Mumbai Diaries-2, Mission Dharavi

2012-05-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Tamilnadu food and Tamilnadu taste are two entirely different things.

There are lot of recipes in palette of Tamilnadu food items like Rasam, Sambar, Dhosa, Idly, Vada etc., etc., but the world is now a Global village not only in sharing of information but also in sharing of recipe, I suppose.

For example, In Mumbai next to Vada-Pav stalls one which are high in number are Dosa-stalls- Maggi dosas, Schzewan dosa, all these mix-match recipes are less known results of globalization.
(F.Y.I-Schezwan-origin-South-western china; dosa-South-East Asia-India-Tamilnadu.)

But among these food items one sole winner for hardcore South/Especially Tamilnadu food will be PAROTTA.

Parotta with Khurma and Thayir Pachaddi

The Great Parotta Master

This delight is prepared with Maida, egg and Oil/Ghee by beating the mixture into thin layers and later forming a round bread with the thin layers,when taken along with Saiva kuruma(Veg sambar kind of side dish) is a treat to taste buds when taken along with Omlet/Half-boil.

There is a thing about Human being which makes us human being, i.e. doing what we love to do, always give a heavenly satisfaction.

After a fate separated 5 months, (in this place us means me and my Friend Mr.Pradeep whom also got posted in Mumbai along with me) from Parotta, there reached a Threshold for us that told, we can no can longer survive without Parotta.

In this time only Gentleman who resembled to us as Mr.Morgan Freeman,(as in Bruce Almighty Movie,) minus the three layers of tilak told us that somewhere around the place called Matunga we can find our Parotta.

This led to the birth of “THE MISSION MATUNGA”.

Started from our place called Powai @ 7.30 pm our mission asked for a bus travel of 2 hrs after reaching Matunga we started to Hunt for the place where they serve Parotta, our efforts went into vain when we found a Hotel called Udupi Shree Krishna ,though it’s a south Indian hotel, as I already told there is a difference between south Indian hotel and south Indian food, when we lost all our Hope ,another Morgan (minus the heavy paan- Betel leaf in his mouth splashing in our face like a Paan fountain) came for helping us & he suggested a another 20 minutes of walk to a place called “Dharavi Circle” where we can get exactly what we are looking for ..
“Mission Matunga” led us to “Mission Dharavi”,

After a walk of 20 minutes in a marooned bridge called Z-bridge near Matunga Station ,then crossing Indian’s biggest slums we found Dharavi Circle at about 10:30 pm, with fingers crossed whether the hotel will be opened or not our eyes searched for Hotel ,nose fetched for sweet smell of parotta ,at last all our efforts paid and
We have found Hotel SHARADA OPENED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hotel SHARADA, Dharavi, Mumbai-400044:

is the one we were looking for and we have found it, sitting there ordering for 4 parottas and two omlets we flying in heaven along with servers ordering in Tamil, another one hour passed like a second.

Do what you like .Satisfaction Guaranteed

Mumbai Diaries:

2012-05-10T04:40:00.000-07:00

Mumbai Diaries -1:

The train the station and lot of life:

CST STATION

There are lot of things in Mumbai which will surely amaze those first time visitors, among those two significant ones are Local Trains & Local Stations.

It is not an exaggeration when somebody says Life line of Maximum city is Local Trains and local stations.

The local trains besides Jam packed, it is always full of life, with Routine working class people, college students hanging around the door step bar, some occasional Bhajanas, Eunuchs asking money in their own unique ways, foreigners visiting Mahalaxmi temple or Dharavi suburbs with camcorder recording the crowd and thinking how the in the world is this even possible for this much people travelling in this much less space on an average of 5 -6 persons per sqft..!!!!

(Don’t be amazed in double peak times this numbers may go above also...!!!!!)

Also, it occurred to me that national integrity cannot be well seen anywhere in India other than these trains, be it in terms of religion Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Jain etc., or in terms of community Gujarati, Marati, South Indians, Bengali, etc..., all these belief put together not by fate but by Local Trains so these trains can be rightfully called as an National Integration Worker, who is less noticed like..

The local stations, Each and every local stations in Mumbai is been converted into a Little economic zones, which is catering thousands and thousands of people using the stations every single day of the year, Range of catering varies from Power packed Vada-pav to Electronics goods to economic apparels to hardware tools to even the Vegetables, you name it they have got it...!!!

It’s been 5 months since I got into Mumbai style of living, yes when I say Mumbai style of living it is different other style of living in other cities in India , In Mumbai all are on wheels and when you stand in the Middle of a busy road and search for some idle person to help you out with finding an address ,you are sure to be left alone for minute or few or few more, because nobody is sitting here idly besides their ears are always busy with plugged in earphones listening to 7 odd radio stations, keeping them and their mind always busy .!!(I have always wondered are they even listening or they have simply plugged in to be left alone, after a busy day of work??).

This all-are-busy syndrome is so high that people utilize the time of waiting for train in polishing their shoes, so you can see 6 to 7 shoe polish workers elegantly polishing, in a professional manner.

Unemployment doesn’t have any meaning in Mumbai; everybody has got bread in Mumbai.

In short, to me, Mumbai is like Giant wheel of life pulled by local trains and which is powered by local stations...!!!!

THE LOCAL TRAIN EXPERIENCE

Long Live Mumbai..!!!

Some Thoughts to Share !!!!

Mumbai Diaries-2, Mission Dharavi

Mumbai Diaries:

Mumbai Diaries -1:

The train the station and lot of life: