Twenty- five Seven

MUMBAI: MELTING POT OF MIGRANTS

May 21, 2019

History in its broadest aspect is a record of man’s migrations from one environment to another.

Ellsworth Huntington
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/migration

Why do people migrate?

Like most of Mumbai’s citizens, I am a migrant. I first came to Mumbai when my father was posted here and have been here since. After 38 years at the same address, it has now become my home and I can call myself a Mumbaikar. But the rest of my family are Mumbaikars by birth.

Many years ago when Anna Shetty was applying to Medical College, she had to produce a Migration Certificate. I had never heard of this document and have never heard of it since. But at that time I remember we had to engage a lawyer and produce a migration certificate.

Mr. Sodder ( yes, that was his name) asked my husband to renounce his ‘citizenship’ of another state and acknowledge his residence in Mumbai. Now Sodder couldn’t believe that Hubby Dear was born in Mumbai . He insisted that he have a ‘native place’ somewhere in India. That’s when I realised that even the law recognises every Mumbaikar as a migrant.

So why did my dhobi migrate from his gaon in UP? Very obviously the answer was for better job prospects. In fact this is the reason why most of the rural population migrates to the city.

But on the other hand, there is a reverse migration too where urban denizens are seeking quieter pastures in idyllic surroundings like fellow blogger Kalpana Manivannan who quit her job as a teacher to pursue a more sustainable lifestyle as an Urban Farmer. Read her fascinating story here

Migration Museum: Answering the question

On Saturday June 8, Godrej India Culture Lab is hosting a DAY LONG event: MIGRATION MUSEUM.

Migration Museum attempts to enquire into migration in contemporary India through conversations, films and art. It is an exploration of identity and how our histories are not just concerned with time but also the geographies we’ve shaped and inhabited.

It promises to be an interesting event with a film screening, poetry reading, art installations. Professor Chinmay Tumbe (currently a faculty member at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad ) will hold a master class that will trace and historicise India’s migratory patterns.

And there are many other more interesting features such as food of migrants. Reena Kallat will have installations as book cover prints where she had created a woven map by tracing the routes of contract workers, indentured labour, asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants.

That should be interesting isn’t it?

So if you have the inclination, do head towards Vikhroli to find out for yourself at the Godrej India Culture Lab .

Ciao
Kejriwal and Eggs ?

May 19, 2019

Finally Eggs Kejriwal

What is Eggs Kejriwal?

Last December I met up with some of my Blogger friends at a Mumbai Club. We were meeting at an awkward time – not quite breakfast and not yet lunch. Besides, the girls being poor eaters, preferred to have a cup of coffee or at best, an egg or two.

Looking at the menu, they were intrigued by the “Eggs Kejriwal’ on the menu. What is Eggs Kejriwal, they asked.

To be honest, that was my first reaction too. Kejriwals are known to be vegetarian and having an egg named after a Kejriwal seems a bit incongruous.

[bctt tweet=”But in most Mumbai Clubs, Eggs Kejriwal is a popular item on the breakfast menu.” username=”viaunishta”]

A hangover from the days of the Raj, Mumbai’s Clubs have a charm of their own. They have a laid back air about them. With their big open verandahs, uniformed waiters and sometimes stuck up Hall Porters/ Concierge/ Reception staff they have their own unique culture. Some of them have brass bells with which to summon wait staff while others have planter’s chairs to relax in. What all these clubs have in common is a cuisine that unique – almost what you’d get at home but not quite. The Club, therefore, is a great place to grab a bite when you don’t feel like cooking at home without making a hole in your pocket.

How did the Kejriwal come about?

The first time I heard the name was in the Willingdon Club. I was told that this egg got its name from a Mr. Kejriwal who couldn’t eat eggs at home ( I KNEW they were vegetarian) and thus came to the club every day to have his fill of egg.

But he didn’t like the bland British variety that was dished out by the clubs and insisted on having a spicy Indian fried egg that pleased his Indian palate.

On the face of it, this seems a likely story. The only problem is that I’d heard this story in the Royal Bombay Yacht Club, the CCI, The Wodehouse Gymkhana and at the Bombay Gym!

