Gowalia Tank

Shepherds stopped long back bringing cows to a pond for quenching their thirst but the name Gowalia Tank stuck on, even after the pond dried up and became a maidan. Overlooking the maidan is Tejpal Auditorium. Next to it stands the historic Gokuldas Tejpal Hall, where Indian National Congress was set up. Then came the 9th August, 1942 and the Congress held a historic meeting at the Gowalia Tank maidan, to give a clarion call of “Quit India” to the Britishers, then ruling the country. A publisher of a daily newspaper from Kutch was one of thos who attended that meeting and suffered from lathi charge. Gowalia Tank was later renamed as August Kranti Maidan. People of India were reminded recently about August Kranti once again, when Anna Hazare’s hugely successful mass movement took place in August 2011.
Historically, Gowalia Tank shares limelight with a nearby location: Mani Bhavan. Gandhiji stayed there often. My school (New Era School) being very close, we used to often climb up the stairs of Mani Bhavan and stare at Gandhiji’s spectacles and other belongings preserved there for display.
Shammi Kapoor also studied in the same school, though much before me. Our sports instructor always recalled teaching him lessons of cricket at Gowalia Tank.
Our school’s founder late Shri Maganlal T Vyas had excellent contacts. The then Defence Minister V K Krishnamenon, Information and Broadcasting Minister P V Keskar, Social activist Ravishankar Maharaj. Narayan Desai and a host of other luminaries visited our school and addressed us. Out of these, Keskar earned a not so enviable reputation, by banning Hindi film music and also playing of harmonium on All India Radio. (Better sense prevailed, however, when Indira Gandhi promptly reversed his illogical decisions on taking over charge as the I & B Minister.)
Other VIPs, who had achieved prominence in the field of culture were V Shantaram, Avinash Vyas, Ninu Mazumdar and Pandit Jasraj.
Another prominent school located on another side of Gowalia Tank is Fellowship High School. Its students have done very well in various fields.My most pertinent and cherish able memory of Gowalia Tank dates back to mid forties. My father took me along to attend a public performance of a young girl, who was slated to
be a promising singer. She came on stage, wearing a light blue frock and pig tails. When she started singing, she kept the audience spellbound. She got a standing ovation. She was none other than the nightingale Lata Mangeshkar.
Close to Gowalia Tank is an obscure Pan Gully. Its junction with Cumballa Hill had Dr Shirodkar’s Maternity Home. He had shot into fame by inventing the world famous “Shirodkar stitch”.
Little would he have imagined, however, that his best would come when he was to conduct a delivery of late Mr Firoze Gandhi’s wife. Indira Gandhi delivered Rajiv Gandhi in his hospital.
The same hospital was later bought over by Dr K R Shetty, a Cardio Vascular Thoracic Surgeon, who renamed it as Cumballa Hill Hospital. He also bought a dilapidated building next to it, which housed a post office. He plans to demolish it and expand his hospital.
This post office once gave me an unexpected pleasant surprise. I went there to encash a National Savings Certificate, which had matured. I had expected long queues and inordinate delay in checking up old records, before giving payment. To my utter surprise, there was no queue at all and I got my payment within flat four minutes. There were no computers then and still this unbelievable feat happened !

A street beginning from just opposite this post office is Forjett Street. It houses Mumbai head quarters of Johnson & Johnson. It also has a temple of Sai Baba in a residential flat.
Gowalia Tank had an unique distinction of having probably the city’s first booth for Dial a Taxi service. Just next to it is an Irani restaurant, which offered superb cheese sandwich. I wonder how a simple recipe of a cheese sandwich could be perfected to make it consistently superb.
Right behind was Shreyas Hotel, as a part of a residential building. Government officers from Kutch patronized it and gave word of mouth publicity. If someone else looked at it, he would not even give a second look.
Right opposite it was Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Hostel. Immaculately clean and serving wholesome food, it gave shelter to many students.Next to the Fellowship School was an extremely competent tailor, R I DSouza. He named his shop
RIDS. Known for his perfection, he was recommended by my cousin, who worked for Parke Davis and was proud of his immaculately stitched suits. The tailor was very well read and could recite long passages from Shakespeare. He was very conscious of his excellent capabilities, so much so that he would never touch a piece of cotton clothing. He stitched only woolens. Once I went to him to get my trouser stitched. He measured my waist, compared it with my past measurement in his diary and told me, in a firm voice, that I had put on weight. He refused to stitch, saying he did not wish to waste his talent for something which would not look like a piece of art ! Unfortunately he died early.
Gowalia Tank was a tram terminus. After trams were discontinued in Mumbai, Trolley buses were introduced. They ran from Gowalia Tank to Mazagaon. The contact shoe rubbing the overhead wires would often slip out several times en route. The buses were imported from the then Czechoslovakia. The experiment failed. That was the end of Trolley Buses in Mumbai.

