The Temple Club

We took a train to Chhatrapati Shivaji Station (formerly known as Victoria Terminus). From there, we took a little red BEST bus and it went through these places:

The Asiatic Society's Library (on your left)...

Oval Maidan (maidan = ground), where children, all dressed in white, still play cricket (to your right).

Along Nariman Point - the business hub of Bombay...

...and finally to our destination: Banganga!

Banganga is a place I'm rediscovering after marriage. It's a place my in-laws and husband tend to visit whenever they need solace or peace or want to reach out to the highest power. This place belongs to temples and to those who wish to be closer to God. It's a serene atmosphere broken only by the pealing of temple bells, the shouts of children and grannies, the chanting of God's name a 100 times, the prayers that the priests conduct on behalf of family members. Every good event or bad necessitates a visit to this temple district. Rich or poor, all are welcome here.

The Banganga tank (which you see in the photo) is an ancient water tank on Malabar Hill. The water has become darker than the shade of green you see in the photo. The place has become messier. There are plans of renewing its beauty but for now, all we see is a poor tribute to Bombay's ancient riches.



Some History (from wikipedia): The Tank was built in the 1127 AD, by Lakshman Prabhu, a minister in the court of Silhara dynasty kings of Thane.[2][3]

The tank was rebuilt in 1715 AD, out of a donation for the Walkeshwar Temple by Rama Kamath.[4] The main temple, has been reconstructed since then and is at present a reinforced concrete structure of recent construction.


According to local legend, it sprang forth when the Hindu god Ram, the exiled hero of the epic Ramayana, stopped at the spot five thousand years ago in search of his kidnapped wife Sita.


Banganga draws visitors also thanks to its mythological link. It's also one of Mumbai's historic sites. Do visit it whenever you visit Bombay. It's worth a look just to get a sense of the city's heritage.

The Bombay Store

Overrated or an Alladdin's treasure trove of all things Bombay?

You may not find a Bombayite doing anything other than browse through this Bombay Swadeshi Store. I have often picked up glistening stoles, flamboyantly embroidered pillow cases and quilts, elegantly textured drapes, imagining a newer me and a newer house dressed in each of its offerings only to have this dream-bubble bursting when I glance at the price tag. For this store is exquisite and expensive. But nothing beats stepping from the blistering noon-day heat into the store's cool exterior with a wide eyed glance at all things ethnic. And exotic.

About the store (from the store's website): It was established around 1906 by eminent patriots and businessmen (Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Ratanji Jamshedji Tata) to promote all things 'Made in India'. The flagship store was earlier located at the Times of India building and shifted to its present location in 1938.

Its offerings: It offers a treasure trove of all things Indian, from apparel (for men and women) in traditional or contemporary designs and patterns. A range of accessories from scarves to leatherware to elegant pieces of jewellery. Home furnishings, exotic teas, skin and aroma therapy products. Handmade paper products. I wasnt kidding when I said Alladdin's treasure trove, was I?

Go here for a virtual tour of the store. But do go and get firsthand experience of the store even if to only stop and stare a bit. The quality is A plus or more. And also definitely worth what they're asking for it, as is every indulgence.

Before and After: Churchgate Station

This is how Churchgate looked in the early 1900s.

This is what it looks like at present:

Churchgate station was my first love amongst the various railway stations of Bombay. I would wait for a weekend when I could go and see a movie at the Sterling cinema theatre, eat chicken cutlets swimming in gravy at the cafe beside New Excelsior, shop for books at the Strand bookstall, walk alongside wide roads with pedestrian crossings and every facility one did not see often in the narrow lanes of Bombay's suburbs.

It was a treat, going to the Prince of Wales museum. Spending the whole day there absorbed in the works of art, antique jewellery, costumes, weapons and collections of snuff boxes from around the world. What I loved most to look at were ancient civilisations: Mohenjo Daro and Harappa in the Indus valley. These came from a land near India. Ancient pottery, figurines, entire ancient cities dug up from the sands of present times.

Behold, the Flora Fountain!

A grand fountain in the heart of South Bombay. You cross it to go to the Strand bookstall, or the other way, to Kalaghoda (the art district). It's within walking distance from the Victoria Terminus (now called Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) and Churchgate railway stations. From the Wikipedia: Within a radius of 2 mi (3.2 km) of the fountain, visitors can also see the most impressive institutions and buildings namely, the Univertsity of Mumbai, the old Secretariat, and the famous Gateway of India, the Bombay High Court (built in 1879 in the Venetian Gothic style characteristic of all of Bombay's public buildings put up in the Nineteenth century), the Central Telegraph Office, the old Secretariat (built in 1874) and many other heritage buildings. [14]

Churchgate is great even for a walk. I've never enjoyed walking the streets of Mumbai anywhere else but here. And if you're thirsty for a drink or want a bite of something flavorful and substantial, drop into any of its cafes - old and new!

