The Wholesale Flower Market at Dadar

- By Deepa Krishnan

On a rainy day, the wholesale flower market in Dadar is a great place for photography enthusiasts. 

It is an indoor market, so you can walk around without worrying about getting your camera wet. Of course, you have to slosh through a messy floor, but the colours are so fantastic that it is well worth it.

The business is wholesale, and flowers are sold in bulk to wedding decorators and event managers. A lot of business is transacted over the phone (repeat customers, established relationships). But many people come to haggle and buy, especially when they need a lot of flowers. Also, small local flower-sellers in the city  come here in person to buy their daily stocks. They buy not only flowers, but also the leaves that are used as wrapping, and thread as well, to tie it all together.

From the wholesale market, these flowers then make their way to local street stalls, to be fashioned into garlands or "veni" for the hair. I clicked this photo of one flower-seller at our local market, she was stringing a garland in the traditional way using her toes to hold the thread.

Isn't this veni gorgeous?!! Makes me wish I had longer hair, just so that I could wear this!

The best time of day to go to the Dadar flower market is early in the morning, when the flowers arrive. The stocks are freshly stacked, phones are buzzing, buyers are haggling and business is brisk. By about 9:00 a.m. the day's major business almost comes to a close, although there are many shops still open until 10:00 a.m.

Chai, chai, chai...

- By Deepa Krishnan

It's raining outside, and in this kind of weather, I can't stop thinking about chai!

Hot, sweet, milky, chai. Especially from the chai-shop outside our office. This shop goes by the uninspired name of Prince Milk Center, but their chai is to die for. Maybe it's the huge amounts of sugar they add to it, or the way they keep boiling it until the milk acquires the rich, condensed smell of kheer. Who knows? All I know is, I absolutely crave it everyday. (Yaaaaaaaaargh. It's Sunday today! I have to wait until tomorrow to drink it!)

Meanwhile, as a consolation of sorts, I found a cool chai-inspired T-shirt at the Tantra website. It has a chai-wallah doing his usual rounds with a dented aluminum kettle and half a dozen cheap tea-glasses (you can click on it to see a larger image, I love the quirky illustration).

The Tantra T-shirt says:
Chai - India's National Drink
Stronger than Vodka, Healthier than Rum, Cheaper than Scotch. 

The T-shirt is prompted of course, by the Planning Commission's announcement that tea will officially be declared the national drink of India from April 2013. If the Russians and Scots and everyone else can have a national drink, so can we!  

Chaiwalla at Mangaldas Market

According to an ORG-India Tea Consumption Study, 83% of homes in India drink tea. I find this a bit hard to believe, considering how many people can't afford even food. And there is a substantial South Indian population who drink coffee. 

Anyway, according to this same study, tea is also the cheapest beverage in the world after water. Perhaps, perhaps... But not in Mumbai, where our office tea guy charges Rs 14 for a "special masala chai" and Rs 10 for a "regular" chai.  Fortunately, he offers "cutting chai" (tea served in half-glass portions), which makes his regular chai a very affordable 5-rupee addiction. 

One of the nicest things about being in the travel business is that you get to travel all over the country. This also means endless opportunities to try tea in all sorts of places. I've had fantastic chai in remote little villages, highway dhabas, mid-size towns and big cities. 

This year, the best tea I've had was at a small non-descript tea-stall in the Old City of Ahmedabad. It was early morning, and we were on a "pol" walk through several heritage neighbourhoods. Mid-way through the walk, we stopped for chai. The entire neighbourhood was quiet, and just this one stall had its burner going and tea on the boil. The owner was a glum sort of fellow, not the chatty smiling variety. But he quickly served us chai in a simple white cup-and-saucer, and in the cool morning hours, the taste was simply divine.

Post Script: After I finished writing this story, I spotted yet another chai T-shirt, this one from Tribal Route. 

 And they have a funky Bollywood-theme chai kettle, very cool, no?

If you spot any more chai-collectibles, let me know!