Gateway of India

Though originally constructed for welcoming the British monarch to India, the Gateway of India ironically turned out to be the monument which saw the last British soldier leave India. Lord Mountbaton left India from here. After giving a formal salute, he created history by literally bowing down to the spirit of India and paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and our leaders, for successfully leading a non-violent struggle.
When voyage still competed with air travel, Indians returning home after a long stay abroad rejoiced after sighting the Gateway from far away. It signalled the end of their home sickness and also a feeling of joy and pride for the motherland.
Known as Apollo Bunder, it is one of the most scenic spots in Mumbai. When large ships enter the harbor, passengers returning to Mumbai or India are thrilled to see the Gateway. Even when we returned from Goa after a short holiday, the very sight of the Gateway from a distance excited everyone on board.
Facing the Gateway from the sea side, one sees the Yacht Club on its right. It was an unique open air place where the British Armed Force’s officers sat and relaxed. It was “captured” by SirHomi Bhabha after independence, to make way for Atomic Energy Establishment. The Yacht Club got shifted to a totally indoor environment just two blocks away. No one shed tears for its members.
Visitors to the area have seen technology changes over time. Box cameras and other cameras with roll film were replaced by Polaroid cameras, with photographers roaming around to give instant colour photos, to savor memories. These have now given way to digital cameras and portable printers.
Looking at the Gateway from the sea side, a pier on the left side catches one’s attention. It is a part of Radio Club. One wonders whether it got its name from the marine Radio Officers’ watering hole on the shore. This is where yesteryears’ star Motilal played cards with Shobhana Samarth. She was glamorous in the Card Room but was Seeta for the masses. People adored her for her role in “Ram Rajya” Her daughters Nutan and Tanuja became popular, followed by her grand daughter Kajol.
Next to the old Taj,where the new Taj stands today, was Green’s Hotel. It was a ground plus one structure, There was a terrace, partly covered by a roof but with sides open, to let cool sea breeze come in.
I attended an unforgettable music programme there. There was a raised platform at one end, which served as a stage. Audience was made to sit on the floor.
The programme was of Mukesh, with Jaikishan and a few musicians giving him company. He sang many songs. During a particular song, a tabalchi went wrong and Jaikishan frowned at him. He himself then took over the tabla and Mukesh continued. It was a moment to remember for life time.
Normally, when a singer needs rest after singing many songs, mimicry or some other item is taken up. Here, Jaikishan himself decided to sing two songs, both from their forthcoming films. The first was from “Aaska Panchhi”:
Apni bhi kya zindagi hai nirali,
Jahan gaye, thukraye gaye,
Jaise bottle khali.”
The second, which he introduced as “ The The challenge in the next song was that Raj Saab wanted the minimum orchestra.”” He himself then sang it, which was:
Hotonpe sachai rahti hai,
Jahan dilme safai rahti hai,
Hum us deshke vaasi hai (2),
Jis deshmen Ganga bahti hai.
Handing over the mike to Mukesh back, he added
“You will, of course, get to hear both these songs in Mukeshji’s voice.”Mukesh then introduced his ten year old son Nitin, saying
“Aaj mera beta paheli baar gaa rhaa hain. Aap use aashirwad dijiye.”Nitin then sang
“Ek raatmen do do chand khile,
Ek ghunghatmein,
Ek badlimein
Apni apni manzilse mile.
My memories of the old Taj are also lasting. The first was when our family was invited to lunch there. A person from our home town Bhuj, who had amassed wealth by securing agencies for the entire Kutch district for Dalda and many other FMCG items, was the host. He was known as the Shah Saudagar of Kutch.
He had hired a suit for many months at a stretch. When food was served, he did not find puris in the menu. He insisted on the Taj’s staff getting puris on the table, even if they had to gett from anywhere else.The staff did oblige !
He took us, after the lunch, to watch shooting of a film, which he was part financing. It was the picturisation of the evergreen song “Ina Mina Dika” from “Asha”
My second memory was being taken to the Taj’s famous restaurant, which was then on its ground floor, Sir Homi Bhabha was seated on an adjoining table. (He would have walked in probably from his Yacht Club office, which was just across the road. My father introduced me to him. Later I asked my father how he came to know him personally. My father, who was the Chief Engineer (Electrical) for Koyna Project, rold me that he had been meeting him to discuss with him how to route the transmission line from Koyna to Mumnai, through the property of the Atomic Energy Comission (now known as rhe BARC) at Chembur, without sacrificing the security concerns of their establishment.
The area around the Taj has hardly undergone any change. The Cottage Industries’ Emporium still maintains the same décor. Dhanraj Mahal’s Chinese restaurant and Gujarat Government’s Tourist Office were stil there when I last went there.
The Regal Cinema still hogs limelight. Majestic Hotel , which was reserved for the MLAs, has lost its glory/ The MLAs just had to cross the road, to reach the then Council Hall (Now Police Head Quarters). Still nobody dared question them when they claimed hefty conveyance allowances, for reaching their place of work from their hotel !
The Prince of Wales Museum retains its glory. One can only pray thet itsa sprawling green grounds do not get handed over to builders some day ! It has been named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The VT station and the airport
also being named after him, I am reminded of an excellent cartoon by Mr R K Laxman. It showed a foreigner alighting from a taxi at the CST Station and telling the taxi driver “Thanks for bringing me here in time. My flight leaves in half an hour !”

Who moved my Kala Ghoda ?

Jawaharlal Nehru  had written, “Time is a razor’s edge, which is and isn’t.” Similarly, Kala Ghoda represents a land mark, which is and isn’t. Once upon a time, there was a marvelous statue there, all in black, of a handsome person riding a horse.  He was then the Prince of Wales,  who visited Mumbai  around 1935,and later became King Edward.

The statue was exquisite. Each and every vein on the horse’s body was seen in perfect anatomical detail.

The pedestal, on which the statue was mounted, had very finely crafted black panels, showing the princes, Rajas and Maharajas of different  states of India, who had gathered in Mumbai, to welcome the royal heir. The panels were in 3-D relief style. People coming from those states to Mumbai invariably visited Kala Ghoda, to see their ruler kings and princes gracefully and accurately depicted on the panels.

Then one fine morning, the statue was unceremoniously moved away to the zoo.  No one shed a tear for this beautiful heritage being dumped, from a premium location to the down market locality of Bycula.

This heartless decision was taken to make way for a parking lot. In contrast, another parking lot was made nearby, at Flora Fountain (Hutatma Chowk), where a statue to commemorate martyrs was made the centre of attraction and it remained stay put there.

None of the city fathers picked up cudgels for the scant regard shown to the city’s premium heritage sculpture at Kala Ghoda.  If the martyrs’ statue at Hutatma Chowk  could remain untouched despite the parking lot there, surely the Kala Ghoda could also not have lost its prime heritage status and location.

The importance of Kala Ghoda area goes back to the time when the present dilapidated Esplanade Mansion was the most luxurious hotel (Watson) in the city. English men disembarking from luxury liners berthed at Ballard Pier and troops at Sasoon Dock would come over to Watson Hotel.

The hotel’s neighbouring building David Sasoon Library was built by a philanthropist, whose grat grand son visited it recently.  The prestigious Lund & Blockly shop in this building was the up market opticians for the the rich and famous. It also sold and serviced optical instruments used for surveying and navigation, which the British required to expand their footprint in India.

Next to it was the “Army & Navy” stores, which had only two other posh, large  stores as its competition (Whiteway Ladlow, now Khadi Bhandar and Evans Fraser, which became Handloom House, before going into flames.)

