Just Walking Around

Faral Kandeel and Crackers………..

It’s that time of the year when the festive spirit is at its peak . With the last known Indian festival “Diwali” in full swing, its like the saying going out with a BANG ,  literally when those crackers burst and the sky is filled with the best ever sound and light show on the Diwali night.

Much before the festival comes around , every household is abuzz with cleaning and generally make the home spic and span. It is said the Goddess Laxmi the goddess of wealth goes around from home to home and resides in the one which is sparkling clean. All the family members used to sweep ,scrub, polish the doors , windows , ceiling fans and every nook and corner of the homes. Additional work was carried out by the house maids under the watchful eye of the woman if the house. The cleaning used to go on for 2 weekends. I still remember as kids me and Milind used to help our Mom & Dad during these cleaning sessions. The old flat in which we used to live had a typical design, the Hall , Bedroom and Kitchen were in 1 row and interconnected with doors in between and 1 passage and a huge balcony running parallel to these 3 rooms. As a result the itself had around 10 doors which would need cleaning every year. The white oil painted doors would become dull with frequent handling and the dust . A big scrub to them during the yearly exercise would bring back the glow and the house would look sparkling. Now a days you have the facility of professional cleaners, those similar to the house keeping staff in offices. They can be hired for fees depending on the package you take standard cleaning, deep cleaning or express cleaning. These professional cleaners come with vacuum cleaners, wet mops, duster etc. and make the cleaning job look as easy as pie.

Another important house hold activity which made Diwali truly enjoyable was the making of the “Faral” , you can call them snacks or munchies which would be served just after the special bath on Narak Chaturdashi – he 1^st day of Diwali. This would also be exchanged with our neighbours and served as refreshments to the visiting guest. Lip smacking items like Chakli, Rawa Ladoo, Dry Karanji, Spicy Sev , Poha Chivda and Mom’s specialty Deep Fried Spicy Peanuts (these are still made in our home and gorged on well after Diwali is over. I personally love them…..)

Today due to lack of time due to our busy schedule most of the Faral is bought from well known shops in Dadar –Mahim belt which have become a brand on to themselves. If you are the diet / health conscious type or want to send these lovely munchies to your friends and family abroad, head to “Gobole’s”at Dadar at the corner of Ranade Road. Here you will get baked Shankarpali’s Chakli’s fried in less oil. Soys sticks instead of  the spicy sev if your pallet wants to taste something different. They also have the traditional Besan Ladoo and special one made from Sugar free for the diabetics.If it’s the traditional stuff you desire you can head to Aswad at Shivaji Park or Thakur’s or Ashok Masale’s at Mahim. Here you will get Bajani Chakli’s , crisp and spicy and loved by foodies like me who get tired of sweets and ladoos  during Diwali. Then the other specialty are unique items like Anarse (crispy sweet discs made from fermented batter), Chavde also known as Mande or Mandige is traditional Maharashtrian & Konkani specialty that is made from fried bread made of flour that is stuffed with delicious blend of grated and roasted coconut , cardamom powder sugar and sesame seeds. Then there are the sweet sugary Balushahi’s . They are similar to glazed doughnut in terms of ingredients, but differ in texture and taste. Another special sweet snack is the Chirote , prepared with plain flour , Chiroti is a fried flaky pastry with concentric circles of delicate layers that is either sprinkled with a generous amount of cardamom flavored powdered sugar or dipped in cardamom flavored powder sugar or dipped in cardamom flavored sugar syrup..

All these available in neatly packed in 250gms or 500gms packets, ready to be picked & taken home, to be savored not just during Diwali but also as evening snack for next 15-20 days well after the festival ends. Eating these during tea time brings back sweet memories of the celebration just concluded.

Diwali shopping cannot be over unless you have bought those Fire crackers from Sivakasi, some that make noise and most those spread the light . Every kid and even the grown ups like to burn these crackers and have a gala time enjoying the beautiful shower of light coming out of the Anaar-Flower pot , a cone shaped fire cracker which throws off a huge glow of light from its belly. The other favorite’s are the Rocket and the 11-in-1’s which fly up in the sky and burst into hundred colours. Smaller kids are happy with lighting the Sparklers , regular electric or coloured ones. Or the zameen chakri , spinning at top speed on the ground and sprinkling the light all around and having a little masti.

