Every Dussera I try to visit the temple and since the traffic in Mumbai is getting more and more impossible, I find myself going earlier and earlier. My house is very conveniently located with Mahalaxmi at one end and a quaint little private temple at the other. For many years I used to visit the  Mahalaxmi temple but ever since parking there has become impossible and the crowds even more impossible, I prefer visiting the tiny temple below the staircase in a private residential building.

So this morning I rose before the crack of dawn, showered and dressed and went to the temple. On the way back I stopped at Swati Snacks, an iconic eatery famous for its snacky street food cooked hygienically. It is also famous for its jalebis, those wonderfully twirly, swirly, crisp and crunchy deep fried pastry doused in sugar syrup that is best eaten early in the morning. I was shocked to find the pavement outside the restaurant converted into an open air kitchen with several fires burning with huge kadahis of jalebis and papdi sizzling in hot oil. In order to cope with the demand, the restaurant had opened at 5.30 and was briskly dishing out kilos and kilos of this sweet, divine breakfast dish!