The Esplanade building had a small shop: Smart & Hollywood). It did roaring business by capitalizing on changing fashions. When broad ties gave way to narrow ties, men flocked to this shop for getting their ties  altered. Little did they realize, however, that the worn out patch over the knot of their ties gave away the story!

Next to this building stands the imposing and grand Elphinstone College building. I had the pleasure and privilege of studying there for two years. Its ground floor was occupied by old, dusty government records and gloomy looking, shabbily dressed.yawning clerks.

 The college canteen had one side open to atmosphere. It was great fun to sit there and sip a cup of tea, watching rain falling on greenery (since colleges always open during monsoon). For initial three months or so, I never relished its tea, till a senior student passed on a trick. He said “Ask for Nariman (not a person) and you will get fantastic tea ! I tried and it worked!

There was a narrow corridor between Elphinstone College and the old Secretariat Building. It was converted into a Government Milk Bar. Most of the students preferred to go there instead of the college canteen.

A classmate and a friend of mine  saved all his pocket money throughout a week and spent it lavishly every Friday, by ordering the most expensive dish, much to our envy !

Another friend of mine  and I decided to try non veg for the first time in our life. Instead of opting for the tastiest dish, which would have made it still difficult in future to accept bland dishes, we consciously asked for the most tasteless dish. The amused waiter recommended mutton sandwich, adding that it would be just like rubber with salt ! We tried that and managed to eat all of it, though with the help of six to seven glasses of water each !

Our biology lab teacher was  a test cricketer’s  pretty wife. Most boys surrounded her to inquire about a cricketer’s life at home!

Our language professor was handsome, dressed always in light coloured sharkskin suit, which was in fashion then. It was now girls’ turn to surround him and ask silly questions!

Our physics lectures and practicals were in the adjoining building of Institute of Science. This building also houses Cowasji Jehangir (CJ) Hall. This is probably the most impressive hall I have ever seen in Mumbai. With ground plus an upper gallery all around and circular peripheral lobby, having pillars, open to the outside, it is sort of a miniature version of the Parliament House in Delhi.  Though not air conditioned, it had superb natural ventilation. In the present days, it would have qualified as a green building. Community functions held there gave equal options to those who wished to sit inside as well as to those who wished to move around the lobby, while boring lectures might  be going on inside !

The opposite side of Kala Ghoda was a traditional British style eatery “Way Side Inn”. It served excellent five course lunch and had antique period furniture. It was famous for Fish & chips, which the English families must have been missing in Mumbai. It also served excellent Russian salad.  Once some of us bunked a lecture and walked across for snacks, only to find our Principal sitting there and staring at us! He did not bother but we felt guilty!

During late forties, a man used to frequently visit this restaurant, settle down near a window, order coffee and start writing pages after pages. The owner’s young son kept playing around. The owner watched it for some time and then called his son aside. He told him not to disturb that man because he was writing something important. He was Dr Ambedkar, then drafting the Constitution of India! If I could help it, I would have preserved that restaurant in its original form, as a precious heritage.

Another restaurant on a side of Way Side Inn is Chetana, which is still popular for its vegetarian meals. It has an unique combination of a restaurant cum book store. I remember going there, in my childhood, with my father, who entertained a Bengali couple from  Kolkatta, to a lavish four course dinner for merely four Rupees per head.  They served Indian preparations in Western style. Further on the same footpath is a posh stationery store Thackers and also Copper Chimney now.

The next door neighbor, on the other side, is a landmark heritage music store: Rhythm House. It is said to have been owned by Ashok Kumar in the past. The opening scene in his familiy’s home production “Chaltika Naam Gaadi” shows his ramshackle car being kick started right in front of Rhythm House.

 A peculiarity of this shop was to let its customers try out listening to records of their choice, by sitting in individual cabins, giving total privacy, to judge whether a record is worth buying. If yes, they would get a brand new record from inside, for him to carry home. It was, however, besides the point that this unique facility gave an opportunity to young couples to steal a few moments of privacy!

No mention of Kala Ghoda is complete without referring to Khyber, a restaurant par excellence.  Well known for its superb food, it has survived a fire. Renovated after the fire, ingenuity of its famous interior designer Parmeshwar Godrej retained its smoke charred walls intact for posterity.

I remember one of my early visits to Khyber during late fifties.  A cousin of mine had come down from our native place, to receive his friend, who was returning from Norway, after doing a course in Oslo. We three had a sumptuous dinner there. When the bill came to Rs. 29/-, my cousin was astonished and said his family’s full month’s grocery bill came to less than that!

During Indo-Pak war of 1965, Mumbai faced blackouts. Offices closed early and people rushed home before dark. Khyber started offering packed dinner at 4 pm, to enable people to carry home and eat with their family. It would, of course, be a candle light dinner at home, with less of romance and more of tension!

A remembrance which is etched in my memory and which could happen only in India is worth mentioning. There was a small Irani restaurant in a small lane between Khyber and Rhythm House.  A test match was being played between India and West Indies. Chandu Borde had made a century in its first innings and was betting well in the second inning too. Radio commentary was going on in the restaurant’s radio.  People passing outside the restaurant stopped outside to listen to it.  As Borde’s score moved into the eighties, excitement built up in the crowd , glued to the commentary. There was palpable tension all around. Borde understandingly slowed down in his nervous nineties.  The restaurant owner then sprang a pleasant surprise. He   served a hot cup of tea, on the house, to everyone in the crowd, in anticipation of Borde’s century.  It was, however, not to happen. Borde got out at 96.

Finally we come to the latest addition of a landmark to the landmark of Kala Ghoda. It is Jehangir Art Gallery. Less people visiting it are genuinely interested in art and more of them just loiter in.  Students during free periods (or hen they have bunked lectures), office goers needing a break from their professional visits in the area and so on.

It had a small art gallery on the first floor. It permanently displayed artist Chetan’s paintings. Many have grown up looking at his illustrations in children’s magazine “Chandamama”

An extremely popular eatery “Samovar” has always been the highlight of Jehangir Art Gallery. It has a wall on one side and is open to a garden on the other side. Reasonably priced and yet serving fantastic food and beverages, it is the “in” place. Basu Chatterjee’s remarkable remake of “School for Scoundrels”, made as “Chhotisi Baat”, has memorable scenes shot at Samovar. Amol Palekar, Vidya Sinha and Asrani have made this place last forever in memory of cine goers.

