A City that never sleeps..!!

It’s a Crowded, Populated, Polluted, Noisy, Chaotic, Rich, Lively, Always-in-the-news City…

Creuset de cultures or melting pot of cultures as it is rightly called.

It’s a mix of cultures, languages, religions & castes, ideas and thoughts. It is an epitome of unity in diversity.

A city that may not boast of a state-of-the-art infrastructure unlike the other mega cities in the European or American Continent. But it for sure basks in the glory of a historic past that is seen through some of the magnificent architecture.

Welcome to Mumbai – a place where all differences converge, where cultures blend and religions unite to create one identity – Mumbaikar.. An identity that symbolizes versatility and speed. Every man in the city is different but the Mumbaikar in him is the same.

Bombay now Mumbai has a splendid history, a beautiful past that accompanies its present to build up a promising tomorrow. It encompasses all the diversities to impart one unified identity.

I sometimes wonder why is it called a city that never sleeps. You should take a CST bound train from Kalyan in the rush peak hours of a Monday morning. People jump into the train before it has halted to get in the window seats or rather sometimes even just a seat. Once you have positioned yourself, take out your newspaper. Mumbaikars can teach you how to fold a big newspaper into a small packet size. They read some headlines and gradually they feel sleepy and doze off. You are lucky even if you get for yourself a place to stand in the overcrowded train. People are hanging out of the train, some are sitting on the top. Some sleepy commuters are not bothered by the rush and the push. They catch up their forty winks no matter how much ever uncomfortable it is. There you see a city that sleeps on the next fellow commuter’s shoulders.

A local train travel is the most important lesson that each aspiring Mumbaikar has to learn. Travelling teaches you so many things. You know people, you build relations, you fight for a seat, you play cards, you sell your stuff, you like somebody and you don’t want to miss the train or else you will miss her out . ;)
You spend maybe an hour or two of your life everyday , observing people, learning new things, new trends in clothing, you end up forgetting your newspaper but you can still manage to glance through a local paper headlines from the fellow passenger reading it next to you. You can come across how abusive men can get and how women can fight like cats & dogs. What is the In-thing in college or what is the new corporate hair-do like.

The train commute is just one aspect. Running parallel as the lifeline of Mumbai is the BEST road transport service which may not be at its BEST always. But it compliments your travel when the train drops you off at the CST station and you take the bus to reach Nariman Point. It completes the learning phase in Mumbaikar’s life. It tests your patience. How long can you wait – at the bus stop for the bus of for your stop when you are in the bus but stuck in heavy traffic or maybe when your bus breaks down on the highway or a link road and a flock of around 50-70 people fight for an auto or a taxi.

Aptly titled as the Maximum City by Suketu Mehta, it is a city that lives in its extremes. Be it wealth or fame, work or game.
Everything is fair in love, war and Mumbai.

The city has been a host to a spectrum of people. It has sheltered many rags to riches stories of industrialists- Dhirubhai Ambani , the Bollywood Celebs who now glorify the Indian celluloid- Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar who is the Face of Interntional Cricket or Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar who established the Indian Mafia or Babasaheb Ambedkar who went on to frame the Indian Constitution .

As perfectly said by James Shirley in Death the Leveller –
"There is no armour against Fate;
Death lays his icy hand on kings:
Sceptre and Crown
Must tumble down,
And in the dust be equal made
With the poor crooked scythe and spade."

Mumbai – the city is the leveller. A city that treats everybody equal be it rich or poor, good or evil.
You want to have a breath taking view of the Queen’s Necklace – the Marine Drive. Great. Head to “AER” restaurant on the 34th Floor of Four Seasons. As you take a turn from the main road, you enter a creepy crambled narrow road that heads to the Hotel. Slums run parallel on both the sides. You get a feeling of disgust & “ Oh mya god, where am I going ??”. But that how it is. When you hand over you car keys for the valet parking, you should have a look at the repercussions of unemployment and poverty on the city. You can then elevate yourself to the 34th Floor which overlooks the slums below..

What a paradox !!!!

In the early 80s it has bustled with activites through some of its silent sleepy slum areas of Dongri. The city has seen an emerging business of drug trafficking, flesh tarde, the rise of Gangsters, the birth of Gangs, the gangwars, blood, violence, encounters, the terror of the locak goons who then grow up to be the henchmen of the Indian Mafia. The city has also seen the same Dark Mafia Men in their silver linings when Varadrajan Mudaliar aka Vardha had his famous Ganeshotsav sponsored by him every year, where thousands of people flocked to get darshan or be it Gangubai who ran a brothel but fought against the mafia and had her own child attend a school.

The city has seen it all.

The city has a plethora of shades to its name . It shows unity spirit when it is bombed by the terrorists. Enthusiastic spirit when it welcomes the Guest of Honor like Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.
It has staged anti-British demonstrations in the pre-independence era as also the post independence anti-corruption marches & rallies.

The city has had the worst of the worst. But nothing really can dampen its spirit. An immortal spirit that is inherent for every Mumbaikar. It runs in his blood.
Be it floods of 26th July or the Terror attacks of 26/11.
Be it the World Cup Finals of April 2011 or the Mumbai Marathon.

Lucky I am, that I have been born and brought up in this City..Nothing Like Aamchi Mumbai….!!

