Summer is here in full blast. One of the most remarkable things about this season is the millions of people who go to their gaons. Mumbai can be divided into those who have a village or town to go and those who have all their roots in the metropolis. Indian Railways does a highly commendable job of transporting millions daily to their destinations in the remote corners of the country. It is essentially a humongous management task and the railway staff acquit themselves well summer after summer. One good thing about travelling by train is the food and beverages you get to have both from the pantry car and the stations. I still long for the singhadas of Rajnandgaon, the sev of Ratlam, chai at Kharagpur mud cups, thalis consisting of steaming hot rice, fiery Andhra sambhar and potato wafers at Cuddapah, hot milk at Daund, dhokla at Vadodara, puri and aloo subzi at Jaipur, thair sadam at Chennai and dosa at Thiruvananthapuram.
Save the heart of the BMC
There is this absurd proposal to shift the main hall where the general body meetings are held at the iconic BMC headquarters to the municipal gymkhana across the road in Azad Maidan. The chandeliered central hall has so much of history and colonial charm. It is the heart of the BMC. The building will lose its soul if this majestic hall is moved out. So many historic debates have been conducted here by giants. I hope wiser counsels will prevail and the main hall will continue to remain where it is now. Meanwhile, Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani is slated to retire in the next few days. An extremely soft-spoken IAS officer, Gagrani conducted himself with great dignity. He guided the civic body through any number of challenges. For most part of his tenure there was no elected body and all the powers of the corporation were vested in him. He was accessible to citizens whom he met not only in his cabin but also on the streets. Indications are that he may settle down in London where his wife is a doctor.
Book Garden’s final chapter
The cute, independent bookshop Book Garden in Vile Parle is shutting down as of May 31, and many book-loving hearts are broken. The reason is prosaic: end of the lease, as per the owner's Instagram post. The shop has made a name for the unique way their books are wrapped and stamped, and several bookworms have turned these into their own individual bookmarks. The owner Tanmayee Thakur explains on Instagram that they are not sure when and where they can find new premises, but in the meantime asks us to continue supporting local bookshops, as they value our patronage. And, in a silver lining to this cloud, Book Garden is offering discounts at the store for the next two months, that is, till the end of May. You know where to go: 12-D, Shyam Kamal Rd, Agarwal Market, Park Road, Vile Parle. In the owner’s words: “Please do swing by in the next two months. It would be lovely to wrap books for you all again. We will not be shipping during the time; discounts apply to in-store purchases.”
Tailpiece
Came across this video in which Boman Irani is welcoming Trump to Dadar Parsi Colony to resolve the Iranian conflict over dhansak and raspberry soda! (Compiled by S Balakrishnan)
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