A rare, one of its kind event in Mumbai’s history is associated with he Jehangir Art Gallery. Emerging from its steps,  Protima Bedi did a daring act of streaking across a road. Her photograph adorned the cover page of a newly launched cine magazine.

A welcome feature of the Gallery is the faci;ity it offers to budding artists, to put up their paintings, on a railing in front of its entrance. This is a laudable facility.

Probably this idea got extended when the now famous “Kala Ghoda” annual festival  was conceived. Log on to Google for any information on Kala Ghoda and you will mostly run into details of this festival.

People all over the country, who have seen Brij’s memorable film “Yeh Raat Phir Na Aayegi“,  will always remember a key scene of the film, shot at and in the Jehangir Art Gallery. It first shows Biswajit looking at a beautiful painting of Sharmila Tagore, dressed provocatively in a period costume of about 2000 years ago. A Victoria (Ghoda Ghadi) drives up right in front of the steps outside. Sharmila Tagore, dressed exactly like in the painting, gets down, walks up the steps, goes straight to Biswajit and surprises him. Before he can open his mouth, she tells him that she was the same girl, born 2000 years ago, standing before him in flesh and blood. She was neither a reincarnation nor a spirit. That scene sticks to the viewer’s mind for ever.

Backbay Reclamation and Nariman Point

A prospectus, published in England, for an initial public offering (IPO) of shares, mentioned the following:

A company, to be named as “The Backbay Reclamation Co” will be formed in England, for reclaiming land, by filling up shallow back waters of a bay in south Bombay. The land so created, will be used for constructing bungalows in the vicinity of The Bombay Baroda & Central India (BB&CI) Railway’s Colaba Terminus. This will be a prime locality and appreciate in value.”

Soon the Second World War started and the share issue flopped, because not many thought that the land would fetch any value. The shares did not fetch value.  The Backbay Reclamation project was, however, later taken up by  government.

Simultaneously, a well known lawyer, Nariman, played a major role in the Indian National Congress. He was aspiring to become its President but was voted out by supporters of heavy weights. His memory was later given a pride of place, by naming the extension of Marine Drive’s retaining wall after him. The tip of the nearly 10 ft wide wall, called Nariman Point, became a popular place for evening walks on holidays.  The long wall preceding it had no railing on either side. I remember tension on my parents’ faces whenever I, as a child, strayed towards one of its edges. Rocks around the periphery of the area surrounding the end of the wall, which was literally the Nariman Point, lly occupied by urchins trying to catch crabs. It was a nightmare for vegetarians.

 The first modern building, to come up in the area, was Stanvac Building, later renamed as Esso building. The government built some bungalows where the reclamation ended then. Waves during high tide splashed against bedroom walls with repeated force. My father, being a government officer, was allotted one of the bungalows. I, therefore, had the pleasure cum ordeal of staying there for two years (1951-52). I have used the word ordeal because it was then a God forsaken place. If one ran out of even a matchbox, he would need to walk all the way to Churchgate, in scorching heat of summer, with not a soul or a tree around.  Also, my school bus driver had to be persuaded with folded hands to take a detour from his normal routeto pass through this deserted place, just for me. Every time a postman came, he got exasperated by walking the long distance in sweltering heat and our act of humanity comprised offering him a glass of water. 

There were, however, unusual plus points too, of living in one of the bungalows there  in Backbay Reclamation are of Nariman Point.  Collecting shells from the backyard, during low tide, was one of them. Growing vegetables in front was another. Learning to ride a bicycle was also an advantage.

 There were dilapidated structures housing major government offices like Tourism Department and also the Electric Grid Department, at one end of the row of the bungalows.  One day I found a shamiana in a large vacant plot opposite these offices. With childhood curiosity, I walked in, with a Kodak Baby Browny camera, costing Rs 17/-, in my hand. No one stopped me. Soon, the then Chief Minister Mr B G Kher arrived and laid the foundation stone of what is today the Sachivalaya.  

Right opposite this plot was a corner building “Beacon”. Later in my profession, I had to visit the French Trade Commissioner’s office  on the fourth floor in this building. After finishing my work, I would always make it a point to climb down stairs, rather than take the lift. Reason: music director Shankar lived on a lower floor and his name plate always inspired me to hum his inimitable tunes !

One of my relatives, working for Voltas, as a sales person in their air conditioners’ department, had sold a window AC to Shankar. This gentleman always recalled how Shankar opened his cupboard, filled with currency notes, to pay for the AC. With income tax’s highest slab being 90 %, no wonder hae preferred to keep cash away from banks!

 

Opposite the other end of the row of the bungalows was a building: “Commonwealth”. My father in law, during late fifties,  had a flat in this building. He had given it out on rent to Vyjayantimala. ( One of his close relatives, similarly, in sixties,  had given his bungalow, in Juhu Scheme, on rent to Hema Malini) Some of their nephews were keen to double up as rent collectors ! They were falling over each other, to get a glimpse of the screen goddesses !

 By early sixties, the vast expanse of the open ground between the row of the bungalows and the Nariman Point walkway had become a favourite spot for young couples in courtship. There was a small kiosk, showing documentary films, after it became dark in the evening.  It collected a small crowd of people loitering in the area and drew curses from the young couples, for disturbing their privacy! 

By late sixties, the first multistorey building “Nirmal” came up in this area. I was, by then, employed with Tata Electric Companies in Bombay House at Flora Fountain (Hutatma Chowk). It was decided to shift our office to “Nirmal” in Nariman Point. I was made in charge of the shifting project.  Lifts in the 24 storey Nirmal building had not yet been commissioned. I had to, therefore, climb all the 24 floors practically every day. (Cooling towers for the AC plant were installed on the terrace) After 4-5 months of hard work, the premises were ready for us to occupy. On the eve of the shifting, our MD visited the place. He found it to be so good that he instantly decided to shift Tata Computer Centre (presently TCS) there and shunt our office to a building in Ballard Estate !

