Anantashram…. Kotachi Wadi (Girgaon, Mumbai)

Anantashram…. Kotachi Wadi
It was an unassuming evening of Saturday. Kamal and myself met Maladi and Deepak da at Nehru Center, Worli. Maladi was having her solo show of Photographs in the ground floor gallery of the center.
It was Fawzan Husain, a fellow Photographer from Mumbai who suggested to go for a local food and took the next seat to me to navigate. I was on the wheel of my Ford, Mala, Deepak and Kamal managed to get in the back seat.
After about 20 minutes drive, Fawzan told me to park the car in a narrow street, quickly got down and guided me to sneak my car into a small hole between two auto-rickshaws.
We started walking down the crowded street on the footpath dug here and there by civil works dept. Just after one or two blocks, we got inside a narrow lane, where you could hardly get in a car. Walked down further, there was a small Church at the corner, and then on the left hand side, we got into a small house that in no way resembles like a restaurant.
The entry through the main door takes us to a small veranda, where four five guys were waiting eagerly guarding the further entry. Fawzan just pushed them aside making a passage for us to go inside. With all apprehension and curiosity, we got inside. It’s another small place, a lounge short of having a seating arrangement for ten people in individual table having food in Thali. Here I noticed three Firangs are busy examining their Thali placed in a small table in front.
Fawzan walked further and turned left through a door, and we were inside a small room of 10X10 feet. The walls were painted may be 20 years back, a ceiling fan that’s hanging over the head, I am sure it’s production has stopped at least fifty years back. Two forty watt electric bulbs were fighting with the darkness. Inside this room, there were nine small chairs and nine small marble slabs placed on stand presumably serves as individual table. There is a big board in the wall serving as the menu card, as well as the caution “DO NOT join the tables”.
Just in few seconds, we travelled to a place that took us back at least 50 years back. Viola!! We got a ticket to a ride in “The Time Machine”.
We took seat next to individual tables, adjusting little bit the tables to get little space, but in few seconds a man appeared in the door, clad in a dhoti and baniyan, and asked Deepak to get his table pulled back to its original place. The commanding character, I guess came directly from Hitler’s clan.
Fazwan now told us what is available in the menu; it’s mainly common sea food stuff like Crabs, Prawns and fish, some Chicken and Lamb. I tried veg food. It was daal and a sabji. The sabji tastes good and looks familiar; it was Panas (jack fruit). The food was served with rice and fulka, some chatni, aachar and the famous solkadi.
Maladi, Deepakda and Kamal, all were enjoying the Fried fish, Prawns and mutton, it was good and Maladi wanted to get some food packed. She ordered the Chicken, Mutton and I forgot what else, but in a minute she changed her mind and wanted to change the order of Chicken into Crab. But no way!! Once you placed that order, it can’t be changed and by now the Crabs are over. Soon we finished the food, that dictator appeared in the door again with face indicating us to leave, others are waiting outside.
In the mean time, Fazwan narrated the other Do’s and Don’ts of AnantAsharm. Don’t join the table. The food is served from 12 noon to 1.30, then it’s over, the dinner is from 7.30 to 9.00 and then it’s all over. If you want food to be packed for you, plastic utensils are strictly no no. Etc. etc.
Soon we were out in the lane of Kotachi Wadi, lined with small houses with typical Konkani architecture. I realized, our ride in the Time Machine is over. We are getting back to the time of the year of 2008, a Saturday evening where people are getting ready to go out for a Disco in Bandra or South Mumbai.

Time Machine....fasten your seat belt

Typing in the window of a blog site is just as simple as dialing a friend thru Skype and catch for a small chat. But how about choosing a Waterman Fountain Pen, select a cozy and comfortable chair to seat next to the polished Mahogany writing desk, sip a cup of coffee and start scribbling?
Well, even within our Techno wrapped life of emails, sms, cell phones and high speed broadband, rarely we get a chance to sneak into a piece of life that still flows with the grace of a Vintage Rolls Royce. And if you are lucky to get a chance as if you were riding a Time Machine, it’s worth sharing.
In this space, I will try to share some of those moments that gave me the thrill of getting in through a Time Machine.