It’s good that several families who lived in BDD Chawls, Worli, have moved into 500 sq ft 2 BHK flats created as part of the redevelopment project. The Tatas in a joint venture will be constructing 33 towers of 40 storeyed each completely transforming the area into one giant soulless urban sprawl. BDD chawl residents belonged to the working class who held their heads high. In the mid 70’s the chawls witnessed furious riots between Dalit Panthers led by Namdeo Dhasal and Arjun Dangle and Shiv Sainiks led by Bal Thackeray. As a college student, I was a witness to the ferocity of the casteist riots. The iron gates were connected to live electric wires to debar rival gangs from entering the buildings. The police had a tough time quelling the violence, which lasted for several days. That's all history. The Dalit Panthers have vanished into thin air while the Shiv Sena, split into three, is facing an existential crisis.
Dark clouds gathered over the city | Salman Ansari
Tasteless Thali, Sour Service
In one of the earlier columns, I had promised that I would check out Coconut Lunch Home, a restaurant that has opened at Sion. And that's what I did recently. It’s opposite the Croma showroom in the lane behind Cinemax cinema. I ordered their special pulimunchi thali. But it was not there. So I settled for a special veg thali with "rassa" while my friend ordered "neer dosa" with "sukka sabzi". The food was uniformly disappointing. The steward was even rude.
Lost In Mumbai? Why Google Maps Isn’t Always Your Best Guide
The recent incident when a woman driving an Audi fell into the water as a result of following the Google map brings into focus the reliability of this app. The maps are not updated, and they use the official names of streets and road intersections. If you are told to turn right at Sant Sree Punit Maharaj Chowk, I am certain you will be confused. Often, the Ola or Uber driver is asked to take a longer route, which involves a waste of time and fuel. The other day I had to go to a building in Khar West. Google Maps made me go round in circles. Finally, I got down and asked a panwala for the address, and he replied nonchalantly, “Ye samne wala building toh hai.” Very often, people send the location in a screenshot of the Google map. Most of the time, I cannot find the exact location. At the risk of being dubbed old-fashioned, I prefer to consult the friendly paanwala rather than the fancy Google Map.
Tailpiece
A man advertised for the sale of an entire set of Encyclopedia Britannica. He explained he is now married and his wife knows everything!
(Compiled by S Balakrishnan)
