Me and Ranjeet are doing a small campaign to plant and share saplings, free of cost to one and all in different parts of our city.

Do check out http://thesaplingproject.com/ for more details and to sign up for the saplings.

Hopefully if we manage to get more friends interested in the idea , we should be able to trigger similar endeavors in different cities all over India

Do lemme know your views/inputs .

Peace &  Breathe Easy :)

Though this year there were more Advertising floats than People’s parade floats maybe due to low prize money or the overall recession. Nevertheless the turnout and people participation in the parade was decent.

After the parade the event moves to the ground where there’s music ,dance, games, fun & Food. There no booze allowed anymore but people do manage to smuggle in.

Carnival Details:
Where: BMC Ground, Opp Rishi Complex, Holy X Rd, Borivali (w).
When: 21st & 22nd Feb 2009-02-21
What time: 6 pm Onwards
Damages: 50 bucks, if you are Eyesee Vision Customer, Pls go n collect your free ticket.

Sharing some snapshots of the Carnival Parade.

Band leading the Parade

King MOMO & Co

VOIC Float

Haathi mere Saathi

Communal Harmony Float

Still haven’t figured out how Kasab got in the float?

Anti-Leprosy Float

Old Monk Pirates

Vintage Football Club

To see all Photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bombaylives/sets/72157594283675812/

King Momo : Not the ones you eat at Tibetian joints, read this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Momo_(Carnival_character) , here in IC Colony its normally the guy who been around for a while and bit famous. ( Earlier Momo’s include Martin from Martin Driving school and Oscar from IC Medical , Louis from Louis stores (need to confirm on that)
Float : A float is a decorated platform, either built on a tempo, Rickshaw, Bullock- cart, or towed behind a moving vehicle

Earlier Carnival Posts:-
http://www.bombaylives.com/?p=825
http://www.bombaylives.com/?p=551

