Mumbai Masala: 'Best MLA' For A Reason

Amin Patel, the MLA from Mumbadevi, is the most dedicated legislator in Mumbai. No wonder he has been bagging the ‘Best MLA’ award conferred by the Praja Foundation, an NGO with high credentials helmed by Nitai Mehta, son of late social activist Madhu Mehta. Patel recently went to Coimbatore where he drank bottled water which resulted in heavy food poisoning. He was rushed to Mumbai. He got up recently from his bed to go to the washroom at home, felt dizzy and fell down. He had a leg fracture. Despite that he attended every day of the recent budget session with one leg in braces. The Vidhan Bhavan does not have a ramp. So he had to hold the railing and jump over the steps to reach the lobby. The place does not have a stretcher or wheelchair. So Patel had to borrow a wheelchair. He did not drink water since that would mean going to the toilet and the grand building does not have a single handicapped-friendly loo! Don’t the laws apply to the building where laws are made?

Bulldozer Culture Comes To Mumbai

The bulldozer culture popularised by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is entering the city. What else explains the bulldozing of Vice Global Tapas Bar in Juhu? It is true that Mihir Shah, the man behind the horrific accident at Worli, was served liquor at this bar even though he was underage. Penalise the bar owner by all means. But pray why shut down the place?

The bar owner had indeed done illegal constructions. Pull ‘em down mercilessly. But why shut down the business? And what was the BMC doing when the illegal construction was going on? The BMC’s Building and Factory Department is one of the most corrupt part of the civic body. Engineers shell out lakhs of rupees to netas to get posted in this department. In fact, corruption in the BMC is peaking. Few things get done without greasing some officials’ palms. The civic body is now headed by an honest commissioner, Bhushan Gagrani. Hope he cracks the whip on the corrupt.

A Touching Gesture

A little bird tells us that Dhirubhai Ambani was overwhelmed by the support he got from TMA (Tonse Madhav Anant) Pai of Syndicate Bank, and then by his nephew TA (T Anant), who encouraged him to start the manufacture of synthetic yarn. Dhirubhai never looked back after that. The grateful industrialist then got Mukesh to name his son Anant. A touching gesture indeed!

Music To The Ears

Nice to know that ‘apro’ Zubin Mehta will be performing in the city next month. His arrival is understandably a big event in western classical circles. People flock to the city from all over to watch him perform. The belief is that he puts in that little extra while performing in Mumbai because that is where he was born and that’s where his late father Mehli Mehta laid the foundation of western classic music. Zubin is 88 years old but he still conducts his orchestra with the same verve as before. I vividly remember his first performance at the Shanmukhananda Hall ages ago. I had a pass but couldn’t make it because it was raining cats and dogs and all the possible animals in the zoo. So I went to a country liquor bar in Colaba owned by a Parsi where the live telecast was being shown on a black and white television. Never knew that Mozart went so well with ‘mosambi’. Hic!

Tailpiece

Within minutes of the attempt on the life of Donald Trump, this PJ went viral on social media: “How did Trump escape assassination? Simple: His security guys yelled: Donald, duck!’”

Compiled by S Balakrishnan

Published on: Monday, July 15, 2024, 09:26 AM IST