Mumbai Masala: Vidhan Bhavan Brawl

The recent ugly spat between supporters of MLAs Jitendra Awhad and Gopichand Padalkar, marked by the hurling of abusive language in the marbled lobby of Vidhan Bhavan, has severely disgraced Maharashtra's image. During his tenure as housing minister, an FIR was filed against Awhad for allegedly having an engineer, Anant Karmuse of Thane, brutally beaten for a Facebook post. Photographs of Karmuse’s bruised body, which circulated on social media, shocked Maharashtra. Awhad, a member of NCP (SP), secured bail immediately and has now landed in another controversy. Recently, he even lay down in front of a police jeep to prevent officers from taking one of his violent supporters from Vidhan Bhavan to Marine Drive police station. Is this the behavior expected of elected representatives?

Old Monk Shortage

Thousands of Old Monk enthusiasts are facing a crisis as this beloved rum brand has been unavailable for the past week, with no clear reason provided. When asked, barmen simply shrug and say, “Humko nahi maloom.” For regular drinkers, switching to another rum brand is unthinkable due to their fierce loyalty. This devotion is understandable—there’s nothing quite like savoring a large peg of Old Monk mixed with Thums Up or Coke, watching cricket at Lord’s, and munching on spicy Wasabi nuts or plain salted peanuts. Hopefully, the crisis will end soon, and Old Monk fans can return to their spirited selves… Hic!

Lata Mangeshkar & Begum Akhtar

Last week, music vlogger Yatindra Mishra shared a fascinating nugget about the mutual admiration between Lata Mangeshkar and Begum Akhtar. Mishra revealed that Lataji was a huge fan of the legendary ghazal singer, and the feeling was reciprocal. However, Lataji was once puzzled by Begum Akhtar’s response when asked which of Lataji’s songs she liked most. Begum replied, “Maar diya jaye ki chhod diya jaye, bol tere saath kya sulook kiya jaye…!”

Tailpiece

Graffiti spotted in an overcrowded metro train on the GhatkoparVersova line reads: “Saanson ki zaroorat hai jaise…”

(Compiled by S Balakrishnan)

Published on: Monday, July 21, 2025, 10:24 AM IST