The Listo :-

1.     Get into a Virar train if you are going to Borivali

2.     Avoid Taxis outside Dadar & Kurla stations all are chors.

3.     Eat Bhel at Kailash Parbat

4.     Call a cop ‘Pandu’

5.     Argue with a Koli Fisherwoman

6.     Get a 11 Rupee massage at Girgaum Chowpatty

7.     Call a BEST bus driver ‘Bablia’

8.     Buy enhancement medicines from Van – Travelling Hakims who are the desi versions of the flying doctors

9.     Look smart while visiting Chor Bazaar

10.  Avoid asking the Sandwich wallah on Dalal Street for market tips

11.  Stand in front of Amitabh/shahrukh/salmaan’s house — u look stupid and its waste of time

12.  Baba Bengalis are neither Baba’s or Bengalis they are all perverts and thugs

13.  Visit sleazy Video Parlours and get caught in a raid

14.  Get excited and start jumping when someone offers you Paanch ka Dollar, it’s just a tiny 5 Rupee coin

15.  Go for a Shiv Sena rally in hope for a Free Vada Pav and Shiv Sena Banian

16.  Stare at Koli Women in Gorai and Make fun of Kolis in their Kasti

17.  While commuting don’t tease people shitting near the tracks, they throw stones back at the train

18.  Hang outside the train, Poles might hit you before the crowds will.

19.  Tease a Hijra.

20.  Bribe a Porter to grab a seat in V.T, chances are he might run off with your money and even beat you.

21.  Get conned at Fountain from Guys selling cheap Mobiles, they mesmerize and wrap soap bars.

22.  Avoid pimps behinds Mondegar & Pasta Lanes.

23.  Donate money to the Crying Cab driver, he has conned thousands.

24.  Invite Brass Polishwalas into your house

25.  Sit for more than 20 mins extra at an Irani Café, the Bawa owner might shout some sister abuses.

26.  Drink Neera at 5 pm at Dadar Station

27.  Have lassi outside Dadar Station (west), they add Tissue Paper while preparing it

28.  Throw stones at monkeys in Borivali National Park

29.  Loiter around in Shivaji Park on Dec 6th.

30.  Ask for a bargain at the Maharastrian Cloth store in Dadar.

31.  Call up 26407383 Beanbags thinking it’s an escort service.

32.  Call a Maharastrian guy Bhaiya, no matter how respectful you mean.

33.  Go to Mondegar and ask for a Jain Pav Bhaji

34.  Look straight and walk, We have open Manholes, flicked by Druggies.

35.  Wear Brown Khakis shirts, People will mistake you for BMC staff.

36.  Ask for Warranty & Guarantee from the Mallu Electronic stalls in Fountain area.

37.  Search for the Kala Ghoda in Kala Ghoda.

38.  Ask why statues in Bombay have one finger pointed like Umpires.

39.  Apply Rai ka Tel on your head and travel by public transport.

40.  Go to Chor Bazaar in your Car or Bike.

41.  Wear nice footwear to SiddiVinayak or Mahalakshmi Temple

42.  Go to Haji Ali during high tides

43.  Go to work when a Shiv Sena bandh is on.

44.  Dial 100 for fun, Cops will put your entire family behind bars and use bars.

45.  Buy water & tea for Chai-Pani, Old Monk should work.

46.  Fall asleep on the Harbour Line, Thieves will strip you of everything.

47.  Eat Missal / Ussal Pav before going to work.

48.  Board a fast train in Dadar to go to Bandra. Opposite platforms and a very horrible crowd

49.  Go for midnight mass thinking you can patao chicks

50.  give money to bhikari (he is the same guy who is @siddhivinayak on Tuesday, @mahim church wed, @mahim dargah on Thursday, and @hajiali on Friday, @mount mary on Sunday)

51.  Go to an Orchestra Bar, its nothing but the local banjo party guys in better clothes

52.  Talk to a Gujju for more than 10 mins, he will start playing garba with you

53.  Go to Versova beach, its full of shit and methi plants

54.  Join any friendship club, its like inviting blackmailers.

55.  Go to Bhagwathi hospital in Borivali

56.  Pronounce Sandhurst correctly, Sandas Rd makes more sense.

57.  Ask where is the Chinch in Chinchpokli or Chincholi

58.  Trouble naughty couples in the A/c Buses

59.  Go for morning show in sidey theatre expecting sleazy action, you might encounter  khudkushi action around you.

60.  Travel from Andheri to Ghatkopar by Bus, the bus is full of pickpockets.

61.  Travel ticketless  on Friday, If you are caught Anadi court is a big torture.

62.  Wear a Red tie or red handkerchief and stand near Gateway or Radio Club, its a gigolo symbol

63.  Give 100 bucks to a conductor and expect him to give you change, he will sadistically torment you till the last stop.

64.  Buy cheap booze in Churchgate Subway and get caught by cops for not having permits

65.  Buy Crackers from Essabhai, Crawford Market and travel in train

66.  Go to National park with your GF/Wife and take the jungle route Robbers & Adivasis might loot you.

67.  Ask for free Chakna in bars, its history since Aug 2, 2008

68.  Go to Voodoo’s on Saturday, its the only Gay bar between Istanbul and Bangkok

69.  Go to Navy Nagar and think you can buy booze for cheap.

70.  Try to play all the instruments at Furtado’s in Dhobi Talao

71.  Stand close to the platform when the Rajdhani is passing, a sonic and nuclear blast of fart, shit and farsan will hit you.

72.  Ask for extra chutney and sambhar in Udupi hotels.

73.  Visit Ganga Jamuna in Tardeo thinking its a holy place.

74.  Assume that booksellers in Fountains are dumbo’s, they know their Pulitzers and Bookers more than us.

75.  Take the driving test, paying 300 bucks makes more sense.

76.  Do a court marriage in Bandra court.

77.  Count the numbers of floors of Oberoi towers just because Amitabh did.

78.  Bet against India in a game, Australia is the safest option.

79.  Get scared and not gamble in the McDowell Derby at Mahalaksmi Race Course.

80.  Note down prices or take Photos at Alfa in Irla

81.  Buy 100 bucks Windcheaters from Churchgate, they are all the ones recycled by the Bhandiwalis

82.  Search for Tigers in Borivali National Park, It’s the other way Tigers & Panthers will find you

83.  Search the roads & gutters of Chira Bazaar & Opera House hoping to find diamonds just because the newspapers claim so.

