Cardamom Cloud over Coffee

jang,

That hold in the wall was called Martin`s.

And there is a correction...the gomantak joint is on the lane perpendicular to Strand book stall...not Cinema. Martin`s is of course near what used to be old Strand Cinema. The strands
are getting too entangling.


t,

Personally, Hafeez Contractor is a bete noir of mine. He got all those greek and latin architecture...where we have Partheneon tops to tall buildings that look like forlorn, unsold, and garishly made pastries behind unwiped glasses in old Irani restaurants ...to whip the piece back to food!

HN

this is what that article i was looking for is about...his dream project:)...the one i read was very detailed...still searching

Do you have any dream project for Mumbai?

Hafeez Contractor : My dream project is a “Water scheme for Mumbai”, which I believe will be a catalyst to reduce land prices, and provide housing and water to all. The scheme is based on reclamation of 3,400 acres of land from Sewree to Nhava. The plan will cost around Rs. 585 crore. A dam over the link would create artificial lake pumping water from Thane and Panel creeks, along with the Tata Hydro Project in Nhava, into the reclaimed land and subsequently to the mainland. I envisage that Rs. 12,000 crore can be raised from sale of land on this reclaimed portion, which can be used as seed capital to raise more funds. I dream of planting over 50,000 trees with gurgling nullahs, so that people can walk every morning in the mist through falling yellow leaves and wet grass.

#23:

thanks for the name

#18 now you talking...how about a foodie article (with pics) on amchi mumbai?

i remember eating goan food near old strand..it was run by an aunty in 1985 and could get a beaten-up steak or surmai for under 10 bucks...i cant belive its still there.

also, the noormohamadi hotel in mahim seems to be replaced by some other place last time i zipped by..

Re: # 22

The name`s hafeez contractor.He`s india`s premier corporate architect now.check out

www.skyscrapercity.com forums india

You can check out his latest work in india

adityapant and harish:

oh about two or three years back i came across this `master plan` for bombay...the paper was written by an architect in his late 30s early 40s and he was a muslim...he suggested builiding links and reclaiming something like 30-40 sq. miles of land...the plan was full of charts and stats...

if you or anyone has a link would appreciate

harish:

dost achcha dost hay...confuse mut karo;)

HN # 18

Thanks for the inside tip! Thankfully one still access articles by Busybee on the net...i found it a few days back and working through the Round and About section.....

Am working with an organisation called Partners for Urban Knowledge Action and Research(PUKAR)...its a research collective ...all of us are from social science backgrounds, though we have specific interests as well...gender and space...language and the city....industrial landscape....what unites us all is the focus on mumbai.

dost,

I have been angling for a similar travelogue from Pakistan....a student of mine managed recently...but there is no hope for me...except through externmentment....!!!

BTW...as an aside....me and t have been some sort of double agents for the ISI and RAW for sometimes...:) One owes old friends some symbolic concessions!

HN

HN#18:

Now, you have gone and finally done it - an act of treason by writing `salwar` as `shalwar`. Your citizenship is imperilled. ;)

t,

There is also a big difference in sartorial territory of the Shalwar Kameez....in rural to semi-urban-rural-urban areas the dhavini has been replaced by the suit, while cities is more and more denim country.

And, if you want expand the scope, you`ll hear peculiar insider accounts of how North East students have managed to banish the ugly nightie...the Indian one is just a headless burkha...from the innards of women`s and girl`s hostels...and the new night dress of women/girls inside their rooms in hostels is the sarong.....even...the shorts and capris have been displaced!

adiya,

There are some places that you need to really have an inside source to point out to you. Nalli Nihaari at NoorMohammedi, Goan Vindaloo at that small hole-in-the wall near what used to be formerly Strand Cinema. Kebabs, since you must have already finished with Bade Mia`s....try Bachu ni Vaadi....make sure your friends do not carry one of those camera cells...or they could ruin your matrimonial chances ...because many of these places are what shall we say....``places of ill repute.`` There are also some amazingly low priced eateries that serve genuine regional food...like if you have a taste for Kerala cooking...try a place in Fort...its called...Fountain Plaza... its not the fancy Koshy`s or Coconut grove of Bangalore...but the flavours match up...mostly!!!!

