Walking Around Matunga

Fashion Street @ Matunga

On the long weekend of Independence Day celebrations instead of heading to the hill stations or tourist spots like Lonavala and Mahabaleshwar and getting trapped in the logjam traffic we decided to explore south Mumbai with our kids. We had a gala time shopping for kiddies clothes for little Bhakti and trendy ones for Netra at the various shops near the Byculla Khada Parsi bridge and the road leading to Mumbai Central . A whole lot of options I never knew existed. Will elaborate in detail in my new blog later.

Next on our pit-stop was the heritage buildings of Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus earlier known as Victoria Terminus . With its stone carvings and old British façade making this building stand tall among all other similar heritage structure. Same of the other well know buildings in this area are the Brihan Mumbai Mahanagar Palika or the BMC HQ and the Times Of India Building next to it. On the occasion of Independence day these building were lighted with Saffron , White and Green the colors of our flag. The scene was awesome , truly heartening and lifted once spirit.

The missus wanted to relive the old memories of shopping for trendy and casual clothes so we headed to the famous landmark “Fashion Street”. Opposite the iconic Bombay Gymkhana , this long street is a conglomeration of box sized stalls selling trendy and latest clothes for college kids and young office goers. Here you will find T-shirts , Denims , Cotton Shirts , Skirts , Hot pants , Jump suits , One piece summer dresses and spaghetti tops in wide variety of colors , prints and cloth materials.

Bought some nice Girly tops and jump suit for Netra and even little Bhakti could find some Disney Princess and Frozen tee’s. The missus picked up some anodized danglers for her beautiful ears.

The whole shopping was done walking from one end of this street to the other end . Checking the new stuff , bargaining with the vendors and generally feeling proud of the savings achieved.

To let you onto a secret, all this can now be experience at our very own Matunga , though on a smaller scale but worth the visit for the paisa vasool bargains.

Just opposite the Matunga Market Post office on the footpath starting from Giri Store or Bata up-to Ram Ashray Hotel you have 5-6 stalls specializing in tops for working Women and college going girls. Each with his own niche. One shop keeps the latest and fresh Kurti’s , cotton and synthetic. Long or short he has wide collection for the Women he caters to. Nice ethnic prints , some with classic Koirey motiff’s others vibrant with bright colors like Mango , Red or Magenta and Pink. Then there are the much in demand Black and White or plain whites in Chikankaari. Great collection at decent prices.

The shop next door’s specializes in Tee’s and denims. He keeps the round necks , spaghetti tops and poncho’s in variety of colors and prints. The denim shirts and tops are his hottest selling stuff with Women flocking to pick up more than 2-3 tops at a time. The denim shirts come in standard light blues or dark blues or even in printed designs. Those with miniature flying airplanes or small snow flake designs being the fastest selling items as confirmed by the shopkeeper.

The next shop keeps denim pants , Capri and the cotton casual pants especially the XXL sizes for the plus sized women . The other fast selling item are the printed pants or leggings which can be mixed and worn with Kurtis or tops bough next doors. To cater to the young college going girls he keeps the latest fad – torn jeans and torn tops and in sizes from XS to XXL .All this at bargain prices.  

Shopping here can easily consume 2-3 hours if you need to update or change your ward robe and don’t want to burn a whole in your or your Husbands pocket. My advice though to the women would be to visit this Fashion Street in Matunga on a lazy afternoon sans your Husbands . A ideal place for all shoppers . Don’t be rushed , have the patience to browse through the huge stocks , pick up great looking stuff and haggle to your hearts content and walk away arms full with an assured pride of having got the best price.

And after the shopping spree you can always rest your feet and have a great time at the famous Ram Ashray eating the finest neer dosas , butter idli’s , rasam vada or even the sweet pineapple or butterscotch sheera..

Wish you all happy shopping at our very own version of Fashion Street @ Matunga.

Walking Around Matunga

Go Go Go Govinda……

Some  festivals celebrated in India are festivals with mass appeal and are a celebration of human spirit . One such festival is the Dahi Kala or the Gopal Kala celebrated just after Krishna Janmashtami. A festival which replicates the the mischievous aspect of lord Krishna and his Gwala’s in stealing Maakhan or the butter from pots stored at heights in kitchens of the Gopi’s in Vrindavan. An act of total team work and co-ordination and skill.

