Shiv Sena (UBT) MP from South Mumbai Arvind Sawant dropped in at the FPJ office the other day. He is extremely articulate in both Marathi and English. He is a man who does his homework thoroughly before speaking on any subject. Son of a mill employee, he has come up in life the hard way. He is madly loyal to the Thackeray family and has successfully warded off efforts by the BJP to win him over. He headed the MTNL union in both Mumbai and Delhi, which had thousands of members once upon a time. But now MTNL is in a pathetic condition with only a few hundred employees. Its offices have been hired out to other government agencies like the state revenue department. The number of landlines has fallen drastically. Sawant blames the government for systematically killing MTNL.
Caught In The Net
Fishermen casting their nets during low tide at Mahim in Mumbai | Salman Ansari FPJ
An Old Favourite Is Back
One of the best things to have happened to Mumbai is the reopening of the iconic Gaylord, diagonally opposite Churchgate station. For several years it was the regular haunt of film personalities such as Raj Kapoor and Jitendra. Many preferred to sit under the canopy facing Veer Nariman Road rather than sit in the air-conditioned section. There was nothing like sitting on one of its cushioned metal chairs, ordering a platter of pastries and washing the delectable goodies with a pot of Darjeeling tea in the afternoons.
Now the place has been done up and has a luxurious feel about it. Regulars may be a bit put off by the high prices, but then then get full value for money. The menu has been expanded and offers a vast variety of continental and desi food fit enough to sate the appetite of the most demanding gourmet. You fight back the heat with a cool glass of kalakhatta (Rs350), Virgin mojito (Rs350) and other cold drinks. If you prefer tea then you are spoilt for choice. There is Darjeeling First Flush (Rs360), Kashmiri Kahwa (Rs360), Nilgiri Orange Pekoe (Rs360).
For main course there is the shepherd’s pie (Rs 850), lamb bourguignon (Rs825), chicken a la Kiev (Rs780), grilled king prawns (Rs1,550), and the usual tarkewali dal, lasooni palak, etc.
A Missed Opportunity
Maharashtrian eateries are few in Mumbai. But the good thing is that more are opening. One of them is Girgaon Katta opposite Moksh Plaza on SV Road in Borivali (West). This non-air conditioned place is spacious with a high ceiling, which makes the interior less hot even though the temperature is soaring outside. Despite the good location and space, this joint is a tad disappointing. The poha was greasy, vada usal disappointing and even the chai was not up to the mark. As for service, the less said the better. However, the saving grace is the range of chivdas and sevs sold near the cash counter.
Tailpiece
Graffiti behind a truck: Sarvapaksha Samabhav (All parties are the same)...
(Compiled by S Balakrishnan)
