South Mumbai now prides itself of having a Finnish International School (FIS). Last week the school was inaugurated in an air-conditioned building opposite the Mahalaxmi racecourse and almost cheek by jowl with the highend Willingdon Gymkhana. This is the second FIS to be opened by the low-profile Sudhir Goenka and his son Shashank. The first one is at Thane.
The new school will have only International Baccalaureate curriculum. The principal and many of the teachers are Finns. Finland is believed to have the best education system in the world and the Goenkas have introduced the best practices in SoBo. The classrooms have glass walls and are spacious. Among other things, there is a section to teach robotics to the children. The canteen will provide only healthy food options, which are scientifically designed. The academic year will commence in August.
The education scene is a changing globally and Mumbai is trying its best to catch the school bus.
Rainy Ride
A man rides a motorcycle amid heavy rainfall in Andheri | Vijay Gohil
Shoppers' Delight In Ghatkopar
R City Mall in Ghatkopar (West) is easily one of the finest malls in the Mumbai Metropolitan Area. Its spacious, well air-conditioned and neat. The range of brands, whether it be dresses, sarees, kurtis, formal or party wear for ladies, gents or kids, is amazing. Branded jewellery, fashion accessories, handbags, footwear, cosmetics, perfumes, toys, electronic gadgets, etc, are well curated. The childrens play section provides a lot of entertainment to kids. The movie halls screen the latest flicks. The mall management hosts a lot of promotional events like the eagerlyawaited pani-puri festival. The food court houses some of the more popular restaurants like Cream Centre, which made its first appearance at Chowpatty in 1956, Maharaja Thali, Punjab Grill, Balaji, et al. Even on weekdays the mall boasts of a decent footfall. All this is good considering the fact that some of the other malls are either shutting down or are facing poor patronage. Incidentally, Phoenix Mall at Kurla is doing very well. When it opened many felt that it would down shutters soon since the area is perceived to be downmarket. But the mall has happily proved the sceptics wrong.
The Worst Bhel Ever
This scribe had a sudden craving to have bhelpuri on Saturday afternoon. Checked out a food delivery app and for no particular reason ordered Jambulwadi street side bhel. The price was Rs80, but the delivery cost was a cool Rs170, which included a “donation”! The app conveniently did not mention donation for what. After 20 minutes a teenager called to inform “aapka order ayela hai”. Fair enough. When I opened the brown paper bag I found a small aluminium foil container with a wooden spoon. The quantity was so small that I could finish it in under five minutes. As for taste it was the lousiest bhel I ever had. Wish I had ordered Tara Baug bhel instead.
Tailpiece
Received a WhatsApp forward: “At 12 midnight PM is going to change... Its going to be AM”!
(Compiled by S Balakrishnan)
