Got this email forward. Reaffirms my belief in the Mumbaikar's spirit & attitude


Exact Narration by an auto-rickshaw passenger,

Suvendu Roy of Titan Industries, who shares his inspirational encounter with a rickshaw driver in Mumbai:

One Sunday, my wife, kid, and I had to travel to Andheri from Bandra.
When I waved at a passing auto rickshaw, little did I expect that this ride would be any different...


I looked in front and there was a small TV. The driver had put on the Doordarshan channel.



My wife and I looked at each other with disbelief and amusement. In front of me was a small first-aid box with cotton, dettol and some medicines.
This was enough for me to realize that I was in a special vehicle.
Then I looked round again, and discovered more - there was a radio, fire extinguisher, wall clock, calendar, and pictures and symbols of all faiths
- from Islam and Christianity to Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism.
There were also pictures of the heroes of 26/11- Kamte, Salaskar, Karkare and Unnikrishnan.
I realized that not only my vehicle, but also my driver was special.

I started chatting with him and the initial sense of ridicule and disbelief gradually diminished.
I gathered that he had been driving an auto rickshaw for the past 8-9 years; he had lost his job when his employer's plastic company was shut down.
He had two school-going children, and he drove from 8 in the morning till 10 at night.
No break unless he was unwell. "Sahab, ghar mein baith ke T.V dekh kar kya faida? Do paisa income karega toh future mein kaam aayega."

We realized that we had come across a man who represents Mumbai – the spirit of work, the spirit of travel and the spirit of excelling in life.
I asked him whether he does anything else as I figured that he did not have too much spare time.
He said that he goes to an old age home for women in Andheri once a week or whenever he has some extra income, where he donates tooth brushes, toothpastes, soap, hair oil, and other items of daily use.
He pointed out to a painted message below the meter that read: "25 per cent discount on metered fare for the handicapped.
Free rides for blind passengers up to Rs. 50.



My wife and I were struck with awe. The man was a HERO!

A hero who deserves all our respect!!!

Our journey came to an end;

45 minutes of a lesson in humility, selflessness, and of a hero-worshipping Mumbai, my temporary home.

We disembarked, and all I could do was
to pay him a tip that would hardly cover a
free ride for a blind man.

I hope, one day, you too have a chance to meet Mr Sandeep Bachhe in his auto rickshaw: MH-02-Z-8508.

Be a Reason for Million Smiles….But Never be a reason for even a single Grudge

ART OF EATING by VIKRAM KARVE: CTO VADA PAV - MOUTHWATERING MUMBAI MEMORIES

In continuation of my last post Mumbai's Taste Buds please read Vikram Karve's description of the quintessential Burger of Mumbai Wada Pav... Wada-a-description Sirjee...I almost felt like I was eating one...

ART OF EATING by VIKRAM KARVE: CTO VADA PAV - MOUTHWATERING MUMBAI MEMORIES: "CTO VADA PAV - MOUTHWATERING MUMBAI MEMORIES EATING OUT IN MUMBAI MOUTHWATERING MUMBAI MEMORIES CTO VADA PAV By VIKRAM KARVE Vada Pav ..."

Mumbai's taste buds

Whether it's a holiday or work related travel, food always stays at the top of the agenda. Being a foodie I love to try out different cuisines and I research quite a bit before I venture off on a trip.Googling on local food specialties helps tremendously. Sometimes the excitement does get washed down when the taste buds do not seem to agree with the "local speciality" as being tasty. In one grooming class I attended they taught us a term to express such distaste for food politely. Call the item you have tasted as " interesting" so as to not sound rude. So there you go, next time you have a guest at home, especially an international guest and they were to say to the dish you've served or ordered. "Oh, very interesting" you know what they're tying to tell you.

So coming back to the usefulness of googling about local food stuff before your trip. Well for the uninitiated it's a get a headstart on what to expect from the dish they have ordered and what it would be made off. As I write this, I am recounting my experience in Germany where a poor vegetarian friend who has grown up in Hyderabad was craving for spicy food & on chancing a Pepperoni Pizza instantly ordered and devoured one without the slightest of knowledge that Pepperoni does not mean Red Pepper Pizza but Beef & Pork.Poor soul refused to eat out after that incident.