But Diwali can not be said to be complete without the lighting decoration each home installs to make it a truly a festival of lights. The traditional paper lanterns or Kandeels sparkle and diminishes otherwise depressive and stressful lives in the maxim city of Mumbai. You can walk the Ranade Road in Dadar or the foot paths leading to Shivaji Park or if you are a true enthusiast head to the footpaths near Citylight area and rounding of towards Cadel Road. They will keep the paper lanterns , some plastic ones some Chinese shaped , some like footballs , some like hot air balloons, the Star types, cartoon character types for the kids. All glowing and dispensing their serene light on to the footpaths and the surrounding area.

Looking at these glowing Kandeels during the dark nights it feels as if the stars have descended on this Earth spread the glow and bring some Happiness and Joy in our lives.

Wishing all my readers a very Happy Diwali and prosperous New Year.

Have fun enjoy and don’t just indulge in taking selfies or mobile snaps but build memories of the small small incidents during Diwali in your hearts and minds to last you a life time.

Happy Reaading….

Just Walking Around

Staying on with Shivaji Park ………….

To continue my walk around Shivaji Park. The other impressive structure which has an overbearing presence here is the Sena Bhavan , the HQ of Shiv Sena , a truly Maharashtrian Political party founded by Balasaheb Thackrey.A political party off the Marathi manus ,by the Marathi Manus and for the Marathi manus.A party with a militant streak with ground level party workers ready to hold to city to ransom by way of Mumbai Bandhs with just one call from Balasaheb Thackrey –the one and only Hindu Hriday Samraat. This building itself resembles the fort of the great Maratha Warrior King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Many a political battles have been fought from here by this regional political outfit which catapulted into fame by openly promoting the Marathi cause or Marathi Asmita. Each year from the ramparts of the Shivaji Park ground or the Shiv Thirth on the occasion of Dussera a huge rally used to take place. From the stage Balasaheb would roar like the Tiger and deliver a fiery speech sprinkled with good amount of humor and sarcasm. Those who heard him would be mesmerized by his oratory and would instantly become his fan. Such was his control over the maxim city of Mumbai ,he could bring it to a grinding halt whenever he gave a Bandh call.

His persona was such that even his opponents in other political parties had a high regard for him and respected his word when he rose to speak. That era has come to an end with his passing away couple of years back. A small memorial is installed in his memory at one corner of the Shivaji Park Ground. A symbolic torch exuding his flaming spirit is also installed .But the Shiv Sena he founded ,seems as if it has lost its sheen and his son Uddhav Thackrey who has taken over the party reins looks struggling to keep up with the image of the militant Marathi Party built over last 5 decades.

To move on to a lighter topic ,another famous landmark here is the Mai Mangeshkar Children’s Park near the entrance of the Shivaji Park ground. Named after the mother of the Nightingale of Indian Cinema the one and only “Lata Mangeshkar” . The children’s park or “garden” as it is referred in common parlance, is well laid out with clear demarkated sections for toddlers and older children. The toddler section has mini swings and merry go-round shaped in the form of bright yellow ducks. The toddlers are so fascinated by the bright yellow ducks of merry-go-rounds that they refuse to disembark and the parents literally have to wean them away so other kids can get a chance. Just next to it is the newly installed play gym with a normal and a bumpy slide. Children enjoy climbing up the step ladders reaching the top of the slide and then going woosh down the slide, breaking the fall on the rubberized mat below. Such fun seeing the kids giggle and laugh and run around the garden, makes me feel like becoming a kid all over again. With two kids in the house , this place is our favourite place to spend our Saturday or Sunday evenings. Both me and the missus get divided across the garden , Bhakti playing in the toddler / young kids section supervised by me and Netra playing in the older kids section and supervised by Kashmira. Sometimes  though bored of the small slides and kiddie swings Bhakti runs along and joins her older Sis and they both explore the play gym for older kids. Climbing the tall steps to reach the top of a bumpy slide or the chattering slide (made of rollers and making a chattering noise as one slides down it.). Sliding away on the helical slide or swinging from the longish swings or climbing the chain grid , laughing away and having so much fun.