During my childhood the local man–servants or to be politically correct house helpers would start practicing for this Dahi kala nearly a month in advance. Vargani or donations for the dahi handi and the prize money would be collected from each family in the housing society and the buildings nearby where they worked. A small sum was spent on getting the earthen pot / dahi handi which was filled with coloured water , a little dahi to symbolize the maakhan , some fruits and some flowers would be tied to the matki. This was then hoisted using ropes which would be tied betwwen two adjacent buildings on the day of Gopal Kala. The matki would be hanging from the 2^nd floor of these buildings.

Right from morning various professional Dahi Handi mandals would roam the streets of Matunga to burst these handi’s and collect the prize money. The most expensive and tallest handi would in Aggarwal Nagar a building complex to just next to our building. They would have 3 handi’s with a total prize money worth Rs.15,000/- a princely sum in those days. Professional mandals from as far as Chembur and Parel used to visit and try their hand at bursting them. The dahi handi mandals would arrive in trucks accompanied by traditional dhol –tasha or banjo bands. Dancing to the tunes of Govinda Aala Re , Aala Jara Matki Sambhal brij bala …..It was great fun watching these groups form the perfect human pyramids with 3 or 4 layers . The crowd cheering them , some from their balconies , some from the terraces would cheer and simultaneously throw water balloons or colored water on them to make the task even more difficult. But by sheer determination and will power they would hold on to each other and balance each other to make the human pyramids. Then the most smallest member usually a kid of 7-10 years would climb to the top of the pyramids and burst the handi by picking the coconut from the handi and let the dahi and other stuff flow on his team mates. With the money collected the celebration would continue . From one society to the other these groups would move all day and streets would be filled with sounds of cheers and music .

The small dahi handi which was tied in our society with a small prize money of few thousand would be ignored by these dahi handi mandals . Or some groups would ask us to lower the handi , but we would not lower it. It was a custom that this handi would be burst by our loyal house helpers every year. They would arrive after completing their regular domestics task by around late afternoon. A motely crowd of 10 to 12 would start building the human pyramid. All of us children would rush to the building terrace and throw water filled balloons on them . A loud round of cheer and applause would go around when they completed the pyramid upto 3 layers. Sometimes due to lack of practice unlike professional mandal someone from the in between layers would wobble and then the whole pyramid would collapse. Though no one would be injured a huge and collective sigh would resonate amon the watchers. In true sporting spirit they would start all over again. This time they would get the pyramid right. One of the kids of these house help would climb the shoulders and reach the top. With cries of Hathi Goda Palkhi Jai Kanaihya lal ki cheering along the kid would burst the handi . The rope would be lowered and the small sum of prize money would be equally distributed among the group. Happy at getting this extra money they dance rejoice and then go home.

The tradition has restarted in our society from last year with one of our neighbor's Mrs.Smita Kotak or Kotak Aunty for all in the building egging the children to try their hand at this dahi handi. A group has been formed of all the children mostly girls Soumya , Prisha , Riya ,Risha Khushi & Muskaan and that includes my darling daughter Netra and a few boys Neel and Arav in ages from 8 -12 and encouraged by their super moms Mridula , Foram, Himali and off course my wife Kashmira. The group has been named "Gully Friends" and they practice rigorously few days just before Gopa Kala. And on the day of the Dahi Handi amidst all the shouts of Govinda Ala re ala and  Haathi Goda Palkhi Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki from the parents they form the perfect pyramid of 2 layers and burst the Handi filled with chocolates. And then there is a mad scramble to collect these chocolates and have the largest share. All this is followed up by a nice nashta of Jalebi & Fafda and rounds of Mazaa and Sprite.......A great start to the day and festive season.....

Today the small happiness and the traditional ritual is lost among the highly publicized and politically backed dahi handi’s in the neibourhood. With prize money of few Lakhs the whole affair is taken over by the local corporators . Handis are tied to ropes and hoisted by cranes to reach an impossible height . Mandals need to form human pyramids of 6-7 layers risking their arms and limbs to break these handi’s and claim the hefty prize money. The celebration turning into vulgar display of power and money. Accompanying loud music belting out from those humongous speakers with DJ’s playing out Yo Yo Honey Singh or Mika’s Punjabi numbers  shattering the peace of a small locality like Matunga.

