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 !”