84.  All the things mentioned are NOT to be DONE in Bombay

Do feel free to add in your inputs/ ideas/views.

]]> http://mumbai.metblogs.com/2008/12/27/84-things-not-to-do-in-bombay/feed/ 0 http://mumbai.metblogs.com/2008/12/16/100-things-to-do-in-bombay/ http://mumbai.metblogs.com/2008/12/16/100-things-to-do-in-bombay/#comments Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:07:57 +0000 satish vijaykumar http://mumbai.metblogs.com/?p=839 Uber cool list compiled by Zishaan

1. Get high on qawwali at Haji Ali
2. Spot a celebrity at Juhu PVR
3. Sit down on the steps of Asiatic Society library
4. Crane your neck to see the Bombay Stock Exchange building
5. Spot a leopard in IIT Bombay campus. If you can’t, then settle for an IITian girl
6. Enjoy a play in Prithvi Theatre
7. Enjoy the NCPA in a play or opera
8. Find some calm around the Banganga tank
9. Haggle for non-antiques in Chor Bazaar
10. Face the high tide on Worli seaface
11. Bet money on race horses at the Royal Western India Turf Club, Mahalaxmi
12. Dangle your feet, lean back on your palms and enjoy the sea from the Marine Drive promenade
13. Go for a heritage walk in the Naval Dockyard (first Sunday every month, Indian nationals only)
14. Explore the Sanjay Gandhi national park. A national park in city limits? Oh yeah!
15. Soak in the Victoria Terminus
16. Watch DDLJ at Maratha Mandir
17. Party at Hard Rock Cafe and mourn for a minute the death of mills around Parel
18. Jog on Juhu beach
19. Sit on a tetropod at Nariman Point in midnight till police constables shoo you away
20. Stand still on flyover bridger at Dadar station and watch the crowd whiz by you
21. Find out who is grittier. You or Crawford market?
22. Find the Fort wall
23. Ride the Victoria on Marine Drive. Yeah, cheesy, we know
24. Discover the city’s Jewish connection at Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue
25. Watch sunset over Aksa beach in Madh Island
26. Discover the underbelly of Bombay in Dharavi
27. Stay for a night at Taj Mahal Palace hotel. You definitely want to tick off this luxury address for the oh-I-stayed-there-for-a-while conversations, don’t you?
28. Catch the national madness of cricket in Oval Maidan
29. Read a Bombay book (Suketu Mehta’s Maximum City?) in Azaad Maidan
30. Cheer a football match at Cooperage ground
31. Bury your nose in books for hours at Strand
32. Stroll in Bombay University
33. Climb the airport wall in Kurla to gain phenomenal views of Boeings
34. Swoon at a concert in Bandra Kurla complex
35. Gaze at the Queen’s Necklace from the Hanging Gardens at dusk
36. Hunt for antique furniture (real or fake?) in Oshiwara
37. Hike up the Mazgaon Hill
38. Buy books from roadsides around Flora Fountain
39. Envy the private palaces of Malabar Hill
40. Party on a ferry in the Arabian Sea off Gateway of India
41. Take a break from the city. Vasai offers the ramparts of Bassein fort, ruins of Portugese churches and East Indian food
42. Trek in Sahayadris
43. Say hello to the fauna at Byculla zoo
44. Buy a camera from D N Road’s gray market
45. Dare the red light district of Kamatipura
46. Guess what RFID system they use to tag clothes at the Dhobi Ghat
47. Take a power nap at David Sassoon Library
48. Catch movies at art-deco cinemas: Regal (1933), Eros (1938), Metro (1938)
49. Bow your head before city’s famous deities: Mumbadevi, Mahalaxmi, Walkeshwar, Siddhivinayak, Iskcon
50. Dine where Shahrukh Khans and Ness Wadias dine: Olive, Indigo
51. Feel the sufi mysticism at dargahs of Haji Ali and Maqdoom Ali Mahimi
52. Shop at the Bandra boutiques or if they are too expensive, give Hill Road or Fashion Street a shot
53. Gape at famous residences: Shahrukh Khan’s Mannat, Amitabh Bachhan’s Jalsa
54. Discover theatre scene in the city at venues other than Prithvi and NCPA: Sophia Bhabha Hall, Breach Candy; St Andrews, Bandra W; Rangsharda Auditorium, Bandra W; Ravindra Natya Mandir Hall, Prabhadevi; Gadkari Rangayatan, Thane W; Shivaji Mandir; Bhartiya Vidhya Bhavan, Chaupaati; Tejpal Hall, Grant Road