Similarly, try serious Gomantak food at the lane perpendicular to Strand Cinema...its called Pradeep....there are others outside Sena Bhavan and on the Bandra Highway...etc...but this is special.

These are not the joints Rashmi Uday Singh writes often about, but Behram Contractor, India`s first real food critic did. Also if you are a foodie, never leave B`bay during Ramzaan...OD on Mohammed Ali Street`s night life!!!!

And, read Maximum City for a quick dekko of Mumbai!

HN

Bang on target Harish! am a Kumaoni but grew up outside coz my dad was in the Army (a very Kumaoni/ Garhwali occupation)...you are probably right about the local hoteliers ..my knowledge of the Uttarakhand agiatiation is notthat deep but like any movement it was inspired and led by contradictory forces...

Am not sure wether Uttaranchal was a blessing or a disguise....the state is perrenially short of money and has resorted to Hydroelectricity to power up the finances..bang goes ecology! As for their plans in building a new capital in Gairsen...the less said the better.

But i agree with you: questions on ecology need very sensitive treatment...too often we see elitist ecological notions foisted on the marginalised....often it is the latter who are far more in tune with nature...and particularly the women in the hills who value oak trees as they enrich the water supply.

``Macaddammed``

---

is that a pun? coz i thought the proper word was Macadamised!

On Dosas :
One of the oldest South Indian eatery in Delhi is in CP...called Madras Hotel...my grandfather used to lunch there in the 30`s....its tucked away on the first floor, very close to the Nalli shop.
Have recently relocated to Mumbai: a city for food lovers...Brittania, Kayanis, Bade Mian, Crystal, a million Udupis, Citi Bakery, Ideal Cafe, Ananthashram...the list is never ending and i have been here only seven months and the joys of discovery and eating await me.
Remarkably every eatery in Mumbai feels honour bound to offer you Chines food....even the Udupis ...one near my office has a Chinese Dosa on menu. Still gathering courage for that one! And ever hear of Chinese Bhel! Thats diversity for you!

#11 by temporal

hey did you know that the blouse accompanying the sari is a modern accessory and probably a product of Victorian morality. i believe even the pettycoat (spelling?) was a recent development...historically speaking. Sari styles also changed with the involvement of woman in public life (or is that a return to public life!) beginning in Bengal.

dost,

Odd as it may seem, a south Indian fellow recently pulled back the honours! There is a stall outside the Vashi Railway Station outside Mumbai Muncipal limits....who claims to have 101 varieties of dosas> Dosa diner too has similar claims, but falls short on the sheer number. This is the sheer bastardisation of the original concept of the dosa.

And to think, I asked for Mysore Masala Dosa in Kalsipalayam in Bangalore, a busy interstate bus junction, and the waiter told me, `` Saab, idhar sirf Bangalore Masala milta hai, Mysore Masala ke liye Mysore jaana padegaa!``

The numbers are the names given to what you put inside a dosa....:)

HN

Re: # 13

Dhaka?.Bangladesh?.Yuck.They have restaurants there?.

Nothin` like a cup of madras coffee to fire one`s boilers in the morning.No need for a cigarette!!.I`ve been hooked on madras coffee ever since i was taken along to Woodlands on 43rd street in Manhattan as a wee tot by my folks.I later on, used to go to jackson heights to a south indian dosa place Ashok ( i forget)and get my fill.After moving to Mumbai, Mani`s dosa stall , Woodlands, Udipi Treats, Dosa Diner and many more quench my thirst.Love it!!!.

t, HN:

Some tidbits about food...

The biggest variety of dosas I saw was -guess what!- in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A restaurant in upscale Gulshan (Milan?) there had perhaps more than two dozen varieties of dosas, including some non-vegetarian varieties.

The first time I went to Madras, the only restaurant that served North Indian food was a Muslim-owned restaurant called ``Bukhari``. Now, you can find genuine North Indian food in all metros in the South.

dost,

You got the phonetics wrong. I am not as gifted as Farzana...but here`s my take....`` Kapi, Kapee, KaaaPeee.....`` is more like how they sound!