Just outside is the ghodawallah with his Horse cart giving joyrides to children and the accompanying moms and dads.A short but enjoyable ride within the by lanes of Shivaji Park . So much fun that sometimes the kids go around for double rounds.

After all this running and jumping around you are sure to feel hungry and its not just the kids but even the parents feel the rumblings in their tummies. To soothe these hunger pangs you have multiple options around the park. You could try the delicious steamed momo’s or Chinese dumplings at the small corner shop with its Nepali owner cum cook . He has two varieties ,for veggie  there is the mix vegetables momo’s with  cabbage and carrots and for non-veg type he has the spicy kheema filled ones. Both served with the zingy shezwan sauces making them yummy and finger licking. Or you could walk to the road leading to the Shivaji Park ground to the famous Frankie outlet. Serving such mouthwatering delicacies like Chicken Tikka Frankie , Mutton Frankie , Egg with cheese Frankie or the Bhuna Chicken Frankie with its smoky flavor. For the veggies you have the standard veg Frankie with mashed potato based filling , the Paneer or Paneer Tikka Frankie or the all-time favorite Cheese Frankie with dollops of grated cheese.

Close by is the newly opened Maroosh – the specialist in Shawarma and Mughlai fast food. Bored of the regular Food hop into this outlet for a scrumptious mini meal of Mutton Sheek kebab or the Chicken tikka , accompanied by Bhuna Chicken and Rumali Roti . Or try their classic Shewarma with white garlic sauce , non spicy delight which even kids can enjoy . For the spice lovers you can have the Spicy Chicken Tikka Shawarma served with Red chilly , white garlic and green chutney type sauces. One roll of the Shawarma is enough to fill you tummy. Wash it down with Coke or a Maaza and your dinner is done.

And you always have the option of walking the Park to burn away those extra calories….

Just Walking Around

Rag Rag Me Mumbai City

After walking around the by lanes of Matunga for a year now, I decided why not extend my walks to the neighboring places to bring out the flavor ,the nuances and the little tit bits which define their character. Each neighborhood having its own culture and specialties. Also to make it a little more interesting I will not only talk about the places in the neighborhood but about the various places across India ,which I visit due to the extensive travelling I do as part of my Sales profession. Sharing some personal experiences and thoughts.

The other day I turned on the FM and heard Shukhvinder crooning …. “Rag Rag Me Mumbai City Rag Rag Me” …Thought how true. Once a person is born and brought up in  Mumbai or has stayed for a large part of his life in this City it tends to grows on him/ her  and literally runs through the blood…

So decided let me bring out the various facets of my Karma bhoomi , Mumbai. The city I was born and grew up in , the maxim city of Mumbai. The financial capital of India , the jewel in the crown of India, a city that never sleeps. A cosmopolitan city , a cultural cauldron of various religions ,faiths , castes and creeds. A city with heart of gold but its soul tied to the ever ticking clock of life.

So here goes a beginning of a new innings ….Just Waking Around …..

On a lazy Sunday evening , I decided to walk around Shivaji Park which is a little further from where I live that is Matunga. This place is steeped in  its Marathi culture and  represents the vibrant lifestyle more in synch with the buzzing nature of Mumbai. The minute you ask anyone of Shivaji Park the first thing that comes to mind is the Shivaji Park Gymkhana and the Maidan . And also the Chowpatty which I will elaborate in my next blogs. The Shivaji Park Gymkhana and Sports club is synonymous with the Cricket . The park maidan has been host to such celebrities like the “God of Cricket” Sachin Tendulkar his buddy Vinod Kambli , Little Master Sunil Gavaskar and Colonel Dilip Vengsarkar. One end of the ground (maidan ) is reserved for the nets of Cricket coaches who train the budding and talented youngsters in the age group of 6-16 years . The most well-known coach who had nets here was Achrekar Sir coach to Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. It is on these very grounds, Sachin practiced his perfect cover drives , the straight drives hooks and pulls thus starting his illustrious sporting career. The ground support staff here are the best in class and toil away at their manual rollers, water the ground and prepare the right pitch be it a bouncy wicket or a slow turner to give ample practice to the students. On any given day during summer camps you can see at least a group of 30-40 boys training and practicing their game under the observant eye of their coaches. They stretch, they run , they dive around the ground with a hope in the heart  and a dream in their eyes of becoming great cricketers and being selected in the Mumbai Ranji team or any of the IPL teams as stepping stone to being part of the Indian Cricket team.