55. Explore the Powai and Vihar lakes
56. Visit the museums: Prince of Wales, Monetary, Modern Art, Mani Bhavan
57. Admire the British era architecture in Fort: Churchgate station, Western Railway headquarters, High Court, General Post Office, Telegraph Office, Police Headquarters
58. Learn about the rock-cut architecture: Elephanta, Kanheri, Mahakali and Karla caves
59. Explore the churches: Gloria Church, Byculla, Portugese; Mt Mary Church, Bandra W, Portugese, 1640; St Michaels Church, Mahim, 1565, rebuilt 1973; St Thomas Cathedral, Flora Fountain, 1718; Wodehouse Church, Colaba, 20th century; Afghan Church, Navy Nagar, Colaba, 1858; Our Lady of Salvation Church, Dadar W, Portugese, 19th century; St John Baptist, Seepz, 1579; St Peter’s Church, Bandra, 1852, rebuilt 1938; St Andrew’s Church, Bandra, Portugese, 1575
60. Check out an art exhibition: Jehangir Art Gallery, Fort; Tao Art Gallery, Worli; Piramal Art Gallery, Nariman Point
61. Buy fish at Sassoon Docks, Cuffe Parade or Dockyard Road, Mazgaon
62. Find the forts of Bombay: Bombay Castle, Fort; Castella de Aguada, Bandra; Madh Fort, Versova; Mahim Fort, Mahim; Sion Fort, Sion; Sewri Fort, Sewri; Worli Fort, Worli
63. Buy a vintage bollywood poster in Mini Market or Lamington Road
64. Getaway to the beaches around Bombay: Alibag, Kashid, Murud, Nagaon
65. Travel to places overnight: Goa, Ajanta Ellora, Mahabaleshwar, Pune, Khandala and Lonavala
66. Discover the charm of marble tabletops, bentwood chairs and irani chai at Parsi cafes
67. Catch behind the scenes action at a Bollywood studio
68. Loft the ball for a six in your neighborhood ‘galli’ cricket but make sure you don’t break any window panes
69. Silently stare at the Towers of Silence and Agiaries
70. Shadow the dabbawalas for one full day
71. Walk through a koliwada
72. Ride a vintage lift in a 100 year old building
73. Travel in a local train. How about the Virar Fast?
74. Ride a double decker bus. Isn’t Bombay the only city where they still run them?
75. If you have made it to a penthouse in Bombay, you might as well enjoy the view
76. Drink cutting chai, eat vada pav
77. Gorge on late night sandwiches in Juhu
78. Sip some wine at an expensive seaside restaurant: Vie Lounge, Juhu; Dome, Intercontinental, Marine Drive; Aurus, Juhu; Salt Water Grill, Girgaum Chaupaati; Bayview Bar, Nariman Point
79. Figure what all the fuss is about having a beer in Mondegar or Leopold
80. Jack you car bonnet using a cold-drink bottle and eat kebabs at Bade Miyan in Taj’s back alley
81. Savour a fine authentic meal of East Indian cuisine at Anant Ashram in Kotichawadi
82. Eat a Gujrati-Marwari thali at Friends Union Joshi club in Kalbadevi
83. Smoke a hookah at roof-top restaurant Koyla in the Arab quarters of Colaba
84. Eat South Indian fare in Matunga
85. Eat pav bhaji, pani puri, bhel puri, sev puri at Girgaum Chaupaati
86. Chew a paan outside Shoppers Stop, Bandra W
87. Indulge yourself with fruity flavors of Naturals ice cream. And if it’s summer, try a cup of alfonso mangoes with malai ice cream
88. Learn out the art of ordering tea in a streetside cafe. “Ek paani kum dena.”
89. Drink Kingfisher, Cobra or Zingaro in your neighborhood look-alike bar of Nightlovers
90. Try the green chilli ice cream at Bachelorrs
91. Swing to some live music as you enjoy your continental meal at Not Just Jazz By The Bay. Do pay attention to the witty hoarding outside as you leave the place
92. Run the Bombay Marathon (Jan)
93. Enjoy the Kala Ghoda arts festival (Feb)
94. Cheer ‘Mumbai Indians’ in an IPL cricket match at Wankhede statdium (May-Jun)
95. Get drenched to the bone while biking in the monsoons (Jul-Sep)
96. Sing “Govinda aala re aala” as 40 feet high human pyramids take the prized matka (Aug-Sep)
97. Get lost in the crowds of Ganesh Chaturthi (Sep)
98. Watch thousands of pink flamingos in the mangroves at Sewri (Nov-May)
99. Eat nihari, kebabs and sweetmeats around Masjid on the eve of Eid (Ramzan)
100. Run a ‘free hug’ campaign. This is Bombay, meri jaan!