 

I had the privilege of working for Mr F C Kohli in Tata Electric Companies.  He was then given the charge of forming TCS. By that time, TCS required more space. He decided, therefore, to hire space in the newly constructed Air India building. Mr Kohli picked me up to be in charge of the electrical installation for a new main frame computer in the new premises. Incidentally, he lived just across the road in the Commonwealth building, mentioned before. TCS owes a lot to him for its phenomenal success.

 

Other buildings came up rapidly in this area. It is difficult to believe that our town planners just forgot about providing greenery. Also, there were neither parking facilities nor food courts planned. Hawkers grabbed the opportunity and mushroomed there. . Well paid, well educated employees working in the areas were left to fend for themselves roadside food and  water filled from taps to wash down the food.

 

Indian Express Building, Oberoi Hotel and other buildings filled up the landscape.

National Centre for Prforming Arts (NCPA) was an unique auditorium. Built with thousands of “sound mirrors” meticulously positioned individually by hand, to provide the ideal acoustics, is unparalleled.  Why sound, even a whisper generated on the stage in its centre reaches every chair with unbelievable clarity, without the use of microphones and loudspeakers. It simply could not have been done even with love or money. I know this for sure, because it was constructed by Larsen & Toubro Limited, for which I worked for nearly 30 years, before my retirement (though in different departments).

A,B,C,D Roads and other surroundings around Churchgate

The most impressive building in Churchgate area is the Western Railway Head Quarters. The Britishers’ foresight in providing a grand architectural design was admirable. Had a river like the Yamuna been flowing next to it and a large open space with manicured lawns surrounded it, this building would certainly have been a major tourist attraction of national importance.

 As against this, our own government authorities showed  devil may care attitude of “Mumbaikars deserve nothing better than just a large matchbox like structure for the redeveloped Churchgate Station building. “The Times of India” heavily criticized it the day it was inaugurated.

Right behind the WR HQ is the Cross Maidan. One of the most remembered  exhibitions held there was the film industry’s exhibition in early sixties. The R K Films’ pavilion was, by far, the most impressive. It was a circular stall, with a tall replica of Eiffel Tower on top of it. It was to herald the impending release of “Sangam”. Inside the stall, an eye catching portrait of Raj Kapoor, dressed in  a  smart air force uniform, was the centre of attraction.

The Churchgate end of Cross Maidan had two places of diametrically opposite cultures. A  restaurant “Anna Purna”, run by a women’s cooperative offered local varieties at rock bottom rates.  A huge contrast to this was the up market “Blue Nile” restaurant. It came to life after 10’o clock, with belly dancing. Self proclaimed guardians of the city’s culture had not yet learnt to  make noises.

The other end of the Maidan has the famous Parsi well, which is a testimony to the contribution of Parsis to the city. The other well known nearby well, is adjoining the High Court’s compound wall. I knew some elite families who got their drinking water from there every day, by  sending their chauffeur driven cars.

The Eros Cinema building, built in Art Deco style, is a star attraction of the area. Its “catchment area” covers no less than seven collages.  Students, including couples, found it an ideal place to spend three hours in comfort and privacy. Proudly showing a self promotional clip “House of Hits” at the beginning of each show, it enjoys a vantage location. Apart from the cinema theatre, its Sundance Café, with opening on the Oval Maidan side, was a rage among  collegians.

The roads on the Marine Drive side of Churchgate Station building are named as A,B,C & D.  (Today’s generation is more familiar with KBC than ABC ! )

One of the most illustrious couples staying (on C Road) was the world famous cartoonist with “The  Times of India” Mr R K Laxman and his danseuse wife Kamala Laxman. His cartoons, ever since early 50s, were a prime attraction and staple food for our family’s breakfast !

Three major colleges are located on these roads. Government Law College has given eminent lawyers like Nani Palkhiwala and Ram Jethmalani. Supreme Court and High Court judges, including Sujata Manohar, have come from this Alma Matre.

Many past students of Sydenham College run business empires. K C College, though not on these roads but still nearby,  has given the first super star to the country: Rajesh Khanna. Incidentally we got married in the K C College hall but my wife still feels that it was only the second best thing to have happened there, the first being Rajesh Khanna coming out of that college !

Jai Hind College, which was  fairly new when I sought admission to a science college, was ruled out and I joined Elphinstone College.  A friend of mine, however, joined Jai Hind College and it gave me opportunities to keep visiting it, for meeting him. His hostel was on the adjacent road.

It  had a good auditorium, which hosted excellent dramas of Indian National Theatre (INT).  Pravin Joshi, nis wife Sarita  and brother Arvind have given “Mograna Saap” and many other memorable dramas there.

While visiting Jai Hind College, one would find many pretty girls sitting on its steps. A daughter of the pioneer of the cooperative societies’ movement for residential buildings in Mumbai was one of them. She was aiming to get an admission to medicine. When she found, however, that she had not done too well in her exams, she committed suicide.

The college’s foyer looked more like a ramp at a beauty contest. One of the girls, who was strikingly beautiful, attracted every boy’s attention. Every boy nursed a secret desire to marry her. If not her, at least her look alike – more or less.“More” was not possible, it had to be, therefore, less but still somewhat similar to her. 

Two years later, we saw her in posters of “Love in Simla”.. She was none other than Sadhana.

Three years later, my desire to see her again personally was fulfilled, that too in my college. When we came out after giving our last paper in our engineering college (VJTI), we saw the staircase of the college “converted” to that in a “medical” college! Boys and girls wearing white coats and stethoscopes around their necks were moving up and down.

Bimal Roy’s Prem Patra” was being shot. Its crucial scene, in which Shashi Kapoor and Sadhana cross each other on a staircase, was shot in our presence.

Churchgate area: Veer Nariman Road

Veer Nariman Road connects Marine Drive to Churchgate.  Can you ever imagine driving from Flora Fountain to go to Marine Drive and having to wait at a level crossing, just outside Churchgate Station ? You could go through only after a steam engine driven Saurashtra Express, coming all the way from Viramgam, passes by.  You could see the train going along a side of the Oval Maidan, with  imposing Rajabai Tower on its left and waves of the Arabian Sea splashing the railway line on its right !

The  railway’s Colaba Terminus was later closed down , to make way for Wellington Muse, to house horses and horse carts. The track was taken out, to make way for  buildings along the Oval Maidan and the level crossing became history.