The roads leading to the Matunga Market are totally blocked with the crowds exploding on to the streets.

Some where the fun and the right spirit seems lost. I would rather have the dahi handi celebrated in traditional style of yore.

With judiciary getting into the thick of things putting a cap on the heights of handi’s and restricting the decibels of  sound generated by the accompanying bands / DJ’s this year , lets hope this special festival is celebrated in the right spirit , that of human team work and overcoming of challenges in life by sheer determination.

Go Go Go Govinda……

Walking Around Matunga

Doctor's Land

Human Life as you know begins with birth and ends with death a journey from the womb to the tomb. All in between are the memories that we create and cherish . With family , friends and even our foes. Life should be like the stream or that river pristine and always flowing , the moment it becomes stagnant it starts to rot at its core loosing its spirit and value.

In between the two end points is the journey of life. In this journey one must endure sadness along with happiness, pain along with ecstasy and tears along with laughter.In our journey we are helped , supported and guided by our parents and our teachers. And in ill health by the doctors. World over doctors are revered next only to the Gods , as they are supposed to have the knowledge and power of giving and saving Life.

The very first encounter we have with doctors is at the very beginning of our life itself in the form of the Gynecologist delivering us into this beautiful world or mean world depending upon ones outlook. If you are in Matunga you will notice , quiet obviously this is the land of Doctors . Literally in every by lane there are doctors and very well renowned doctors at that. Specialists in their own field . Practicing medicine for more than 15-20 years. Some coming  from families  who have been doctors for nearly 3 generations.

In the lane near the five gardens close to the corner garden in the clinic of practicing Gynecologist Dr.Ajanta Narvekar. Most of the women in the vicinity from Matunga , Dadar , Sion and even from townside prefer her . Two advantages , she being a lady doctor her patients find it comfortable to discuss their issues without feeling shy , the other being the clinic also doubles up as a small maternity polyclinic in which she performs the most difficult of tasks , that of bringing life into this world by way of delivery of children. A reputed doctor with strong personality. Also very expressive and a little strict at times to errand patients.  Still remember during my wife Kashmira’s pregnancy during my 1^st child Netra’s time. She used to show her displeasure on the gaining weight when Kashmira used to go to her for follow up check up’s. A proponent of natural child birth than C-section , she always advised her patients on minimal weight gain and advocated on staying fit by exercise / yoga. Always giving enough time to her patients to discuss their fears and putting them at ease during their journey from pregnancy to childbirth. Her clinic is full of various category of patients from the shy newly weds coming to understand protection , to newly pregnant and over enthusiastic first timers with their husbands in tow , to the experienced 2^nd timers more calm and mature . She is well supported by her nursing staff who help in check up’s – monitoring BP’s , checking weights , updating the individual patient files and sometimes even administrating hormone injections or iron supplement injections if she is busy in the Delivery room.

Along with her surgeon husband Dr.Narvekar they also oversee a poly clinic at Breach Candy which caters to mostly the rich South Mumbai (SO-BO) crowd.

Once the child is born , the next doctor that one frequents for the next 10 years is the pediatrician. A doctor who specializes in treating the toddlers and young children. He is the savior and the go to person even at 12’o clock  at night or  4 am in the morning . Just across the Ruia college signal close to the Satam Maharaj Mandir or the Datta Mandir is the clinic of Dr.Suhas Prabhu the pediatrician. Most doctors today over depend on technology to diagnose and prescribe anti biotics at the drop af a hat. From my personal experience I can vouch for this. At the time of Netra’s birth , her umbalical chord -navel got infected. The pediatrician attached to the maternity hospital Dr. Joshi prescribed 2-3 antibiotics alongwith the most common medicine, Betadine powder to be applied locally. At the follow up check up date when my wife went to meet him (unfortunately I was not in town) , he suggested that the 3 day old Netra to be admitted to a Hospital. Kashmira was shocked to hear the diagnosis and was completely stressed out. The good part was that we discussed the situation and she then spoke to one of her close acquaintance before taking any decision.  As suggested she scheduled an appointment with Dr.Prabhu. On the 1st meeting itself he got wild with anger on Dr.Joshi , his diagnosis and the thick file that was created in the 3 days.He put us at ease explaining that the issue at hand was normal and needed no other medicine than just the Betadine power and keeping the affected area hygienic and open to dry off. And as per his suggestion Netra’s infection subsided and went away by the time we next met him after a weeks time.