The students who make me proud! - Photos from the Mumbai Local tour

- By Deepa Krishnan

We launched the Mumbai Local tour about 4 years ago - you know, the one that uses local trains, buses and black-and-yellow taxis to see the city? It's been a very successful partnership with The Akanksha Foundation. Akanksha helped us find students who were looking for additional income to put themselves through college, and also to support their families. We trained these students to work as guides for this tour.

Here's one of the early press shoot photos - from a training session, for an article that appeared in the Indian Express. Behind us is the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers. It was our first photo-shoot and neither I nor the kids could stop laughing at how fake it felt. I've got a copy of Sharda Dwivedi's "Fort Walks" in my hand, and I'm pointing like a school teacher! I want to grin every time I see it! 

Later that day I clicked a more 'real' photo, of Priyanka with a tourist. The tour starts at the Gateway of India, and in this colour photo you can see how the area in front of the Gateway is all dug up. They were opening up the whole area then, making it easier for tourists to stand and photograph the Gateway. It is now very nice, they laid cobbled stones and it looks good. 

This is the first batch of students who went through the training.

This is Freni, who shared her knowledge of the city with them, and became Freni "didi" in the process :)

Some of our initial experiments with the route, using buses and trains!

The kids did amazingly well. Thanks to the fun nature of the tour, and its genuine Mumbai flavour, before we knew it, we had more bookings than we expected. And of course, we then had more students training! 

Here are some recent photos taken this year during the tour, with two Australian families:

Looks like such a fun tour, no? Try it sometime! A part of the tour proceeds goes to Akanksha Foundation,  to support the excellent work they do in the education of children. The girls who work as guides for this tour have all benefited from Akanksha programs, and they are a credit to their community and to their parents. Through the tour I am glad we are able to provide them with some additional income. More important,  I think the tour provides them with opportunities to interact with people from different countries, to gain confidence and skills, and to learn and be proud of their own city. Three of the girls now work in my office as well, so they have taken their first steps towards a career in tourism.

Here's another recent photo from an article in the Times of India - this time with a family from New York:

Because of our success in Mumbai, I thought I would do a similar tour in Delhi, and not surprisingly, that tour is doing well too! Head over to Delhi Magic and take a look! I hope these tours go from strength to strength, and that more and more students benefit from them. 

Khichiya papad chaat in Bhuleshwar

For fantastic khichiya papad chaat, head to the Khau Galli in Bhuleshwar!

The papads are roasted over a coal sigdi, and then coated with two kinds of chutney, red and green. Then it is topped with potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and of course, finally garnished liberally with sev and coriander.

It's seriously tasty, folks. As you can see from the first photo, the papads are nice and thick, so they make a great base. Unlike the usual urad dal papads, khichiya papdi is made of rice and the taste is very different. If you live in Mumbai but haven't yet tried this, you're missing something!

I've only ever seen this in Bhuleshwar, but if you live in a Gujju neighbourhood, let me know if you've spotted this. I'm told Borivali West is another good place to find masala khichiya papad? 

Visiting the Nehru Centre, Mumbai

- by Deepa Krishnan

A couple of days ago, I went to the 'Discovery of India' exhibit at the Nehru Centre. I came away loving the feel of the place! 

The Nehru Centre was conceived in 1979. So everything, from the exterior architecture to the exhibit design, has a very 80's feel to it - neither too modern, nor too old-fashioned (er, just like me?). Anyway, it took me back to my school days; and reminded me of a quieter Mumbai, with lesser traffic, fewer people, and more open spaces. 

Exterior of Nehru Centre, Worli, Mumbai 

The first thing I noticed when I went through the gate was this sculpture, nicely positioned between two trees.

"Attraction" by Paresh Maity 

“My interaction with art began in Bengal when I would stand and watch idols being prepared for the Puja,” said Paresh Maity in a recent interview with Business Standard. “That was the beginning of my inspiration.”. Inspired or otherwise, I rather enjoyed the quiet conversation of these two stone creations, focused entirely on each other :) There were several other installations nearby, but I did not have the time to go look at them.

We walked inside into a cool area, and found the cleaning staff signing off for the day.

Lazy afternoon; the cleaning staff in their blue sarees

When you enter the building, you see a large open space, with a staircase leading up (on the right). The Discovery of India exhibit is on the first floor.

