74 - INDEPENDENCE DAY.

On this day, in India, on 15th August,  all schools have flag hoisting and so, mostly senior school children are visible on the roads, early in the morning and returning by ten o'clock.  Sad to say that these kids litter the roads with wrappers of snacks that the schools distribute among them.   Worse still are the police personnel,  who board the public buses and then spit through the window.  Even the bus conductor refuses to scold them because they are 'vardiwalleh'.

Many readers may feel that I am being pessimistic, but it is the reality.  There is loud blaring music of patriotic songs,  that the local politicians take credit for.  It is an opportunity for local politicians to display life size posters of themselves, wishing random public a 'happy independence day'.   It is distressing to see the display of these lavish larger than life posters, displayed on  a street that is in dire need of pavement repairs, daily clean ups - which are not too effective, and potholes that need urgent repair.

At the road signals, urchins sell little flags and badges, and target people's 'patriotic' spirit, to make fast cash.

Nature's Basket, the posh grocery store, had arranged carrots, garlic, and green chillies, like a flag, with an avocado in the centre, and a border of potatoes.  Garment shops like Westside, Biba, Premsons, Amarsons and Meena Bazaar, clothe their mannequins in the tri colour.  Others use balloons to add a festive mood to bring out the Indian national flag colours.

The newspapers are splashed with full page advertisements of 'independence day discounts' if booking is done for a flat, a car, a mobile.  Electronic retailers like Croma, Vijay sales, Kohinoor, etc splurge on advertising their ware, promising 'slashed GST' rates just for Independence day.  Reliance retail and Big Bazaar outlets also offer discounts to lure customers, but if you visit these outlets, it is torture to stand in the serpentine ques to enter and to pay.  So why do these shops offer so many discounts on a particular day and then struggle to maintain the crowds?

Even the prime minister addresses the nation from the Red Fort and takes the opportunity to target and stigmatize the opposition parties.  My personal experience is that it does nothing to change the thick skinned 'rich' strata, who behave as crassly as they do on any given day.  This refers to riding off in their expensive cars with no regard for the changing traffic signal, talking insensitively to senior citizens or ladies that have the bad luck to be in their vicinity at a mall or a departmental store etc.

The speeches at schools and the speeches of ministers that are shown on the television, are reminders of the first independence day and the changes in the present, just brushing over reality and showcasing only the positives. Quite boring and so predictable.

48 - CHINESE ALL THE WAY

 Today, on 28th October, Mumbai celebrated the first day of Divali celebrations with Dhanteras,  and most Hindu residents had lighted up their balconies with Chinese fairy lights.  Also the shops were all lighted up across their name boards with twinkling lights.  Multistorey buildings look pretty with different coloured lights blinking away, and the walls and trees enclosing their premises are also lighted with pretty lights, mostly made in China.  Chinese fairy lights are not only cheaper than the Indian ones, but also in so many different options to choose from.

So, as I looked out from the BEST bus window, the Kemps corner high rises, were all lit up as though to celebrate a wedding.    I alighted from the bus at Jaslok Hospital, but I dared not admire the pretty colourful lights now, because I had to watch my footsteps.  The footpath at Peddar Road is like the surface of the moon, as are most of the footpaths of Mumbai.

Anyway, today the footpaths have been taken over by the flower vendors, who are so creative in their toran making, with entire families involved.  You can see the obvious husband wife couples, with an old family member, and kids of all age groups, from ten to five to infants.  All are busy doing their bit to complete the finished product.  Yellow, orange, white marigold flowers, interspersed with bunched leaves and golden balls, woven into a lovely display of garlands to decorate the entrances of shops and homes.  These real flower torans are more aesthetic and more in demand than the artificial chinese ones.