I can vouch that Dr.Prabhu is a seasoned medical practitioner with loads of experience to put the parents especially the new mothers at ease by his calm demeanor. He will always check the child thoroughly ask about the symptoms from the parents and then put you at ease by prescribing minimal medicines. If the mother is the pestering type trying to jump to conclusions and asking for tonics and food supplements. He nonchalantly brushes aside the suggestion and tells that natural foods , fruits and plain milk is the best supplement for children in their growing years. For toddlers he specifically advocates mothers milks till the age of 6-8 months and only then gives a chart for starting of with solids in the form of mashed potatoes , kanji (rice water) , daliya ( dal puree ) etc. The best pediatrician in Matunga.

As we grow we require health  and medical support from doctors for the adult. In most cases this support is provided by General Practitioners or GP’s or the local MBBS doctors . Over a period of time due to the close relationship you form with them they tend to become your family doctors. Knowing exactly your how your system behaves, which medicines suit you what treatment will give the best results. To let you know one such doctor who is our family doctor , Dr.Abhay Parekh. He is the 3^rd generation doctor in his family and has been treating our family from as long as I can remember. His grand father Dr.N Parekh was one of the earliest FRCS (Fellow of the Royal Society of Surgeons) and great GP in his times. His son and Dr.Abhay’s father Dr.H.N.Parekh is a octogenarian (80+) a certified LCEH and still practicing. During our kiddie years I still remember our father taking us to him even late at night to his home right across our home where he practiced. Always available to his old and loyal patients and supportive by correct diagnosis and medication. His legacy has now been furthered by Dr.Abhay Parekh. With his knack for clear communication , his jovial nature and calm attitude he has built a great following among his long list of patients. Catering to the poor and the prosperous without any bias. Another plus point is he has developed lots of contacts in the medical fraternity and can suggest the best of doctors in case you need any of the specialist for specific health issues. Also he is that kind of doctor who would involve senior doctors in case the health matter of a patient demands it. Depending on the nature of illness he will prescribe regular medicine or antibiotics or 

intravenous (IV) , the underlying objective at heart is the recovery of his patients.

Among the other specialists in Matunga are doctors like Dr.Damle the heart specialist and consulting doctor attached with Shivaji Park’s Shushrusha Hospital and King Circle’s Cardiac Hospital . Then there is the Mumbai’s top Nuerologist Dr. Ramani operating out off Hindu Colony and attached with Lilavati Hospital. A renowned name in nuerology ( science of the nervous system ) treating complex medical conditions of Alzheimers and Parkinsons . You also have someone like Dr.Anant Joshi the well know Orthopedic  ,diagnosing and treating  problems related with rheumatology, spine, and sports injuries, and specializes in pain management. One of the unique features of his clinic in Dadar is the facility for musculoskeletal imaging, arthroscopy and rehabilitation.He has treated the likes of Sachin Tendular and Zaheer Khan in their sports career and making them fit to play for India.Another renowned orthopedic in Matunga is Dr. Lad a specialist in knee replacement. Then there is the best know eye surgeon Dr.Kedar Parulekar operating from his clinic in Wadala and from the GSBS trust’s medical centre at their Dadar facility. A gold medalist from Grant Medical College and a trusted name in retinal surgery and corneal lens transplant in cataract patients.

All these are abley supported by para medics like Sonography specialist Dr.Athavale giving hope to the new mother , the experienced radiologist Dr.Savur behind his X-ray machine helping the orthopedics take the correct decision. And Dr. Parikh the pathologist giving the correct lab reports of blood , urine , stool and sputum supporting the diagnosis of local GP’s and helping them in their treatement.

A Salute to all these care givers and hats off to them for keeping the citizens of Matunga hale,hearty and healthy.