My memories of Churchgare date back to mid forties.  My father worked in an office there and we lived at Tardeo. My grandfather would visit us during summer vacations. He would hold my hand and take a train from Grant Road Station by evening, to go to Churchgate, where we would comfortably sit on a bench on the platform. Office goers would leisurely walk into trains to take them back home.  My father would meet us there and take us to Marine Drive for a stroll. It was just like “Kal Aaj Aur Kal” – Randhir Kapoor’s debut movie:  three generations walking together. Little did we know that when I grow up, my father in law would also be working as a very senior railway engineer in the railway station’s redeveloped building! On return, we would buy Alphonso mangoes – a dozen of them for just over a Rupee !   

Right opposite Churchgate station, there are two vantage locations.  Kamdar’s furniture show room has a history which makes all Indians proud. A bright Civil Engineer from the College of Engineering, Pune, he had  a plum government job. When Gandhiji gave a call, he quit his job. His wife asked him what he had in mind to earn their living. He said he could make wooden toys and make both ends meet! He then rose to open a luxury furniture show room at this vantage location.

 

The next place on the corner was Asiatic Iranian restaurant. On some Sundays mornings, I remember sitting on its first floor, where my father would take me to have a mouth watering omelet and an aerated orange drink. We could see the impressive gre stone structure of the single storey  Churchgate Railway Station trough a tiny window. The place has now been transformed into a well arranged Asiatic department store.

 

Next to it were a very big Gourdon bakery and also a very big Gourdon Restaurant, Both were exceptionally good. The bakery offered a large variety of breads, cakes, pastries etc. The restaurant had very few tables spread out, unlike the present claustrophobic restaurants. It offered typically British six course meals, with a day’s menu displayed on a neatly typed white card, and charged only a little more than four Rupees.

 

Further ahead is a restaurant, which even today, is one of the best in town: Gaylord. You can always count on it to serve the best of continental dishes. Its other items on the menu also are superb.  It was music director  Jaikishan’s favourite place. He would sit on one of its outside tables, get romantic inspirations from pretty girls passing by and hum tunes, which became memorable and evergreen songs later. The grapevine said that he was a part owner !

 Some distance ahead was a gigantic chemist’s shop: Sahib Singhs.  It once displayed a bottle of Parke Davis’ health preparation “Ferradol” on one of its showcases within the shop. Guru Dutt shot a scene with Wahida Rehman posing as a customer. This was a scene from his classic “Kagaz ke Phool”. My cousin, who was on a very senior position with Parke Davis, sent this photo to the Company’s head quarter in US, which gave it worldwide publicity.

Then there is a small ice cream parlour, which is perhaps one of the few establishments in the area, which have retained their old style and identity. Known as K Rustoms, it offers attractive varieties such as ice cream sandwich with wafer biscuits, sweet curd etc.

Right behind this footpath is the Brabourne Stadium, which used to host test matched and Ranji Trophy matches on its beautiful ground, till its step sister Wankhede Stadium snatched away its premier status.

Cricketing histories were made at Brabourne Stadium. I grew up listening to word of mouth stories that G S Ramchand had hit a sixer with such force that the ball landed on the roof of a train at Churchgate Station nad got carried to the train shed. It was found at night when the rack was being washed !  There were no less than half a dozen variations of the place where the ball fell, all of them farfetched and outright absurd !

 Abbas Ali Baig, after being picked up for the Indian team in England in 1959 while still studying there,  scored a century on his maiden appearance. When he came to play at the Brabourne Stadium, the whole of Mumbai was excited to see him playing; boys for his batting strokes and girls for his enviably handsome looks. A girl at the Stadium broke through the security cordon and ran across the field, when he scored a century,  to kiss him in presence of 35,000 spectators . Vijay Merchant, who preferred to rattle facts and memories from history, rather than give a ball to ball commentary, instantly spoke out, during his commentary:  “Where were the girls when we made centuries ?”

 

It is not that Brabourne Stadium hosted only cricket matches. There were cultural programmes too. A Shankar Jaikishan night, after an Indo Pak war got over, was an event to remember. Lata Mangeshkar singing “Aji rooth kar kahan jaa rahe ho” from Arzoo and Mohamed Rafi singing “Suraj”’s “Baharon phool barsao, mera mehboob aya hai” live was indeed a treat. It was, however, a different matter that my wife felt somewhat dejected, because her new necklace was snatched by someone while entering in a rush. So what if it was costing only Rs 29/-, which I could afford, since I had just started my job !

 

While cricket matches and the music programmes got the Stadium’s seats jam packed, I saw Pandit Omkarnath Thakur’s overnight recital sitting on a mat on the Stadium’s lawns. Panditji’s “Mat jaa mat jaa jogi” still rants in my ears. That night  became all the more memorable because a cancer patient, who was our guest, had expressed a desire to listen to Panditji before his end came. He thoroughly enjoyed the performance and all of us had tears in our eyes. Six months later, he was no more.

 

The corner of this footpath had an upmarket but still affordable restaurant: Persian Dairy”. Later it got renamed as “Talk of the Town. Sitting in its outside chairs and sipping coffee was always an experience. I had a particularly difficult day once in my life time. I could not sleep at all due to an unfortunate event in our family  and I had my mathematics examination of my final year engineering the next afternoon. A friend of mine, who was a medical student, gave me a pill, saying I would not feel sleepy at all. Another friend of mine took me to Persian Dairy during the forenoon, a few hours before the exam and ordered a hot coffee for me. The ploy did work. I did not feel sleepy at all and the exam went off well. That medical student friend of mine later confided in me that what she had given me was just a simple aspirin, which worked as a placibo !  

 

Coming to the other side of the footpath is equally fascinating. The Ambassador Hotel added a revolving restaurant and Kamling continues to offer excellent Chinese food, including its famous Chimney Soup. Even if one does not take it, it is interesting to watch others on the next table taking it. I have never been able to take it because one needs to go in a large group.

 

Mathura Dairy Farm remained value for money place for khasta kachori and such other tasty delights. Berrys competed with Gaylord opposite, for its superb continental dishes.

Purohit Restaurant on this road served more as a viewing gallery, with its large windows, and less as a place for eating superb Gujarati thali and other preparations. It was well known for serving in “silver” thalis  and offered a very unique taste for its curry.

