comfort" that we've have a great three weeks and no attacks. Sure this would be a great research topic for a psychologist! Whatever it is, we have forgotten all this so soon, far too soon that it pains.

And it was time for another cup of tea, this time at the Brio. My hypothesis has always been to protest against bad service. This time around the service at the Brio was far far better. Neeti has been saying for the last 3-odd years that I always sniff out bad service, like a lion smelling its prey in the air!!!! Whatever it is, we as a country have a long way to go before we learn what good service is - a long subject that's better left to another blog.

And we headed back - I had a date with my barber for my long due haircut (Gosh! People at office thought I had changed my hairstyle! My style statement was getting blown to smithereens - I needed a haircut, badly!!!).

I joined Neeti at Lokhandwala market, where she was indulging in her favourite pastime of bargaining. On our way out, we chanced upon "Guru da Dhaba" in one of the by-lanes. I had been hearing of this nondescript joint on the foodie forums online for at least 2 years, as one of the most remarkable joints for "homecooked" food. Naturally we were tempted at the thought of rajma-chawal, kadi and arbi. To top it all - the ambiance was just like "home" (read: North India) - an elderly Sardarji - dressed in white with a orange-yellow turban, sat at the counter listening to soothing Gurbani!!! And the food, well, basic but delicious!

And it was time to get back! Thank God it was Saturday!

The bonding over a steaming cup of tea...

I have always seen people bond over a smoke and a drink, but for me, a steaming cup of tea works wonders...

But if you think, its as simple as it sounds, you are mistaken. The tea has to be made the right way, my way, probably the only way, is what i would say.

The right way is to heat the water and just as it starts to boil, add tea leaves and take the pan off the heat. This ensures that oxygen is not boiled out of the water, ensuring the oxygenation of the tannin in the tea leaves, which comes about by brewing it (of course off the heat) for about 5 minutes and voila....

One wrong step and it all becomes a royal mess, that I would prefer to throw down the drain.

Now coming to the element of bonding over tea, or dare I say the right kind of tea, just happens. In Neeti's and my family, it is the trigger - its like a war cry to say "chai ho jaye", and the anticipation of a conquest over the cup of tea begins. This invariably happens every night after dinner, providing the right trigger to stay up a while and talk about the happenings of the day.

I still remember the day my folks and I visited Neeti's place for the first time before our marriage. After an hour or so, when we moved out, the first thing I told my folks was that I loved their tea!!! And my folks nodded in agreement, laying the foundation for our marriage.

Mauritius, where we had gone for our honeymoon, is known for its boutique vanilla teas. Our resort had nothing but vanilla flavoured tea all over. And both of us had to struggle with the Creole and French speaking staff just to get a few tea bags of Assam tea. Wherever we go now, one of the standard gifts we usually get for our families are tea gift packs.

Tea has taken to several extremes. On weekends, when we are out in the market and Neeti starts checking out some nick-knacks, I can barely control my patience for half an hour after which extreme boredom sets in, and I am forced to let out the war cry of "Chai ho jaye"!!! And Neeti, like a fellow "drinking partner" gets so tempted that she winds up within the next 15-20 minutes, after which we either head home or to the nearest Barista or Cafe Coffee Day.

One such hangout for us used to be the Cocos outlet at Lokhandwala market. It charmed us with the quality of its tea and its colourful ambiance. But as real estate markets had their way, high rents forced them to move out. And old does indeed make way for the new.... we have now started patronising Coffee World with a similar zeal.

And just as I want to write more, I hear Neeti making the war cry of "chai ho jaye" - it's time to go...