The shopping at the Reliance Store at Mahalaxmi, left me riled.  One cannot find the healthy options here, except the uber expensive fruits.  There is nothing special for a 'sugar free' person to buy.  Sugar free biscuits, sugar free chocolates,  slow release cooking livo oil, slow release diabetic atta, sugar free vegetable and fruit juices, jamun sugar free juice, etc will not be found here.   Better than this shop, I got what I wanted across the road, at the other shops.  Mr. Mukesh Ambani, with you being one of the richest persons in the world, I assumed that you would also be the most aware and informed shopkeeper.  But there was a  crowd around the free JIO mobile recharge card table.  So many suckers for 'free' tags.

And then I returned home and observed the various advertisements along the outer fences and gates of the residences and shops I walked by.  Right from the Tata garden, along the majestic St.Stephen's Church, upto the Parsee Sanatorium and the famous Banoo Mansion at Kemps Corner, where   Zubin Mehta grew up to be a world famous conductor especially of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.  His father's home, is still used as the Mehli Mehta Musical Foundation, where music classes are conducted.  Whenever I walk past the Parsee sanatorium and the Mehli Mehta building, it gives me pride to belong to the zorastrian faith.  And then, across the road, just before the flyover is the boarded up unlucky shop, outside the Om Builders office.  I recall visiting this once lively shop, which is under litigation, as family members quarrel over the spoils.  It has been boarded up for so many years now, what a waste.  Four watchmen sit outside the premises, and once I had asked them why the place was shut and they had informed me about the family dispute.  What a waste of prime land.

Then, just at the turn of Kemps corner, is the stately entrance to the Parsee Towers of Silence,  the place where Zorastrians lay their dead to be consumed by birds and in the absence of vultures,  to be incinerated by natural solar energy.  The towering gate posts, display the nameplate,  'The Towers of Silence' were made in memory of the First Baronet of Mumbai, Sir Jamshetjee Jeejeebhoy, on 19th December. 1868.  When I used to visit Mumbai as a child, about 50 years ago,  this entire area was forested and there were no highrises at all,  but now it is a different landscape.

On the other side of the flyover, is Hobby Ideas and Crossword, the book store, a road which is always congested with double parked cars and the stink of the public toilet as one walks along.  Then is the very aesthetic window display of Anita Dongre and then my favourite shop, Biba.  But the eyecatcher of the entire street here, is Meena Bazaar, with the most exquisite sarees and ghagras on display. 

Walking further is quite a torture, as AC drips have to be dodged and footpaths blocked with parked two wheelers and four wheelers have to be traversed like an obstacle race.  The Sah and Sanghi showroom of new cars is the most tortuous, because in spite of a decent footpath, it is mostly blocked by the showroom's customers' vehicles.  The next sore is the now defunct Porsche showroom, whose manager committed a financial fraud and caused the company to be bankrupt at this centre.  That is the gossip that is doing the rounds.  Walking past buildings that have sad pasts, produces bad vibes.

Then further is the New Era School, now a drab and rundown exterior, which once boasted a very artistic mural of the Mahatma.  And on and on, I walked along a very narrow footpath, encroached by electrical pillars put up for road lights, that made it impossible to traverse in most places.

All along the paths that I have described, were NO PARKING signboards, squares of  eighteen inches, made of tin and wired onto gates and fences, where ever possible, with an advertisement painted on them. Some displayed as proper squares and others displayed in the diamond position.  Very innovative and of course free of any rentals.  So now I shall list the various ads that were displayed on these numerous square ad boards.

* Barbeque Nation at Atria Mall.
* My Glamm-Book your at home, spa and saloon service,  download the app.
* 100% gold load from HDFC.
* idp - free counselling to study in Australia, UK, Canada, US, New Zealand.
*Dock to door-Hamvi- no more fish market, you name it, we have it, prawns, pomfret, surmai, rawas,
   rahu, bombil.
* TITAN eyeplus, Wardem road.
* Office chair repairs, just call.
* Pestcontrol, call the experts.
* SENSO hearing aid experts, Kemps corner.
* HRC hard disk repairing, laptop repair, data recovery.
* SAN-hearing and speech clinic, total care.
* Beyond Fitness-cardio, strength training, spinning, zumba, power yoga, kick boxing.
* Career after HSc-NIIT-Grant road (W)

But the most popular one, or rather the most numerous ad was this:
* Free kaali peeli rides everyday, Just download the Ola app and 100% money back on kaali peeli rides.