 Once we went there just before lunch time, when a test match was going on at Brabourne Stadium.  Usually spectators start coming out some time before a match’s lunch time.That day, however. not a soul was in Putohit. .  Forget TV, there were no transistor sets even. So when you were out, you could not get the faintest idea of what was going on in a match. Only when a loud roar was heard across the road and spectators, who had been so far glued to their seats, came out to flood restaurants, we came to know that Vinoo Manka had just completed his century. 

Often we saw a drama or an entertainment show at Birla Matushri Sabhagar at New Marine Lines on Sunday mornings and rushed to Purohit for our lunch.  We could then see Shashi Kapoor, who had been the  Chief Guest  in the programme at Birla, driving his brand new white Fiat’s new (1964) model and getting down to meet handsome Jaikishan , who also would have come self driving an identical car, to while away time at Gaylord. Once, we could also see, from Purohit’s windows, Shammi Kapoor, wearing a parrot green half shirt and getting his shoes polished right outside Gaylords.

 

Tea Centre at Resham Bhavan, which has just changed hands, is one of my favourites. Though I found its Darjeeling tea bitter (as it should be !), I always ordered it, thinking that it was my way of matching the English  people’s ’ tastes !

 

The place had a sales outlet for authentic varieties of tea. Some enemies of good tea spoiled their visit to Tea Centre by taking dahi wada with tea. I always respected the great taste of tea, by not contaminating its taste in my mouth, 20 minutes before and after tea ! (Just like the restriction for homeopathic medicines.

 

Tea Centre had a compact  theatre with plush push back chairs, where documentaries on tea gardens were shown. It provided an ideal niche for young collegian couples to spend some time undisturbed !

A signal service done by Tea Centre to the tea drinking community was to teach the more inquisitive among them how to make tea. I learned a lot there but also got branded as fussy. It has always been very difficult for me to let a cup of readymade tea to even touch my lips. I find it no less than a cold blooded murder of delicious tea leaves !

 

A corner building next door houses Indian Merchants’ Chamber and the Western India Automobile Association (WIAA). Time stood still in the WIAA office for decades, just as Ambassadors and Fiats symbolized India’s reluctance to move with the times. The WIAA  has been there for more than 60 years. Its metal insignia, to be fixed on metallic bumpers of cars, have disappeared. A colleague of mine took full advantage of its free legal advice and service, available then. I guess they stopped it only because of him!

I wonder who would have noticed the grain and provision store: Suryoday Store there. Practically unchanged for more than 60 years, it has defied the time machine !

The last, but not the least, is Satkar Restaurant. Going steady even after 60 years, it provides the ideal place for a large variety of affordable snacks.  It may happen that a young couple, in its courtship period, may try to enter, only to find the girl’s father having a cup of coffee before returning home from office !

Chowpati- the Northern end of the Queen’s Necklace

Coming down from Sandhurst Bridge towards the sea, one reaches the vast expanse of the famous Chowpati beach. The Queen’s Necklace starts from Diwane Khas, i.e. Raj Bhavan. Coming down on the slope of Walkeshwar, the sea facing buildings  of Diwane Aam get a fabulous view of the sea.

A friend of mine, staying in one of these, was fortunate enough to have Lata Mangeshkar as his neighbour (before she moved to her present house on Peddar Road). The reference to “Queen” in the Queen’s Necklace should have meant this melody queen of India. My friend’s day started every day with her arguments with her “doodhwala” in her sonorous voice.

Where the Walkeshwar Road touched the level road, a customs chowki stood at Chowpati. I never saw any foreigner walking in with dutiable goods but the chowki still existed. Next to it is an eating joint for pigeons and a few benches. 

One of the benches provided a perfect setting for free rehearsal of some scenes of a low cost Gujarati drama “Master Phoolmani”, which made it big, by entering its eleventh year at Prithvi Theatres.  Its key characters are: Utkarsh Mazumdar and Chirag Shah.  Utkarsh plays  the role of a middle aged bachelor – a clerk in a small firm, fantasizing about a lady colleague. Chirag  plays the role of a man acting in old style dramas to enact a lady’s character, which inspires Utkarsh for his fantasies. The drama being on a shoe string budget, they rehearsed a few scenes on these benches, which made onlookers quite  curious !

Further ahead  is  the Wilson College – a beautiful heritage structure. Three generations of my family studied there – my father, cousin and my very young cousin sister.  

Out of these, only my cousin, staying in 7 a hostel next to the college, had a strange experience. Sleeping in a single occupancy room, he found someone climbing over him and trying to strangle him. He rushed out quickly, only to be told that it was a haunted room. A student had committed suicide there some years ago.

 

Just behind the Wilson College is Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, set up by the uncrowned king of Gujarati literature K M Munshi. It ran several monthly programmes of Gujarati songs, titled “Aa Maasna Geeto” (This month’s songs).

A Hindi mushaira held there ended at late night. Well known lyricist Bharat Vyas, whose couplets and songs were applauded there, found himself deserted there after the programme. None of his friends and admirers thought of offering him lift.  He had to start walking towards his house in a distant Western suburb.  Distressed, words came to his mind while walking:

“Kaviraja, dhandeki kuchh baat karo, kuchh paisa jodo”

V Shantaram made it famous by taking it as a song for “Navrang”.

A mid-market restaurant “Crystal” on Chowpati became the perfect hang out for students of Wilson and Bhavan’s colleges. A down market restaurant, just behind it,  offered excellent dahi-misal (One of the best concoctions of balanced food: protein, carebohydrate, vitamins, fats  and fibre, all together at an affordable cost and with mouth watering taste.)

Araam restaurant on the first floor was simply out of this world. It had a long balcony, overlooking the sea. It looked just like the deck of a ship. It offered probably the largest varieties within a thali. Food was so good that diners chose to ignore  waiters’ washed clothes being dried next to a wash basin where they all had to go after their meals !

Further ahead is  the imposing Phoolchand Niwas as the most vantage location. Its occupants can watch Ganapati immersions as well as Mumbai Police catching Kasab after his dastardly act.

That is followed by Cream Centre, which sort of introduced pizzas to vegetarians, besides chana bhatura to upmarket food lovers.

