Deepavali shopping surges amid soaring prices
Deepavali shopping hit the ceiling this time around. People were shopping as if there is no tomorrow. Even the unprecedented price of gold and silver did not deter them. The streets were crowded way beyond their holding capacity. It was a sheer miracle that there was no stampede. The slashing of GST rates did boost the sales. But more than that it was the positive sentiment in the economy which created a positive ambience. But there was also the sad spectacle of hundreds of poor from Solapur and other places coming to sell kandeels, garlands, diyas etc. They sleep on the pavements. And the day when the celebrations end they clean up the place and return to their villages as quietly as they came
Reeta Gupta’s Jumbo burger and books shines
Recently bumped into the remarkable Reeta Gupta, a Palbrahm married to Dheeraj Gupta, the man who branded and corporatised the humble “vadapav.” An MBA, she revealed that Jumbo “vadapav” has now been rebranded as Jumbo burger and it is a big hit not only in Mumbai, but in Bengaluru, Delhi etc. In fact, soon Delhi will have more outlets than Mumbai! Reeta is an author of seven best-sellers, including a biography of the late legendary actor Sanjeev Kumar and social reformer Savitribai Phule. She is currently researching extensively for her next book on the prime ministers of India. More power to her laptop
Benne Kaapi Corner: Ataste of Davangere in Ghatkopar
A month ago young Jai Munwar opened Benne Kaapi Corner in Garodia Nagar, Ghatkpar (east). I asked him how as a Gujju he hit upon the idea of selling specialised benne dosa and filter kaapi. Pat came the reply: “Half my family is from Davangere.” And Davangere in Karnataka is where benne (butter) dosa was invented by a blessed soul centuries ago. The place is small but tidy with no seating. You stand by a tall table and eat from eco-friendly plates and wooden spoons. We ordered plain “thaat idli”, which was just about okay. The white “vagarified” coconut chutney was disappointingly bland, but the “takkali” (tomato) chutney made up for that. The crisp medu wadas were freshly made. Then we ordered garlic-podi benne dosa. It was simply superb with right crispness and golden brown colour. They use Nandini butter which adds its own aroma and texture to the dosa. We washed down the snacks with authentic hot south Indian filter “kaapi” in stainless steel tumbler and “dabra.” The bill came to Rs500 which was full value for money. Check it out.
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