I personally think that there are 14 million reasons to be in Bombay and over a million things to do here.

Please feel free to you add your inputs in the comments sections.

But the usual fun and games are still around the same wax candle, chana, sweets, housie games, Ferris wheel, magic shows, Maut ka Kua, Aapti Bombs, Loud whistles…

Trivia :-
The original IC church was built in 1547, destroyed in 1739 by the Marathas and rebuilt in 1888.

Sharing some snapshots

Giant Wheel

Well of Death

Baloons Shoot

Sweet Stalls

Street outside IC Church

More Sweets

Apti Bombs

Lady selling Singada

Wax Offerings

Groto,IC Church

Inside IC Church

Colorful Wax Offerings

http://rapidshare.de/files/41052704/Saluting_the_Heroes__of_Nov_26.pdf.html

Sharing it with one and all so that we never ever forget our heros.

It rained heavily in Dadar the day before. For a moment I wondered if I should return home rather than negotiate the stretch from the platform to the over-bridge and beyond.

Along the road bridge that passes by the station and flooded with rainwater is a narrow lane that exits in the direction of Lower Parel. It is squeezed between two rows of flower sellers, one with their backs to the bridge, squatting with flower baskets in front, and the other operating from tiny shops opposite where flowers strung together hang from hooks in the ceilings.

One lot of passengers exit the station in the direction of Matunga, the other in the direction of Lower Parel, while the third disappear into the bustle of Dadar’s markets and beyond, maybe to Prabhadevi.

On rambling days rainwater can be fun. But on crowded weekdays flowing rainwater, after unsuccessfully seeking storm water drains, will have washed a hundred hurrying feet before washing mine, a service I would rather be spared of. Add to it rows of early morning customers bargaining over baskets of myriad colourful flowers squeezing the lane further, crowding the narrow passage so thick that I can barely see my own feet as I get nudged and pushed on my way out. I might’ve overlooked this as well if not for the mucky shade the rainwater takes in the lane littered with wasted flowers and leaves, turning the ground beneath my feet to a soggy carpet of squishy muck.

“It is Ganesh Chaturthi, the Municipal Corporation folks must be busy holidaying to turn up to clean this up,” I hear an elderly man say to another. Umbrellas are out. I hold mine firm as it is knocked around by other umbrellas held similarly.

“Fold your umbrella now,” a rotund gent chides me from behind. I realize that I’m better off folding it than fight for umbrella space in a patch of sky barely visible under the rag-tag plastic shelters that the flower vendors have rigged up outside their shops along the length of the lane, narrowing it even further.

Getting off the train I had sprinted up the incline that joins a narrow corridor connecting to a large hallway. There I bumped into a large crowd of passengers sheltering in the open space that leads to the over-bridge. Having left their homes without umbrellas they stood watching the rain pour outside. Few expected it to rain today though most would’ve known that there is no knowing when clouds would open up during Ganesh Chaturthi.

“There’s no telling until the last day (11^th) of the festival,” a fellow passenger had noted as we scrambled for cover from the rain the winds blew in through the door as the train slowed down approaching Dadar.

