Thane was where the legendary music composer OP Nayyar spent the last years of his life. Expelled by his family from their apartment in Churchgate because of his indiscretion, he lived with a female friend in Virar, and from there he stayed as a paying guest at the Nakhwas’ flat in Thane. Given his Thane connection, one would have thought that an evening of his music at the Kashinath Ghanekar Hall would do justice to the genius’ memory. However, the music was so loud and badly arranged as to uniformly ruin the songs. The singers like Prasan Rao and Shifa Ansari were very talented but one could not enjoy their performances because of the bad sound system. On top of it, the compere committed blunders like labelling the classic female duet ‘Kajra Mohabbatwala’ as a gawwali!! Incidentally, the auditorium, which is under the Thane Municipal Corporation, is poorly maintained.
A worker cleaning the statue, depicting a mother playing with her child, at Mahim Junction | Salman Ansari
Working Fingers To The Bone
Election is one time when your MLA applies ‘maska’ liberally. He makes himself available smilingly 24x7 and is willing to give a patient hearing to your complaints. But soon after the results are out, he does the vanishing act; for five years he is incommunicado. However, there are honourable exceptions like Atul Bhatkhalkar, the MLA from Kandivali. He is forever available to his voters and makes genuine efforts to resolve their grievances. A soft-spoken and low-profile man, he has been a long-term worker of the RSS and the BJP. He has made Kandivali almost a bastion of the BJP just the way Ram Naik did to Borivali. One can only hope that the new house which will come up on November 23 will have more MLAs like Bhatkhalkar.
Good Food, Not Mood
Rajanvir, a supply chain economist based in the Netherlands and Rashmit, an economist with an animal protection group in the US, both shared two traits - passionate love for Mexican food and the functioning anarchy called India. So they decided to do ghar-wapsi and introduce middle-class desis to authentic Mexican cuisine. So it is that they have opened outlets of Gracias Granny. The lasts one is in Chembur on 18th Rd and if the taste is any indication then the venture is sure to be a hit. The small place with AC & non-AC sections offers soft and crunchy taco, falafel, fysh tacos, fajita, satay, and frito chili quesadillas, teriyaki rice bowls, beans burrito, muchacho saad, tehina shakes et al. The service is quietly efficient and the prices are easy on your credit cards. The only jarring note is the graffiti near the wash basin which says "wash your hands you dirty animal" which is supposed to be a joke, but offends. You don't pay to be called a "dirty animal".
Tailpiece
Modi said the other day that Karnataka's liquor lobby was funding the Congress’ poll campaign in Maharashtra. Makes one wonder where Indian democracy would be without the ‘bewdas’!!
Compiled by S Balakrishnan