Immediately to the right, before the staircase, is a model of the HMS Trincomalee, built at the Mumbai docks by the Wadia shipping family. The Trincomalee is Britain's oldest warship still afloat (after nearly 200 years)! Master shipbuilder Jamsetjee Bomanjee Wadia supervised its construction in the early 1800's. It was one of 14 ships built for the Royal navy during Wadia's life. An engraved silver nail was hammered into the keel to ensure the vessel's well-being (ha! maybe that's why it's still afloat!).

Model of the Trincomalee in the lobby 

Actually - the real reason it hasn't fallen apart is probably that unlike most ships of that time, which were built using oakwood, the Trincomalee was built using Malabar teak. It is a particularly hardy wood. And a lot of money has gone into restoring the ship, which is currently a museum exhibit in the UK. Here's a photo from the real ship, from Hartlepool (North East of England).

Beautiful teak-wood, restored lovingly. There is a Maratha figure on the busthead, acknowledging the ship's origins in Bombay. Photo from website of HMS Trincomalee

The Wadia family continued to build over a 100 ships for Britain, becoming the leading family in the development of Bombay's shipbuilding industry. I'm glad the Nehru Centre offers this tribute to them. 

Passing the ship, we walked upstairs to the Discovery of India exhibit. It is a summary of 5000 years of Indian history. And although the story is complicated, it is told exceedingly well. If you have a child, and you're just introducing him or her to India, I can't think of a better way to do it. 

The exhibit is divided into sections, starting with the prehistoric, and then going on to the Harappan civilisation, the Golden Age of the first millennium, right up to Indian independence. It is really too much to do in one day, especially if you have a child with you, but you can spread it over 2 or 3 visits, as a story-telling session. The displays are interesting and interactive, visually pleasing, stimulating all the senses. Yes, it is from the 1980's, so you don't have touch-screens and what not, but it's still very interesting. For example, at the very beginning - the very first exhibit they have is a dome covered with stars and you stand under it, and you can hear from the Rig Veda, the hymn to the Creation of the Universe. Nice, no? I certainly loved it. If you want to hear what I heard, here is a link to the Sanskrit chant and the translation as well.

Here's a photo from the last display section, during British rule, it depicts the city of Calcutta, its bazaars, people and buildings. It is a 3-dimensional exhibit with cut-outs and props: see how nicely it is done?

Calcutta's "White Town" and "Black Town", both beautifully depicted

Seriously, the most appealing thing about the Discovery of India is that someone with intelligence, creativity and a great deal of knowledge has put it together. I don't who it was, but here's a little salute to them! I went with three guests from the USA; they were going on a long trip all over India, and for them, this was a great introduction to all the things they could expect ahead of them. 

Here's wishing you happy discoveries ahead, Roger, Alan and Richard!


This article was featured in the DNA Newspaper, April 24, 2012

Another musical Sunday

- By Deepa Krishnan
I am having a magical Sunday morning, listening to this great lady sing. 

This is M S Subbulakshmi, and she is singing Swati Thirunal's famous Aliveni. Her voice brings to my mind, visions of a blue-skinned lotus-navelled Lord Vishnu. The maiden yearns for a tryst with this beautiful God, and begs her friend to go fetch him. In her anguish, she wonders - why is he late? Is he dallying with someone else? She praises her friend, showers kind words on her, and begs her to go and bring him.

In case you didn't know, Swati Thirunal Rama Varma was the ruler of the Travancore kingdom. He died in 1846 at the very young age of 33; but not before leaving behind an incredible legacy of poetry and song. How does a king manage to write like this? This is a woman's voice! Her love and longing! But he so beautifully becomes that voice...he dissolves the lines between personal and religious, creating an atmosphere of ecstatic longing for the Divine. Truly this King is no ordinary man!

Here are the words of the maiden, sung to her friend:

Oh Aliveni, lady with tresses the colour of black bees! What shall I do now? Oh Maanini - most respected lady! 

Tell me, what shall I do, the lotus eyed Sri Padmanabha has not come yet! 

Oh Komalaangi, she of the charming form! Of what use are the humming of the bees, the gentle breeze, sandal paste and the fragrant jasmine; if my beloved does not come?

