Mumbai Masala: A Rainy-Day Treat At Taj Lands End

There is nothing quite like dropping in at the Taj Lands End on a rain-swept Sunday afternoon for a lazy buffet. Among all the properties in the Taj group, the one at Lands End boasts the best sea view. And here, Vista restaurant is the go-to place. Take a seat by the window and you are treated to a sweeping view of the crashing waves. We skipped the chaat counter, with the usual pani puris, etc and started with pumpkin seed soup. For starters, we had sautéed baby potatoes, broccoli and other vegetables, along with bitesized pieces of paneer tikka. For the main course, we opted for garlic naans without butter, aviyal (spelt as “avila” on the menu), mixed dal and steamed rice. The aviyal was bursting with the aroma of freshly grated coconut, but that was about all. The chef needs to taste the aviyal served at Mani’s Lunch Home on Sundays and Thursdays to understand what this Keralite dish is really all about. The highlight, however, was the dessert section. The spread was impressive. We settled for rice kheer, which had just the right level of sweetness, apple crumble, tiramisu, and caramelised cashew nuts and almonds.

Civic apathy over tree bases endangering lives

The indifference of the civic administration has to be seen to be believed. Despite arborists appealing from the rooftops to remove concrete from tree bases – the single biggest cause of tree falls – the BMC’s garden department continues to remain lethargic. The bases of thousands of trees across the metropolis are fully covered with concrete or paved with tiles, making it impossible for rainwater to seep into the soil. In June, a peepal tree fell on a school bus, killing an 11-year-old and the cause was the choking of the tree base. Since the BMC or the Thane Municipal Corporation, for that matter is doing precious little to improve the situation, concerned citizens are being forced to run to the high court to compel the civic bodies to get their act together. The question is: Why should citizens have to approach the high court for every issue when the civic administration can itself improve the situation? Take the case of hoardings. Netas and their chamchas continue to commit gross contempt of court with impunity, while ward officers look the other way

City’s youth silence cynics with massive protest turnout

The youth of Mumbai has often been accused of indifference to national issues, but this time around they proved the cynics wrong. The call for agitation for the removal of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union education minister received a massive response with thousands pouring into Shivaji Park braving heavy rains. They came from different parts of the metropolis chanting slogans against Pradhan. One may say that opposition political parties too backed the agitation, but a large segment of the protestors had little to do with politics. They were genuinely concerned about the state of the country's education system. Apart from that there is general anger against the sheer arrogance of the political class. An upshot of the agitation was the threat to plant drugs which was issued by a constable. But will anything ever happen to him? The FPJ has been running a campaign against four policemen of the Khar police station, who were suspended for planting drugs at the behest of a builder to fix an inconvenient guy. They were suspended and most shockingly taken back in service! It is incidents like this one which angers citizens.

Tailpiece

Mumbaikars have been forced to be 'khatron ke khiladi': They have to look up to avoid falling trees and look down simultaneously to avoid open manholes! (Compiled by S Balakrishnan)

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Published on: Monday, July 27, 2026, 11:33 AM IST