The Iranians' Gift to Bombay...

The Irani cafe. It symbolises old Bombay, the 'good old days'. When life was simple and could be found in a brun-maska chai combination (hard crusty bread liberally buttered and softened by dunking it in milky, sweet tea) or a plate of keema pav (minced mutton with soft bread). The chicken and mutton cutlets swimming in a thick gravy...I remember eating them with relish after a movie at Sterling Cinema, Churchgate. That was when I went to school. Today, whenever I visit Churchgate, I hardly ever pass an Irani cafe. When I looked them up in the Mumbai food guide, there was only one purely Irani cafe in the list: Koolar and Co. Restaurant and Stores.

I read the food reviews. While one review raved about the bun maska chai combination, another said they didnt have it so there was really no need for an Irani chai. Keema pav is still available. My father recommends Kyani and Co. I looked it up and found that their special dish is the cherry cream custard. Britannia at Ballard Estate was highly recommended for their berry pulao dish. The berry pulao recipe was brought from Teheran to India by the owners. Dry, sweet and sour berries are cooked with meat and kebabs with rice, topped with caramelized onions. My colleague told me to visit it before the cafe's old cook died and took this recipe to his grave.

How did these cafes come to Bombay? Business Line had a piece on Irani cafes mentioning its history "The people who started these joints are Zoroastrians who migrated to India from Iran at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Legend has it that in their early days in India, the Iranis (the second generation of migrants) worked in Parsi (the first generation of migrants) homes and later gathered in the evenings to reminisce about their homeland. At one such gathering, one of the men apparently served tea to the rest and charged a small amount for it. This sowed the idea for Irani cafes."

Each Irani cafe has its piece of Bombay history. Sadly, one finds only a handful of Irani restaurants hidden away in various corners of South Bombay. One must stand in a line during the peak lunch and dinner hours and be very, very patient before one can experience the gastronomic delights of a simple yet very satisfying Iranian meal. While one realizes the historic value of these cafes, it's sad to see them vanish to make way for pizza joints and continental cuisine restaurants. Preservation is tough when trends change and what was once popular is relished only by a minority. Koolar and Co. have hookas on the menu; signifying the acceptance of a trend that started when the Mocha cafe introduced hookas. Other cafes have included pizzas or Chinese food.

I hope that the remaining lot of Irani cafes dont shut shop. It's still not possible; food reviews do their bit to bring in the local interest. However, Naomi Lobo from Expressindia.com brings a sombre fact to light: 350 Irani cafes in the 50s have dwindled down to 25. Will they disappear? Or is local support along with governmental intervention required to preserve these legacies? We need to remember that the history of this great city lies in its food as much as in the old architecture. These cafes are our key to the 'good old days'. Once they disappear, a large part of Bombay's identity goes along with it.

Get your piece of bun maska and a piping hot chai. Life cannot get any simpler and more flavoursome than this.

A Toast to the City of Dreams!

Bombay Diva. The goddess that is Mumbadevi who gave her name to Mumbai, formally christened Bombay during the British Raj. She's Mumbai on her passport but Bombay to those born in the days before her name changed. Different names, many masks, a face that launched a thousand ships and still does. The port city made of seven islands joined together to create one. And this unity could once be seen in its people. Different religions, nationalities, cultures, traditions all melded to create a rainbow that dazzled and shone all over India attracting those who wanted to fulfill their dreams, make money, support families.

She's no stranger to you; her fame has reached far-flung shores perhaps in the form of news about her film industry, famous industrialists, cricketers, tourists, government, etc. She's still a mystery...an adventure waiting to begin.

I love living here. I'm lucky that I never had to move away too far. Everytime I hop on a train or a bus that takes me to Bombay, I feel her breath on my face, sand in my hair, the smell of the sea in my nostrils. And then, a vision! The wide roads and old world charm of Churchgate. The shops, cafes and rocky beach promenade of Bandra. The shopping stores, joggers park and Versova beach at Andheri. Dadar and Matunga: visiting grandparents during summer vacations, playing at Shivaji Park where two of the biggest cafe chains have set up shop almost side-by-side. The huge malls and tiny restaurants of Malad. Kemps Corner where Orhan Pamuk, Nobel award-winning writer, signed my book. Lower Parel - a land of mills now turned malls. It's amazing to see restaurants and shopping complexes with extremely high ceilings. Charni Road and Grant Road with Mumbai's oldest jewellers and retailers. Every space and corner of Bombay beautifully unique and with its own speciality. Bombay's the ocean where each suburb is a drop of water that makes the whole. When viewed from really high up, every town and suburb vanishes from view to create the island that's Bombay.

Here's to the Diva - the light - that's Bombay.