Who is the blessed damsel, I wonder, enjoying the company of Sarasaksha, he who resembles Cupid! 

I keep looking for him to come by the usual path, but I cannot see, as my eyes are brimming with tears. Has my darling forgotten all the sweet words he uttered when we were together!  

Kambukanthi,  oh lady with the graceful neck like a conch! Don't delay anymore. Please tell him of my misery and bring him at once to me.

Here is the song itself, in case you want to hear it. The way MS sings it, you can sense the devotion and grace.

And of course, this song has inspired classical dancers as well. I loved this Bharatanatyam version of Aliveni by Sujatha Srinivasan; look how poetically she shows the black tresses; and how masterfully she gestures "I have an idea, let me send Him a letter!"

And there is this piece in Mohiniattam as well - different genre, same emotion! The dance begins around minute 1:30, so some patience please! 

To me this dance is very familiar because it was part of a school program (I went to a South Indian school , right?). I saw it then, and did not see the meaning, nor understand its context in the larger stream of Vaishnavism or the Bhakti Movement. But I see it today and it speaks so much more to me. Perhaps you have to be a woman, not a schoolgirl, to feel this shringara rasa! :)

Mumbai Mehfil

This Christmas we had what can only be described as a shaam-e-mehfil. Pramod invited a bunch of his work colleagues, and we sat down to an evening of song and music.

There was wine (and whisky and rum and vodka)

And food... 

And lots of laughs 

I was the only female in this group of 12 guys. But miraculously, in the entire evening, the sacred words "Sachin Tendulkar" came up only once. Amazing, no? :)

As I looked back and wondered why, I realised that the real star of the evening was the music itself. The mehfil lasted 4 hours, and we played so many "oldies-goldies" that it was quite magical. Pramod brought his harmonica and played a song for us. I don't think I even realised how time flew until someone looked at the clock and announced that it was 1 in the night. 

Here's my pick from the evening: Kahe ko roye (why cry?) from the movie Aradhana. I haven't been able to get it out of my head all day long. The absolutely stunning lyrics of the song are here, in case any of you are interested. 

Safal hogi teri....aradhana....kahe ko roye
Kahee pe hai sukh kee chhaya, kahee pe hai dukhon kaa dhoop
Bura bhala jaisa bhi hai, yahi toh hai bagiya kaa roop
Phulon se, kanto se, mali ne haar piroye
Kahe ko roye....

The Diary of Riaz Samadhan @ The Museum Art Gallery, Mumbai

- By Deepa Krishnan

I don't really follow the contemporary Indian art scene.

But the very first thing that struck me about Riaz Samadhan's current showing (The Diary of Riaz Samadhan) is his refined sensibility. As soon as I stepped into The Museum Art Gallery, I knew this artist's sense of aesthetics was something that personally appealed to me.

Painting titled "Beauty lies in wholeness".

There is a bed of dried leaves strewn on the floor of the entire gallery. The whole effect looks really good, doesn't it?

Then I took some time to really see his work, and I found myself liking it more and more. He has a perceptive sensitivity about people, about the nature of things; and he combines that with a non-sentimental, restrained but rich way of expressing it.

For example, see this one, called Perception Diptych. As soon as you see it, you sort of mentally slow down and look deeper. On the black half of the diptych, the line drawing of the house invites you to see the inner dimensions of the man. On the other half, there is a farm, trees, perhaps this is how this person views himself, perhaps it is an accurate self-perception, but perhaps it is not. Perhaps the man cannot see all of it?

Painting titled "Perception Diptych".

As you can see, there's a lot going on, but the execution is disciplined and simple. There is no overstatement. I would have liked to buy this for my house, but suspect that I cannot afford it :) :)

Here is a view of the Museum Art Gallery; you can see how Riaz has used the gallery space. The centre installation has a set of daily objects. I'm guessing that each object is a memory from Riaz's personal "Diary", things that have meaning for him. The objects are displayed on a stand; the stand is set in a bed of leaves strewn on the entire gallery floor.

Gallery view with leaves on floor

I figured that apart from the objects, the leaves themselves - the dry rustling sound and the rich woody smell - were evocative of some personal memories for Riaz, and wondered what they were. Of course, modern "good manners" forbid you from asking such personal questions, but I would have dearly liked to know!