Seriously..

Whats really Cooking..!!!

“ He stands there by the window…. He looks a little lost in his thoughts. He stares in trance for a while. It’s raining outside. Rather pouring heavily.
Unlike anybody else who would prefer holding a cup of hot coffee, Survestor has a bottle of Kingfisher Ultra. He has a few sips and he looks down from the window of the 17th Floor of his plush suite. He can see a terrible maddening traffic near the Currey Road Flyover. Just like the bumper to bumper traffic floors below, he has a chaos of thoughts in his mind. That makes him a little lost. There are some tiny petty thoughts, some major issues, some work pressures to handle, some personal issues to tackle..
But Survestor has the perfect technique. He has a few more sips. He shrugs his shoulders, shakes his head and all the silly petty thoughts disappear. He takes a deep breath, heaves a sigh and leaves the empty glass beer bottle on the table..
He walks off gracefully from the suite, shuts the door and makes his way towards the kitchen.
That’s Survestor.. Chef Survestor… A young fair skinned tall handsome guy..exceptionally good at his communicational and culinary skills !!!
People say “The pen is mightier than the sword” but for Survestor, his chopper is his weapon, his defense, his tool. You cannot blink your eyelids as much quickly as he chops his meat on the board. He works his chopper swiftly and beautifully through the meat.
His has an impressive personality.. both work wise and personality wise. You meet him after a hectic long tiring day’s work. Surve is still fresh and enthusiastic to have a small conversation with you.
We all complain of hectic work schedules and work pressures But surprisingly Survestor hasn’t ever complained or cribbed. He has slogged a lot – as much as working without a break for 18 consecutive days. Its 18 consecutive hectic tiring long days and nights. Still he sports a smile when you greet him on the morning of the 19th day. That’s Survestor. !!!
He knows his job, the expectations from it . And he leaves no stone unturned when fulfilling his commitments. He honors each word of his, lives up to each commitment of his and fulfils each promise that he makes. A rational realistic thought process is what Survestor exemplifies.
He has a funny bone though.. He keeps humour as a key to win situations and that’s what makes his stand out from the rest. Hailing from a family of simple living and high thinking, he carries himself so well.
He blends his creativity ,his thoughts into his work and brings out the most efficient in him, the best in him. Originality with a tinge of cultures is what you can sense when he serves you his own preparations. Smart guy that he is, he has a keen eye for sports, for social stuff. Some of the most interesting memories of Survestor trace him back to the memory lanes of Manipal, where he spent 4 years of his life, understanding cuisines, recognising the magic of flavours,experimenting on food, getting a little sloshed sometimes, nurturing a little doggie on the campus,



hanging out, participating in sports. You name and you have him in there. He is a true foodie. And the fact that he enjoys to treat his taste buds the delicacies of Rogun Josh and Prawns Thai Curry at a suburban five star to the “Anda bhurji” at the local stall near his house.. He enjoys food. .

For him, each preparation is equally important. It has to be perfect- correct ingredients, perfect proportions, right flavours finished with an excellent seasoning and a complimenting presentation.
So be it a routine order at the restaurant or the food delicacies to be served at the Basel Watch exhibition or the CM’s daughter’s wedding. For him, every client is equal and so is the quality of service and food.
His passion for cooking is not limited to the ingredients and the recipe. He goes behind the scenes, understands why any such ingredients used, he tries to figure out what people want, what they enjoy. He talks to people, to know more…to know what exactly should go into the food to make it click and to make it appealing and finger licking good. “ Simplicity coupled with a constant urge to bring out the best and to keep the client satisfied for each single rupee so spent “ is what his USP is.
He is a simple common man..mango man.. truly.. His witty “ mango” ness can be seen from a small incident that occurred with him. After finishing a long hectic day, he had just parked himself on the couch that a junior rushed towards him. Survestor who was just about to close his eyes, that he interrupted. Chef Gaurav, “Thoda locha hua hai”.. udhar ek madam aayi hai, unko aam khana hai, buffet me aaj aam nahi hai..thoda issue banareli hai”.. Survestor smiled and met the lady, had a nice sweet talk, arranged for an aam for the not so aam lady and sorted it out. He has a great knack of dealing with people. He knows how to keep his clients happy and can impress them too…
The best part about him is that, he is a calm composed guy, who knows he has common sense and uses it too… That how he solves the complicated problems in life by making them so simple.

Let the problem be as petty as attendance issue in college where he scribbled his name in simple letters so that any tom,dick or harry could proxy it, OR be it a French class assignment of making a poem.. Half the class kept racking brains-“ saala English me aaj tak poem nahi banaya, French me kyaa karega”.. But Survestor was humming the song of” the then hit Swades – Ye tara wo tara” and he simply translated that –Cette Etoile-ci, C’ette Etoile La.. (Excuse me for my spell mistakes)…
Survestor is a guy who has a few dreams.. No matter how muchever tiring day he has had, each morning he wakes up to chase the dream, to live upto his own expectations and that what makes him excel in what he does.
God bless you with all that you deserve…

Lotsa love and best wishes Survestor- the true Marathi Manoos… ;)
As I conclude this blog, I am hoping to have his puranpolis this ganeshotsav…!!!!!!

PS : Hope to see you open up your own restaurant called “ Survestorzzz ..”