So here in this blog. I'm putting down a few must-eat food items when in Mumbai and adding a little bit of my own description. The average Bambaiya or Mumbaiya louvessss these and relishes them ever so often. Hope you'll do enjoy them as well. I'll add a link of the recipe and a photo as well.

Bon Appétit!



1. Vada Pav : Most people like to call this one the burger of Mumbai. It's one of the cheapest food items available at almost every corner. It's a ball of mashed potatos,green chilies,ginger & garlic paste and deep fried in Besan Flour. You could eat it as a Vada, which is the potato ball or with Pav, which is a bread.
To add more taste to it...you can have it with a spicy or a sweet chutney (sauce).




Here are some places where you must have a vada pav:
1. Outside NMIMS college try the maska vada pav...it's addictive
2. Incase your at Dadar you can try the one right outside the station





2. Chaats-Bhel/Sev/Dahi/Dahi Batat puri- These are great snack items and personally I can eat them at anytime of the day but yes mostly they're eaten in the evenings. They normally taste spicy and sweet and the taste can be altered according to your liking.

Take a look at the recipe to know more about this appetizer http://www.tarladalal.com/Bhel-Puri-2795r


Where to eat it?
1. Gurukripa, Sion
2.Juhu Beach
3.At the food stalls outside Vile Parle Station
4.Jhama sweet shop Chembur Camp
5.Vittal's opp. C.S.T. station











3. Pav Bhaji: This food item cannot be categorised as a meal or a snack.It's essentially bread served with a vegetables.It's normally pretty high on the calorific value, because there seems to be a general consensus that the more butter there is in this dish the tastier it will be.








4. Gola: Beating Mumbai's humidity and heat is best done by slurping on a Gola. Gola is an ice candy made of crushed ice and flavored syrup, not very different from an American Snow cone.One of the popular flavors is Kala Khatta





Where to eat it?
1. Juhu Beach/ Chowpatty
2. Gogola at Phoenix Mall

Size does matter- Especially on the Mumbai-Pune expressway

Recently, the Mumbai-Pune Expressway has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Entire families have lost their lives and there are many more who've been injured.
The increasing fatalities on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway have been attributed to over-speeding,frequent lane changing and reckless driving. All of the above is true, but there is one reason that has been missed out and an important one that too.


Lane discipline: I am not talking about small car drivers changing lanes...that's already been acknowledged. Here I am talking about Heavy vehicles particularly Trucks,trailers,tempos and the likes. Hogging all the lanes on the express highway is what they do!They do this much to the chagrin of car drivers who are then compelled to either trail these huge iron monsters at the speed of 20 kms per hr or then try to squeeze through whatever little space risking dear life. Overtaking then becomes rampant as there is a traffic build up and every car driver is trying to outdo the other to go ahead.The fear of getting stuck in a jam behind an overloaded truck compels even meek drivers like me to join the rat race.

What is even more scary is that on fairly steep slopes there is an overloaded truck making strange screeching noises going backwards rather than forwards and there is no way to escape because there is bumper to bumper traffic behind. I have experienced all of this making my driving less pleasurable and one that is filled with stress. Once I was stuck in a jam alongside many others because 3 trailers decided to hijack all the lanes and while they were at it, They suddenly broke down in a staggered manner on a slope just a little before the Lonavala exit.What then! We were stuck for over an hr. till the traffic cops got the traffic moving through a small lane which was really the shoulder.

What is the solution to this? Most countries internationally have rules wherein heavy vehicles have to drive strictly in the third lane. I have noticed this message on a random board or two alongside the expressway and that too in english. I wonder if they are able to read these at all. Why can't these boards be in hindi/ marathi?
Once we talk to them in their language they will follow what is being told. Those who despite this continue to break the law need to be heavily penalized.