I found it quite interesting to  read the ads.  They are displayed at eyelevel and of course the latest ones must be replacing the older ones.  My only wish is that if only I could put as many of these ads with the legend "NO PARKING" , no matter what they advertise after that,  at the wall of the buildings that park their BMWs and humangous SUVs and Skodas on public footpaths.  Chronic areas are the August Kranti Maidan entrances on both sides, a certain Dar ul Mulk building with lots of rich and care-a-damn car owners, at Pandita Ramabai Road,  and all the buildings along the Walkeshwar road, beginning from chowpatty and across Sital Baug and White House.   How I wish I had a magic wand, to make the cars parked on walking spaces disappear or get minimised.  Walking is so enjoyable, but in Mumbai, you have to only walk while you are supposed to walk aimlessly, just for the exercise, at maybe Marine Drive or inside Hanging Garden, Phirojshah Mehta garden or the Worli Seaface, or the Mahalaxmi race course, or the Bandra seaface,etc.  You cannot walk your way to work or to shop,  because those paths are not walkable, or blocked with garbage, like the Nagpada area, or parked across with vehicles, as most other places, or full of uneven tiling, which can cause you to trip and get seriously injured. 

Walking to any specific destination is not easy, nor fun at all, in Mumbai.  So that is one reason why the Mumbaikars are so potbellied and obese. 




 

1 -WHAT MADE ME SMILE.

When the heat is unbearable and it rains,  all heave a sigh of relief,  but it is short lived.  
How can I be happy when some thoughtless driver splashes the muddy puddle all over me, on my way to school?

But that is soon forgotten once I reach my school.    I am not a student.  

At school, today,  the time flew,  with interschool competition practices and reports to be completed.    

When it was time to go home,  as a rule,  I am usually tense..........waiting at the bus stop is a lesson in patience and perseverance...........

My bus is elusive and I am forced to wait at the stop,  today being no exception.      As I wait,  a middle aged man joins the previous commuters waiting at the stop.........but soon I am bugged with his behaviour.  He spits seven times,     until  I cannot just ignore his random spitting,  and I tell him to please stop the public nuisance he is creating by the dispersal of his sputum.  He retorts   'tumhare upaar giraa kya?'      I got upset and scolded him for the dirty habit.  

........and then he boarded the next  bus,  while I had to keep on waiting.

A car tried to park right across the bus stop,    my daily grouse,    and I had to request,  grumble, cajole,  threaten,   until he drove off.      After almost 40 minutes of my life had passed by at the bus stop,  my bus arrived.

 Today I had to stop on my way home,  to  buy vegetables and fruits.   Over laden with my shopping bags,   begging taxiwallahs to let me in...........I was at the end of my endurance.    'kahaa jaana hai?'     and then a shake of the head.....'gas bharraana hai'.......'shift ka time ho gaya'..........I was sooooo   angry  and sooooo  tired.      And then I saw this lady walk by me and she smiled.......I could not place her.........a student's parent???.........no,  she kept smiling and made sure that I too was looking at her and then I had to smile.........thanks to Biba.  She was not Sushmita Sen,  nor was I Aishwarya Bachchan,   because then the scenario would have not  been cordial.  But......................since that was not the case,  the outcome was different.   Her salwar outfit and mine,  were the same.......a bond was created between us........a fleeting moment that made us smile at each other...........without having met before......without any formal introduction...........I felt happy,   an unspoken bond between a stranger and me made me feel that all the problems were by-the-way........and so today my day ended with a smile from a stranger,    a smile that made me smile back and let me  forget the day's  trials.