Standing in that air-conditioned room, smelling the fragrance of the dried leaves, taking in the aesthetic appeal of the paintings...it was a short but sweet treat for the senses. Thank you, Riaz Samadhan, for sharing your Diary :)

The Paris-Bombay Chanel Show - I like the glitz!

- By Deepa Krishnan

The Indian press has been writing scathing comments about Karl Lagerfeld and his rose-tinted view of India; but really, he's produced some neat stuff for a new India-inspired Chanel show.

The show is called the Paris-Bombay Metiers d'Art (meaning Paris-Bombay Crafts and Art). And while it is a pretty good homage to Indian textile and jewellery craft; it has a modern look that gives it global appeal. Most important, a lot of it is actually wearable. Which is more than can be said for the usual nonsense that passes off as high fashion.

Take this one for example, lovely soft drape, evocative of the saree, but such a beautiful outfit. My friend Sheetal who is tall and leggy would look fantastic in this. Me, alas, I'm too short and - let's face it - too dumpy - to even dream of wearing this.

Photos from ibtimes.com; they have a great set of photos in case you want to have a look

I like the jewellery, do you? Absolutely fantastic stuff that works very well with the bejwelled collars and the Shiva-inspired dreadlocks!! :) Looks like it was crafted in India, doesn't it? It isn't. Apparently it was all fashioned in the Chanel ateliers in Paris.

Here's another totally gorgeous blue saree-inspired outfit. But really, it's that silver tribal-looking belt across the shoulder that gives it that incredible look. I wish I had a bigger photo, so you could see the ghungroo-like detail on that shoulder-belt.

The gauzy transparent fabric reminds me of the story about Emperor Aurangazeb's daughter. Apparently Aurangazeb reprimanded his daughter for appearing nearly naked in public; only to discover that she was wearing fine chanderi; a mix of cotton and silk so fine that it was almost sheer. Only after she wore seven layers of it was he satisfied. The model above has no such father to please! :)

If you want to see the show, check out the show trailer on youtube. You'll be surprised at how wearable everything is. There are lots of kameez-churidar inspired pieces and skirts wrapped like dhotis. Flat sandals (that have been so popular in Linking Road!) have also made an appearance, with lots of embellishment. There are several day-wear outfits; skirts and jackets, trousers, etc. All of them have interesting Indian accents - but it is the evening wear and bling that I really like a lot.

The stuff will be in Chanel stores in May 2012, I'm told. Not that I will ever buy anything from this line, ever. The prices are eye-wateringly high :)

Chor Bazaar again!

- By Deepa Krishnan

Among the most fun things you can do on a Sunday is go to Chor Bazaar.

I went with Walt and Mary, a couple of fun Canadians, and they were great company. In the past they owned retail stores, so they understood the pleasure of pottering around looking for great finds.

The two photos below are from a shop that does "sets" for Hindi movies. Everything is over-the-top and glitzy, and would be perfect in scenes with grand villas and sweeping staircases!

Hah! Look at that lion! I can imagine a villainous Amrish Puri standing in some haveli with tiger-skins on the wall and his hand on the lion's head while a poor peasant trembles nearby :) And the marble fountain splashes water in the background.

Should I have brought those two little marble dogs home? I certainly could not have brought the rather grand-looking lions!

Apart from the marble stuff, there are lots of old posters, old metal biscuit tins, boxes of cigarettes, and other stuff that you simply don't see these days.

Is it just me or do you love this 'Little Stuff' shop too? It's like a magnet, no? It is very tempting to bring some of it home. Last time I went, I brought three brass milk-cans home, in three sizes, to arrange in a row.

I was quite taken with this poster of a wicked-looking Pran from the 1971 movie Adhikaar. Check out the video here. Pran is "Banne Khan Bhopali", a lipstick-wearing flamboyant singer. The hero of the movie is Ashok Kumar, and the plot involves an illegimate child and lots of misunderstandings. Ah, the seventies!

I simply can't get enough of this stuff. I'm going back again another day, of course! Anyone want to come with me?