It was when I slowed down to pick my way through the crowd in the hallway that I saw a man holding a mike. A board seemingly materialized out of thin air in front of me. Curious passengers paused by the board to read the appeal written in hindi.

“Bihar pranth mey bhishan baad ki tabahi mey juunj rahey logon ki madad mey aapna haath aagey badaye, madad karey, madad karey”.

(Extend your hand in help to the people in the state of Bihar coping with the devastation of floods, extend help, extend help).

Behind the black board four men sat by a table with receipt books. The National Railway Mazdoor Union was organizing a collection to provide financial relief to those affected in the devastating floods the likes of which Bihar had never seen in its history. Papers are reporting over 3 million displaced by the Kosi as it breached its embankment in Nepal, changing its course to what is said to be an old course it had abandoned a century ago. Not for nothing is the Kosi known as ‘The Sorrow of Bihar’!

A member of the National Railway Worker’s Union spoke into the mike calling on people to contribute generously towards the effort. They were accepting donations of Rs. 20/-, Rs. 50/-, and Rs. 100/-.

A curious crowd gathered behind the man with the mike. After one of the four men at the table issued me a receipt for my contribution and another a flyer listing the relief efforts the Union has undertaken over the years since its inception in 1954, the man holding the mike spoke to me in chaste Marathi.

“We’re the Dadar branch of the National Railway Workers Union. At other major stations respective branches are organizing the same effort.”

Yesterday was their first day of the collection. “We’ll be holding it for five days,” he said. I could barely hear him over another announcer to the other side calling on people to donate blood. The blood donation drive has been on for several months now, unconnected with the flood relief effort. Cubicles line the wall where volunteers donate blood.

Behind the man with the mike a second board lay propped up against a support, announcing the objective of the collection drive and appealing for donations to help the flood affected.

A loudspeaker partially obscured the letters NATIONAL RAILWAY MAZDOOR UNION.

In yellow and blue chalk the following message in hindi appealed to passengers.

“Badd pidith jano ki madad karey. Bihar mein aayi bhishan badd se pidith jano ke liye madad karey. Iss satkarye mein bhag lekar unkey jaan bachaney mein aagey baddhey.”

(Help the flood affected. Help the victims of the devastating floods in Bihar. Participate in this good work and help in saving their lives.)

If you are traveling through Mumbai and were to happen upon any relief effort being organized to help the flood victims of Bihar please step up and help.

Note: In the flyer one of the members of The National Railway Mazdoor Union passed me were listed the following relief efforts the Workers Union has undertaken since its inception in 1954 –

“(1) Flood Relief in Raigad District – Rs. 1,52,000/-, (2) Flood Relief in Beed District – Rs. 50,000 in the year 1989-90, (3) Floods in Andhra Pradesh – Rs. 50,000/-, (4) To Kargil Martyrs – Rs. 1,20,000/-, (5) For rehabilitation of Latur earthquake victims – Rs. 1 lakh on 30-9-93, (6) Rehabilitation of Narmada Bachao Andolan – Rs. 10,000/- on 4-9-2001, (7) Orissa Cyclone Victims – Rs. 15 lakhs, (8) Rehabilitation of earthquake – affected of Gujrat – Rs. 15/- Lakh – 26-1-2001, (9) To help riot victims of Gujrat – Rs. 10 Lakh, (10) Assistance to Adivasi Children – Rs. 9 Lakh for Bore wells & Ambulance at Nandurbar, (11) To Tsunami Victims – Rs. 5 lakh to Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, Rs. 6 Lakh for rehabilitation of Kameshwaram Village, and (12) Towards relief & rehabilitation of 26^th July 2005 Flood Victims in Mumbai & Konkan – Rs. 50 Lakh.”

]]> http://mumbai.metblogs.com/2008/09/07/nrmu-dadar-shaka/feed/ 2 http://mumbai.metblogs.com/2008/09/03/justice/ http://mumbai.metblogs.com/2008/09/03/justice/#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:41:47 +0000 anilp http://mumbai.metblogs.com/?p=673

Hanging Out to Dry!