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Royal Opera House of Mumbai: A visit to remember
With greedy eyes I have often seen the Royal Opera House of Mumbai from outside and wondered how it would be like from the inside. On one summer evening, I decide to go inside. I reach the Opera House to watch the famous play ‘A Streetcar named Desire’ written by Tennessee Williams. I have booked my tickets from Book My Show and reserved a seat in the Dress Circle. The history behind the Royal Opera House The idea of constructing the Opera House was headed by Maurice Bandmann, an American who was popular in the art scene of British Calcutta and Jehangir Framji Karaka, a Parsi businessman. The Opera House,…
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Not so notorious Bhendi Bazaar
There is an exotic notoriety about Bhendi Bazaar in Mumbai, once home to the famous dons of Bombay — people like Dawood Ibrahim. In this light, the Dongri-Bhendi Bazaar area has come up in conversations many times during my previous Bombay walks. And of course, Bollywood has enforced this stereotype as well. So, when I saw the Little Iran walk organized by Khaki Tours, I couldn’t wait to sign up for it! It is March, summer is just setting in. Even in the heat and chaos, about 15 of us have gathered in a chock-a-block road headed by the leader, the Khaki expert, who has curated this walk. He sets…
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The Van Gogh 360 Experience in Mumbai
Vincent Van Gogh is a famous post-impressionist painter from Netherlands who lived a very short life from 1853 to 1890. He created many masterpieces in a short span of just 10 years. Van Gogh 360 Experience is an exhibition where the work of Vincent Van Gogh is projected on all four walls and the floor of a giant enclosure. It is called an immersive painting experience as the admirer might feel they are living inside the painting. It evokes a surreal and beautiful dimension. We had seen a photo of the exhibition for the first time on the feed of a friend who lives in New York. That is how…
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Kharghar Hills in Monsoon – Tale of two Bengalis with tummy full of Biryani on a hilltop in the lashing rain
Kharghar is a part of Navi Mumbai, India. Those in Mumbai may frown a bit when I drop the ‘Navi’ and call Kharghar just a part of Mumbai, but for everyone else, it doesn’t matter much. The Kharghar hills wear a coat of green in monsoon. A local train on harbour line from CST (ChattrapatiShivaji Terminus) station of Mumbai takes around one hour and fifteen minutes to reach Kharghar. Technically, it is a valley surrounded by hills; hills with cute heights, not the high ones. The golf course and the Central Park opposite to each other are the lungs of this suburb. The south to north running hills along the…
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Tasse de Thé – Renaissance of Tea Culture in Mumbai, India
“Tea connoisseur”. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear these two words? “It’s a British thing,” my mind talks back to me. It took me 26 years and a briefing from the son of a true tea connoisseur, to get out of the illusion. Rohak Sheth, son of Jiten Sheth, the founder of Tasse de Thé , explained to me that it was the French who started the practice of having tea as a meal. Under the regime of Queen Victoria, it was introduced in Great Britain. The men behind the brand Tasse de Thé Mr. Jiten Sheth, the owner of Tasse de Thé…
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Elephanta Caves Ferry : Voyager In The Arabian Sea
When I relocated from Kolkata to Mumbai, I brought with me luggage weighing 49.9kg. I remember the sigh of relief that me, my husband and the lady at the ticketing counter at the airport released. The joy that we didn’t cross the 50kg prepaid threshold. Yet when we decided to visit the Elephanta caves using the Elephanta caves ferry service, I had no ‘proper clothing’ with me to suit the early March Mumbai weather for an outdoor excursion which might involve a bit of hiking. I frantically searched for something and the best outfit I found fit for the occasion was my track pants and gym wear. Ofcourse the running…