. On the forenoon of the day when World Cup final was to be played, it got an unexpected group of youngsters – all well behaved and each member of the group paying for him. Left to him, the restaurant’s manager at the counter would not have charged them anything but the leader of the group insisted on paying. He was Rahul Gandhi. His father Rajiv Gandhi was  born only 2-3 km away from this place.

Cream Centre’s sibling “New Yorker” opened much later. Its exquisite copper enameled wall paneling was done by Chandrakant Mhatre, who studied this art in Vatican and brought it  to India.

Walk a few steps further and you would find an unusual show room – that of life size statues of celebrities who gave their life for India.  It was Mumbai’s Madame Tussaud !

Its neighbouring building is Dr Purandare’s Maternity Home. Purandare brothers – eminent doctors and engineers  did signal service to the nation in pre and post independence times.

A veg Chinese restaurant in the next building initiated vegetarians to the taste of Chinese food. My favourite, however, was a small and affordable restaurant a little ahead. Aptly named as “Dariya Vihar”, its waiters would take orders for food as well as music. It had a radiogram in lieu of a juke box and a hand written menu of 78 rpm latest releases. Those were the days when new releases were mostly as good as or sometimes even better than oldies. I remember that when we heard about “Jis Deshmen Ganga Behti Hai”’s records had been added to the Dariya Vihar collection, we rushed there and ordered potato wada and tea, though we were not hungry. The temptation would always be to hang around while other customers paid for listening to music. That’s the only time we did not mind our tea getting cold !

 

Almost coming to the end of Chowpati, there was a cut fruit seller at the bottom of a foot over bridge on the railway line. To save time when customers came calling, he would cut fruits in advance and lay out in plates. Little did his customers realize, however, that bacteria always reached there earlier !

The bridge got extended to the Pransukhlal Mafatlal Swimming Pool footpath. A benevolent (!) private party offered to build it for mere Rs 29,000/- and the BMC, pretending to be poor, grabbed the offer. The Councillors, however, gave away the rights of collecting advertizing revenue from hoardings over the bridge to that party  for many decades, in return for the favour (!). Apart from huge hoardings, the bridge also carried rolling illuminated advertisement of Shanksr Jaikishan’s movie  titles.

The P M Bath had excellent catering by Ramanlal Thakker, who owned the Rugby Hotel at Matheran.  Feasts of jalebi ganthiya on Sunday mornings and idli chutney on other days were too tempting to resist. Their Gujarati thali could not be equalled even in Gujarati households.

The owner himself personally supervised the catering. In case of genuine complaints from customers regarding poor service, which was rare, he would reprimand his staff in such a way that shivers would pass down  the customers’ spines.

Reference to Chowpati is never complete without mention of the bhelpuri and paani puri stalls. We once ran unto  some of our relatives at one of the stalls. I was surprised to find them discussing scores. I soon realized that the figures of 42, 36 etc were not runs scored in a match  but the number of paani puris gulped by each of them ! It was an act which made three kinds of people happy: themselves and  the paani puriwalla, followed two days later by their family doctor !

Three Bridges connecting to Opera House Junction

Just as the  Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati  rivers meet at Triveni Sangam in Allahabad,  Sandhurst Bridge, Kennedy Bridge and French Bridge meet at Opera House Junction. Their respective importance is also in the same order.


Pious Ganapati immersion processions pass through Sandhurst Bridge, with people thronging on both sides for the “darshan”. After Gandhiji’s death, an urn containing his ashes had also passed through the same bridge, with a large part of Mumbai’s population converging at the Bridge.

A photo studio, at its Chowpatty end, continued to display Raj Kapoor’s photo, taken at the studio, in his early twenties. At the Hughes Road end of the bridge, a tailor’s shop (YAKs) also similarly basked in the reflected glory of Raj Kapoor, by prominently displaying a photograph of Raj Kapoor, in a suit stitched by them in his early twenties.

More or less next to this historic building is Farbes Sabha building. It was built in memory of  Forbes, a British national in India, who mastered the Gujarati language and published articles in Gujarati, 

Just as the Yamuna passes through Delhi, which is the seat of power, few in Mumbai know that Kennedy Bridge, is right next to Congress House.

Queen Mary School for girls, is situated in the same surroundings, Among others, Nargis has been a well known alumni student of the school.

The other end of Kennedy Bridge had a cinema studio (Jyoti Studio) and also an excellent shop on an upper floor of a building. It offered excellent varieties of home grown cheese from Karen Anand’s farm in Pune.

Tutorial High School, also situated at the Nana Chowk end of the Bridge, is hardly spoken of. Yet, very few know that none other than the great Nani Palkhiwala studied here.

One of the many high profile cases won by him was the case against the Government after Indira Gandhi abolished the Privy Purse, filed by princes for restoration of Privy Purse. She then turned the tide against them by passing an ordinance.

 Mr R K Laxman, the eminent cartoonist of “The Times of India”  and actually of India, had published a front page cartoon in the TOI, showing a typical prince on one side of a chess game and Indira Gandhi on the other. She was shown getting up in anger and disgust (against the court’s decision), picking up the chess board and throwing it, saying “ So I win !”

Nani Palkhiwala liked that cartoon  so much that he got it enlarged to  a very large size and displayed it permanently behind his desk in his chamber at Tatas’ headquarters in Bombay House. I happened to be working in the same office building and had the privilege to meet him in his office. Hence this first person  account  !

The third bridge at Opera House, viz. French Bridge, like the Saraswati, is relatively a quiet  place. It has Theosophical Society’s head quarter, set up by Dr Annie Besant. The Bridge’s Opera House end is swarming with doctors. Morarji Desai’s personal physician, Dr Mohanlal Popat, who had roaring practice, and became a minster in the State   Government, practiced there.  
 
Another eminent doctor there was  the renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr K T Dholakia. I was once sitting in his waiting room, waiting for my turn, to seek his instructions for post operative treatment of my ailing grandfather (87). The only other person waiting with me was the well known singer Mukesh, with his son Nitin, who had a fracture, in his lap. When Mukesh learnt, through our conversation, that I had my mathematics paper of my final year engineering degree exam the next morning, he, on his own, let me go in before him. I was touched by his gesture.  I will never forget his gracious offer, which, just like his songs, came from the bottom of his heart.