Twenty- five Seven

These Roads aren’t meant for running #Mumbai Marathon 2017

January 15, 2017

Mumbai’s roads are not for running

Mumbai’s roads are not for running. In fact Mumbai’s road are not for walking either.

And with horrendous traffic jams, dug up roads, pot holes and erratic drivers, murderous BEST drivers, cows, dogs , jay walkers, pedestrians and hawkers, Mumbai’s roads aren’t meant for motorists too!

So what are Mumbai’s roads meant for?

[tweetthis display_mode=”box”]It would seem that Mumbai’s roads are for the squatters and road side vendors[/tweetthis]

But, come January at least 42.195 kilometres of those roads are meant for running.

This year as always, The Standard Chartered Marathon saw many Mumbaikars come out on the streets not only to run but also to cheer on the runners. Unlike last year when we were rudely woken up from our early morning slumber by raucous cheer leaders with their drums, whistles, cheers and claps, this year the Marathon went past our road quite unobtrusively.

So when we went down to cheer there was pretty much a lack lustre crowd and some of the participants had to actually egg us on to cheer them because we were too busy wolfing down the samosas and gathias that were available at the Breakfast Station.

I wonder if like all things, the Mumbai Marathon has lost its shine for the fickle minded Mumbaikars who would rather sleep in on a cold Sunday morning in January.

I’m linking this up with #Ultimate Blog Challenge Day 16 #BlogBoost
Re-visiting the bylanes off Kala Ghoda

January 15, 2017

Kala Ghoda

Kala Ghoda has been one of my favourite places to hang around in and I can never really tire of it.

The Black Horse

For many years now , the black equestrian statue of King Edward that gave KalaGhoda its name has lain in Mumbai’s zoo. Well, it’s still languishing there but this afternoon, I was surprised to see a spanking sculpture of a Black Horse stomping its right leg in the middle of the car park at KalaGhoda.

Finally! The place has been restored to its original name and what a change with it. Ever since KalaGhoda Cafe opened up, the precinct has slowly seen a change from dowdy to chic. With many interesting eateries like the Pantry to keep company to the iconic Trishna, these by lanes off KalaGhoda are an interesting place to spend a few hours.

Sabyasachi’s visual treat

Starting out at the periphery, we stepped into Sabyasachi’s store at Ador House. Undoubtedly, its clothes are way beyond the reach of the average Jane but what a magnificent shop! As your eyes get used to the darkness, glistening chandeliers, antique clocks and the solemn faces of Indian Gods and godesses stare back at you as you step on the ancient Persian carpets. The charm and magic of the store takes you back in time amid gowns of opulent splendour. How easy it is to imagine those gorgeous creations in silk, velvet and net, embellished with zardosi, crystals and beads, worn by languorous beauties at a royal court.

The Invitations from Hacienda

This former art gallery has now been converted into a boutique selling bridal lehengas, jewellery and the occasional art work by a Jaipur artist. But the front end of the shop has the most ornate, over-the-top invitations for the Big Fat Indian Wedding. I simply love browsing through this shop with it gorgeous, luxury wares.

More horsing around

Right next to the blue synagogue, the outer wall of Manish Malhotra’s new shop has a gorgeous multicoloured horse leaping on to unattended cars. Thank you Asian Paints for bringing this yellow ochre wall to life with this gorgeous piece of funkiness.

The Great Indian Rope Trick

Right next to Filter, another shop that sells unique Mumbai Mementos, I was struck by a few pieces of in a framed shop window.

All in all, the growing number of boutiques and eateries in these bye lanes off Kala Ghoda continue to make this once dowdy and gloomy office area into a buzzing hip and happening place.

The next time you want a breather in this big bustling metropolis, wander through these tiny lanes for a bit of funky shopping.

Linking this up with #Ultimate Blog Challenge Day 15
A tale of the unraveling panel

January 13, 2017

I must admit that with my days turning into minutes and the prompts of Day 13 coming before I finish sending off the post for Day 12 , I don’t know whether I’m coming or going.

This is a typically colloquial Indian English phrase which I think is a literal translation of a phrase in one of the local languages.

Indian English is English spoken in India – it is quite different from English English and American English. That’s really the beauty of English ,a language that has the ability to morph and adapt to different locales and demographics. Thus even though all of us speak English , we don’t all speak the same English!

I’ve observed that the more things are the same , the more they are different. For instance take something like service. Now all over the world it would seem that service means to offer a facility. But all service levels aren’t the same. The more I travel the world, the more I realise how blessed I am to be living in India.

[tweetthis display_mode=”box”]Despite the poor level of education the service levels in Third World countries are often amazing[/tweetthis]

A stitch in time

This morning, for instance, I ran out of the house only to find that a seam of a panel of my top had unraveled. Logically it made sense to return home since I was only four floors down in the lift .

However, neither patience nor logic have been my forte and I decided to go ahead with my plan of picking up Wow Dinga from school .

As I came down the hill, tried to ignore the unraveling panel that was beginning to look more and more like a flap when I passed the tailor’s shop. Suddenly it struck me that I could pop inside and ask the tailor to fix it .

And that’s just what I did. I went inside and asked the tailor to run a quick seam while I waited inside the trial room. There for five minutes I watched images of myself multiplying . I was aghast at the multiple layers of fat and was trying to suck in my stomach. There was a knock on the door and my garment was handed back to me!

It was done. Five minutes and no charge!

I walked out with a smile on my face for the prompt service accorded to me .

Now is this kind of a service available anywhere in the world?

linking up with #Ultimate Blog challenge, #BlogBoost