After a strenuous work out you will find most the boys at the most famous enterprise right on the Shivaji Park ground close to the Samarth Vyayamshala, home to gymnastics and traditional sport like malkhamb. This stall has been churning out the yummiest batata bhajjis and hot batata wada’s for ages. Whenever you visit the stall you will find the owners a courteous family of typical Marathi husband and wife manning the counter ably supported by their cook and the other staff. The bhajjis are perfect in taste and deep fried to make them real crisply. The sweet and sour tamarind chutney is the perfect dip accompanying the hot bhajjis before they are wolfed down by the eagerly waiting customers. You can have the wada or the bhajji’s alone or can have them stuffed in the soft pav smeared with garlic chutney to give that extra zing. Orders fly thick and fast and the hot wada’s and bhajjis get consumed real fast making the big Thali in which they are unloaded look empty in less than 15 minutes of their arrival.  

Just next to this stall are couple of new stalls one serving the famous Mumbai Chowpatty bhel and Pani Puri to the foodies gathered around. The other serving Sandwiches , regular or toast depending on your liking. But neither can give a semblance of a fight to the tasty batata wada or the mouth watering & crispy bhajji.

Walk ahead and you come to the Udyan Ganesh a temple dedicated the Vighnaharta Lord Ganesh. A small temple some time back before it was restored and renovated to the current beautiful structure in White marble. The temple itself is very old and well known among the Ganesh devotees. Every evening you will find it brightly lit and can be seen shining from the entire Shivaji Park neighborhood . The light emanating giving a feeling of hope and security to the observer and the devotees alike. The temple itself is small with a small but serene Ganesh murti in its garbha griha or the sanctum sanctorum. All your stress and worries melt away the moment your close your eyes and stand with folded hand in front of   HIM. You feel blessed and happy once you have visited this temple .

Another famous land mark here is the Bengal Club and the Durga temple on the precinct of Shivaji Park ground. Every year during Navaratri the nine nights days leading up to Dassera or Vijayadashami , the Begali community hold the Durgotsav  from the Shashti till Dussera. A huge pandal  is put up with the idol of Goddess Durga striding on her Lion installed at the center and the scene of Mhaishasura mardan (Mhaishasura the demon or Asura who had the blessing of Lord Brhama and who could change forms and who had oppressed the Gods. Finally slayed by Goddess Durga ). People from all communities and not just the Bengali’s throng the pandal during these 4 days to enjoy the atmosphere and specifically the food stalls right behind the pandal. Famous caterers of Bengal specially come all the way from Kolkata to sell their Bengali delicacies. I have been a regular at these stalls along with the Missus and the kids gorging on the Kati Rolls be it egg , chicken or mutton . The taste is exemplary a little spicy but finger licking. The kids love the misthan or the Bengali sweet , Sandesh , Cham Cham , Misthi Doi (dahi) , Gulab Jamun and the Rosogulla. Pick any  sweet , it melts in your mouth the moment you eat it leaving a overdose of sugary taste in your mouth. Forget about the calories and do try the Misthaan at least once , you will surely come back for more. To burn the calories you could always walk around the other stall showcasing the Cotton Malmal Sarees , ethnic ware and handicrafts .

If you visit this place on Navmi its teeming with activities. A dance group from Kolkata would be performing on stage , another group would be entertaining the crowd with sweet Robindro Sangeet while the finale would be the staging of the Mhaishsura  Mardan act. Walk away smiling at the dark night on Navmi which will make way for the bright day of Vijaya Dashmi or Dassera , the day on which Lord Rama won the war against Ravana symbolizing the ultimate truth the victory of Good over Evil and giving hope to the entire humanity.

Happy Dassera to all my readers

Happy Reading