Making Matunga truly a Doctor’s Land………………….

Walking Around Matunga

Shravan ---The festive season begins

Its that time of the year when the rains are lashing the maxim city of Mumbai. Roads and rail tracks generally getting flooded like every year .Even when BMC -the richest Municipality shouting from the roof tops that they had cleaned all the drains and fixed all the pot holes and made the city prepared for such fury of the rains. You can see the city coming to a screeching halt like what happened in the last week.

But its also that time of the year which starts the festive season all across India , with the start of the holy and auspicious  month of Shravan. The 5^th month in the Hindu Calendar and month with great festivals lined one after the other. This month is also significant from the point of view of fasts and abstention of non-veg food eating by some people. Though I am a foodie myself, and a non-veg lover.I have been keeping the vow of not eating non-veg food during this entire month and then carrying it over till the end of  the 10 days of Ganesh festival for last more than 30 years . And now ably supported in the non-veg food abstention by my sweet wife Kashmira (salute to her as it is much more difficult for her due to her family food preferences during her growing years before marriage) .

But there is logic behind these little little thing that we take for granted and practice as the Hindu way of life. The reason behind not eating non-veg and specifically fish during Shravan is to help in their breeding and growth so that their numbers don’t dwindle and the fishermen also don’t loose on their livelihood. Then aging there so many other small nuggets of wisdom in all the rituals we follow like the simple example of the bindi that every lady wears on their fore head is to keep the most sensitive spot an amalgamation of the most sensitive nerves ,just between the eyes and on the fore head  , calm and cool and to lower the blood pressure of the wearer. The silver spoon used to feed water or milk to the babies is used so because silver has the least chance of becoming un-hygenic . Ever thought why Savitri laid her husband Satyavan under the great Banyan (Vat) tree. Scientifically this tree has the highest ratio of Oxygen emission into the atmosphere….So Savitri was much smarter not only in wisdom (to make Yamaraj spare her husbands life ,she asked a boon from Yama –the god of death which he readily granted but realized he had to return Satyavan’s soul as Savitri had asked for a boon that she should bear a son from her departed husband. ) but also knew about this oxygen emitting trait of the Banyan tree. So some people who are ignorant and make fun of the rituals as being silly , should know there great science behind them.

For the same reason we celebrate the festival of Nagpanchami the 1^st festival in Shravan. As India has been primarily an Agricultural country , a lot of festivals are related to the farm , farming and cultivation activities. Like Pola (celebrating the cows and bulls that farmers own) , Gudi Padawa or others like Baisakhi , Bihu , Pongal or Onam which celebrate harvesting.

The Nag or the cobra helps the farmer rid the fields of the rodents and keeps their produce in healthy condition. So the snake is revered and prayed to . I still remember from my childhood, a garudi (snake charmer ) would visit the common building compound on Nagpanchami day. He would carry the cobra or the nag devta in his cane basket and stuffed in his cloth jhola ( today’s terminology would be a side bag). HE would take out the basket open it and show case the nag , then slowly blow his “been” a wind instrument on which the nag swayed. The women folk from the neighbouring buildings would descend and pray to the nag devta. Some would offer him milk in small katori some would shower him with flowers. Some money would be offered to the garudi as dakshina. And then he would leave for his vist to the next society. In school also the atmosphere would be festive ,sometimes teachers asking us to come in traditional dress instead of the uniforms. A break for the usual routine. Stories and posters would be put up in the common area or the class rooms depicting the festival of Nagpanchami.

A fond memory and sweet dish which makes this day even more special in our house hold is the making of a the “Patoli” . A special dish made by my loving Aai every year. A recipe handed down from generation to generation in our family. This sweet food item is made by steaming the coconut saran  ( a mix of jaggery , coconut , ghee and elaichi in the right proportion ) stuffed between wheat bater poured over Haldi (Turmeric) leaves. The product so formed has a divine smell and an awesome taste. When you eat this it just melts in your mouth leaving the sweetness and elaichis after taste.

A perfect sweetmeat which can give serious competition to any of the Bengali sweet that the neighborhood sweet shop chain can boast and hype about.

This marks the sweet beginning of the month long penance and the most auspicious period of Shravan

Happy Shravan to all ………….