This can only mean:

a) Mr. Kejriwal was a member of all these Mumbai Clubs

b) There was no Mr. Kejriwal but just a cook who cooked up a fanciful name

c) This is just one of those apocryphal yarns that are woven into a city’s lore.

The Kejriwal

But fanciful or not, this dish is divine.

It consists of a fried egg with a crisp underside draped over a fat slice of buttered toast. With bits of tomato, finely chopped onion, a sprinkling of green chilli and coriander peeping out from the generous helping of melting cheese, could it possibly be anything else?

I can quite understand why Mr. Kejriwal had to have it every day! And I’m sure if you have it, you’d agree too!

It is perfect to wake up to on a wet monsoon morning or on a lazy Sunday.

So if you haven’t had Eggs Kejriwal do grab one somewhere, or better still, make it at home. I use Amul’s regular cheese which melts perfectly on the top but I presume other cheeses will do too!

Do let me know in the comments below if you are tempted to try it out.

Ciao
Rub your tummy away.

May 17, 2019

Can you rub your tummy away?

I always had a flat stomach. Yes, my butt is big, my arms are flabby and my basic shape is round. But, my stomach has always been flat.

Till I touched the golden age of 50. That’s when I realised that my stomach too was getting round – just like the rest of my body.

This didn’t really bother me as I hardly see my stomach. I don’t wear a bikini as I hardly ever swim these days. In any case, I never wore one. My sari blouses don’t fit after the first wash so I hardly ever wear my saris. And since my shirts flow down my hips, my stomach is neatly covered.

So all was well till Sunday last when Anna Shetty gifted me a blood test for Mother’s Day.

“Enough”, she said when she saw the report. “This will have to go” pinching my Muffin top which is one handle I don’t love.

I had to do something drastic to lose that tummy fat and improve those numbers. But with more weight to deal with, I had to find a simpler way of stimulating my metabolism. I suddenly remembered one technique that I’d read about: the Chinese Tummy Rub

Dr. Chang’s Tummy Rubbing Technique

After years of stomach crunching, power walking and pure starving, it seems that the answer to my problem lies literally in my hands. If Dr. Chang is to be believed, all it requires is 4 minutes every day and voilà your stomach is flat.

Image via Wikipedia

Hard as it sounds to believe, it may well be possible because body fat is a function of your metabolism. So it worth a try, isn’t it?

What to do

According to Dr. Chang, exercises like stomach crunches only strengthen the core. They don’t really melt away the fat. So while you crunch away, you may improve your muscle tone ( and possibly ruin your lower back). But what you really need to do is

increase the efficiency of your digestion.

And for this, you need to practice the tummy rub. By gently massaging your tummy gently. Twice a day for just up to two minutes each time.

This gentle tummy rub stimulates your digestive system and helps in the elimination of toxic waste by flushing them out through blood, sweat, urine, and faeces.

Here’s what you do :

1) Lie flat on your back on your bed or on the floor. Make sure your abdominal area is bare.

2) Warm up your hands by rubbing your hands together vigorously for about 15 seconds.

3) with your warmed up hands, begin the abdominal rub by placing one hand on your belly button rubbing in small circles. Gradually increasing the size of the circle. Rub in one direction and with gentle pressure only at a slow even pace.

4) Focus on building up the heat in and around your stomach. Do about 40-50 circles. This should take you two minutes.

Note : Ensure that the abdominal area is kept warm. In the winter months, you could cover yourself with a light sheet while you do the exercise underneath.

Dr. Chang recommends this routine is done twice a day for two minutes each time. It should be done just as you wake up and just before you go to bed.

Additional benefits of the Tummy rub

The ancient Indian tradition laid great emphasis on food and the digestive system. Yoga prescribes several exercises ( asanas) to improve digestion and promote better health.

So it is not surprising that the ancient Chinese also believed in this mantra.

Massaging the tummy also has other benefits

♥ stimulates abdominal organs

♥ helps relieve constipation

♥ increases blood circulation in the abdominal area

♥ relieves indigestion and discomfort caused by overeating.

A word of caution: I am not a doctor. So please consult your doctor before you try this. And I must admit that I have been an irregular practitioner of this regime. Hence the increasing spread. But on the days that I do find time to rub my tummy, I do feel more energetic.

Ciao