There also needs to be an overall public awareness of how to share the road safely with large trucks and vice-a-versa.Untill then, I wish everyone a Safe Drive.

Article on Mumbai Pune Expressway
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/More-blood-on-expressway/articleshow/7449523.cms

Hastey Raho

Laughter they say is the best medicine. To survive the fast pace and high pressure lifestyle of the city life one needs to develop a good sense of humor. Developing that funny bone ain't too difficult in a city where infuriating things keep happening around us and sometimes even with us i.e. that incessant honking, garbage seeming to fall from the heavens above, your boss who seems to fly over the traffic to reach just before you make it to work...You get the hang of it!So all I'm asking of you city rats is to join the bandwagon and have a good laugh. Remember Boman Irani from Munnabhai MBBS & his laughter therapy to deal with his hatred for Munnabhai urf Sanju baba...

Here I've listed a few funny incidences & observations specific to Mumbai that made me laugh. I hope they make you smile at least :). If you have some of em' you'd like to share do feel free to add them...It need not be Mumbai specific, it's just got to be original and yes-funny...


Bhagooo!
One day a police officer from a small & quite village close to Meerut got a transfer to Mumbai.He was awestruck by the sheer sea of humans that flowed unrelentingly...He had heard quite a bit about the life in big cities especially about it's fast pace...But he was quite stunned to see that people were literally running all the time.Maybe he thought this could be their way of keeping fit. But he din't want to hazard a guess.So one day when he was at CST station he jogged alongside one such Mumbaikar and asked him Bhaisaab yeh sab loog bhaag kyun rahey hai! (Brother, why is everybody running?)

To which the he replied...that arey yeh saab train pakad ne ke liye bhaag rahey hai agar aapko pakadni hain toh app bhi bhago...(everyone's running to catch the train...if you want to get into it you also should run)




Travelling by local trains in Mumbai is not for the weak-hearted.Many a times even strong contenders bite the dust.One glance at the bursting compartments could immobilise you and you would probably not run towards, but far away from this loaded bullet and the fastest mode of transportation in Mumbai.


Human frogs: A specie unique to Mumbai


There is an animal in each of us...One sees their characteristics surface time and again. Here we are talking about the striking behavioural resemblance to our innocuous amphibian friend- Frog. Since it is a temporary display of this behaviour we will call these travellers human frogs. This specie is not only for Discovery and Animal Planet viewers. It's a must for those newcomers who're to become one with this group and most likely transform into one themselves (not out of choice of course). To see these one need not venture far and wide. Just go to the starting point of CST/ Churchgate stations in the evening at peak hours and watch these human frogs perform. These humans transmogrify into this specie out of their need to secure a place in the train. The preparation for this transformation starts as soon as one reaches the station. Women tuck their sarees, tie their duppattas, stand in ready get set almost go position.When the train starts making an entry into the station. Suddenly there is a flurry of activity, without even letting people get off from the train people start leaping onto the compartment doors zooming to get that enviable window seat or even just a seat or space to stand.


There is Shanghai at the end of the tunnel
I had read sometime back about Mumbai getting a makeover and it would soon look similar to Shanghai...I haven't been to Shanghai and doubt if most Mumbaikars have have gotten the good fortune of visiting this city. I would love to visit it someday though and sure most others would like to do the same. Of course there is a small impediment to going there at the moment, read affordability. But I am certain that there are plans in place to overcome even this hurdle. With the amount of digging that goes on in Mumbai, I am certain the government is paving way for a cheaper way to reach Shanghai.Afterall! shouldn't Mumbaikars get to be see what Mumbai will look like post the makeover


Well that's entirely my view on the digging that goes on in Mumbai. But there are others who suspect that this has to do with a lot of booty that has been hidden underground and they are definitely digging to get their hands on it.
Well there could be some truth in their theory as well.Maybe many many years ago some politician or bureaucrat actually hid all his illegal money to hide it from the Ayakar Bhavan.



So then I could go on and on...but then I want to leave some space for those who would like to contribute to this blog as well...