Walking Around Matunga

Tiny tots today ……………………Learning & Having Fun  or joining Teaching factories

One of the absurd things happening due the fast pace of life is that the destinies of a child are decided even before the step into this beautiful world. Over ambitious parents themselves running in the rat race pre-decide the paths of their children and try to make them fit as race horses to run the course of life. Parents coax , push sometimes bully their children to follow their unfinished dreams rather than let them choose the path the children desire. And all this starts with enrolling the child in the right play school , the classes and other activity centers .

Heard the news sometime back that admission to play school grade of certain South Mumbai education institution or the newest International schools starts when the child is in the womb. The screening is done of the parents to establish whether they have capability to run course financially and otherwise. Background checks are done before confirm the admission to their prescious wards.With so much expectation riding on their tiny shoulders these tiny tots are supposed to out class and out shine every body. The competition is not just among the students but spills on to their aggressive parents. Each trying to out do the other.

And even a small place like Matunga is not immune to this phenomenon.

The Run begins with flag off at the play group chains be it  Poddar Jumbo Kids , Kangaroo Kids , Eurokids , Tree House etc each advertising in leading national dailies with half page colour advertisements every year in Summers announcing admissions to new academic year in their Play groups , Lower KG and Upper KG ( we had junior KG and Senior KG which were much more affable names than Lower & Upper KG when we were small ) . If you visit the local branches of these pre-schools you will be amazed at their professionalism. They will have education councilors to discuss the detailed procedure for the admission , the policies , they will take you for a round of their campus , show you their AV rooms , the play area , impress you with the teaching techniques and mesmerize you with the quality of the teaching aids et all. By the time you are out of the pre-school with their colourful prospectus ( yes they are muti page brochures with multi page forms ) in hand and dreaming of your child being the next big Engineer or a Doctor or a NASA Scientist. You have succumbed to their magic spell.

The manic drill starts , the tiny tots are washed , combed , dressed and packed off to these mini coaching centres. They are not just taught the basic 3 R’s Reading WRiting & ARithmetatics which is all that is needed at age 3 but exposed to syllabus designed to get them into those high profile ICSE & International IB schools which the parents so desire. Not all children are alike but who will tell their parents trying to mold these tiny tots into perfect kids all prim & proper more like robots than human beings.

To get their diction in English correct they enroll these kids as small as age 3 and 4 to English speaking , Grammar and Phonics classes. This even if the parents themselves would have studied in a regular English Medium school or sometimes even in Vernacular schools.The expectation level grows higher the bar is set a little higher . I see kids coming home from the pre-school hurriedly fed , changed and escorted to the same pre-school which turn themselves into these afternoon classes imparting courses like i-Maths , Grammar and Phonics. Kids are tutored on number recognition, counting and simple arithmetic or taught the grammatically correct way of speaking . Such stress at such early stages of their life.

Then trying to keeping up with Jones's , the kids are enrolled for extra curricular activities gymnastics, dancing , hobbies classes , skating and even chess. There are reading clubs where teachers read story books to kids . They are given home work of writing or telling the class what was the book like , the story and what they learnt from the book given. And I thought the Dad’s and Mom’s were supposed to read to their little prince and princesses to take them into the magical world of fairies , kings , queens , the friendly rabbits and wicked witches . Off Princesses being rescued by charming prince’s and talking elves spinning straw into golden thread.

A research done in US of A states that more and more kids are loosing interest in studying by the time they reach 2^nd grade all because of the sit down method of controlled teaching in pre-schools and kindergartens where the kids are expected to learn to read and write before they are even ready to fully recognize letters and numbers. The much accepted way of music and play is getting lost in the worksheets and activities that need to be completed in class and at home.

When we were of the same age all we did in class was sing the nursery rhymes , learn the basics like recognition of letters A to Z , Numbers 1-100 and learning word associations and some simple stories. There was a lot of playing , jumping and having a lot of fun.

I some times feel my generation was fortunate with the only expectation from our parents was of being well educated , choosing a proper career , having a passion in life and over everything else just being a good human being. To think of it that's all that is needed in our journey of life. Being good human beings……………..

What Say you ????