'Mulund' the prince of Mumbai suburbs

 Whenever one would think about Bombay ,the common pictures of the Marine drive, local trains , Juhu chowpatty , gateway of India and Bandra would come to his or her mind first . While Bandra is known as the 'Queen of the suburbs' for its richness in nature , economic wealth , churches ,  for being a home to various celebrities and politicians and a great shopping centre with diversity , have you wondered why 'Mulund is less known but still is called the 'Prince of the Suburbs?? It is silently developing and would soon catch popularity with media coverage.
This would bring cheer to me and  make every   Mulundkar proud of being a resident here.
Mulund has everything besides the sea. It is a city by itself. It has won the T ward award for being the most environmental friendly as well as keeping the right balance in residential , commercial and health management .Also it won an award for being the most well planned suburb compared to the other congested places in Mumbai. In Mulund , every road will be surrounded by trees on both sides which will look  really like a tunnel. There are plenty of restaurants ,offices  and even skyscrappers on every nook and corner .  You will find your dreamhouse kind of luxury at 3/4 BHK appartments  in  Neelam nagar (Mulund east) , City of joy, Nirmal lifestyle ,Marathon Maxima, Lok Everest and the Runwal towers in Mulund West with clubhouses , jogging tracks, gardens , swimming pools and marriage halls. Want to have a yummy schewan kolhapuri dosa , or the street pav bhaji and of course the vada pav , do come here if Juhu or South Mumbai seems too far from your home .  It would be worth your time and money.

The Marathi speaking people , Christians , Gujrathis , the South Indians and the English speaking communities all stay here. Indian cricketer , Ajinkya Rahane stays  here at the super luxurious City of Joy appartments. Nirmal  lifestyle mall has witnessed huge number of Bollywood and other celebrities  who conducted various music shows on Christmas and New year's eve. Also the famous song 'Zara sa' starring Emraan  Hashmi was shot at this very place admist huge crowd.  .Most popular hangout which the Mulundkars will agree is the area called Cypress near Yogi hills , known as a trekking spot. It is lined up with restaurants all way . Since a huge garden is present and is near the hill side , you could just sit and enjoy the fresh air like one could do sitting along the Marine drive seaside. Then there is the Kalidas auditorium which has a huge sporting complex with a swimming stadium , badminton court, tennis court , and an indoor games centre. There are plenty of hospitals ,gardens, schools and colleges.
                       Interesting fact is that Mulund was discovered by the British in 1926 which was earlier a part of Thane . But the local Marathi speaking people  merged it with Bombay .  That's why one remembers Mulund better today because it is closest to Thane. The development of this suburb took place only because of the dedication and skill of the Maharashtrians first  . Present day Mulund station and the Paanch raasta junction was the only land that existed here then . The rest others were covered with forests. So the people of Mulund can automatically analyse how much it has developed today in a short span of time .
So, individuals like me living in Mulund have pride in residing in this independently developed suburb. For me , it is like a city in a forest because of its nature friendly setup . Or sometimes a road in Mulund would look like a film studio set with   trees beside every building with spacious backyards like the olden times castles. With this progress , it would soon be the hotspot and a trendy place for Mumbaikars in the future.

ART SHALL NEVER DIE

Before you start reading this , I want to ask you a question. When was the last time you ever drew or painted something? Tough question right. In this busy world , we are so engrossed in our work that that the creative instincts in us lie idle.  Along with cave paintings,warli paintings or canvas paintings , wall paintings are something I love .It was normal of me to draw something or the other on the walls of my house when I was a little kid. Truely , it gives a lively feeling!!!

This is Cafe Mondegar , an Iranian origin cafe, situated quite close to Cafe Leopold in Colaba, South Mumbai . It is one of the most popular and visited cafes by locals and especially foreigners. I visited this cafe on a Sunday afternoon while venturing around South Mumbai with my family . Along with the amazing food and drinks , what attracted me was the extraordinary paintings which lined up the walls all around the restaurant.  As you can see above , it is a highly expensive looking cafe but these simple drawings make the place look so simple. It looked that even a  common person can afford to dine here. The drawings depict a waiter carrying drinks , two women talking , one gentlemen proposing a lady with an engagement ring , a girl throwing water and many more. It looks as if the drawing characters are actually people who are around us . They are actual drawings made on the walls and not just picture wall hangings. It feels alive to be in this cafe.  I quickly took a pic of this and decided to post this immediately. It felt as if there was never a dull moment . More than a restaurant with chairs and tables ,anyone would feel like an art museum here .  This visit made my day brighter . Even the chairs and tables are plain wooden ones with  tablemats and a cloth spread on them like any local roadside restaurant or dhabas in hill stations or along the highways. Even though there are modern hotels and eating joints coming up , cafes like Cafe Mondegar and Leopold are still preferred by people as it gives the feel of a common person apart from being a  rich merchant. These wall paintings actually are giving a positive outlook and image of the restaurant. Even if there are profits and losses , looking at these paintings is giving a strange hope to carry on with whatever is going to come  . Any person would forget all his problems for a while after visiting this place filled with art.  It actually feels as if there are cartoons all around us .We  will feel like doing some mischief and pranks here. We shall get in a playful mood and forget being serious once we step here. It would be fun to bring your best buddies, school mates ,cousins , friends and even your partner . Once in a lifetime , being a Mumbaikar, do visit this restaurant once with your family and relive your child self!!!
                            Excuse me for the picture quality

LOVE

Love was beautiful everyone said,
I always wandered what it shared ,
until a sweet charming figure caught my eyes ;
one question popped in, 'was she the love of my life!!'

Her teeth as white as milk,
long hair swaying with the wind ,
she smiled and butterflies flew in my stomach ,
the surrounding became a paradise!!!

Rays of light flooded my mind,
on every thought of hers ,
so was she the ladyluck ;
that was in store for my life

Walking on the road ,
thinking  she was beside me ,
I talked about how beautiful life had become ;
only to realise it was mere imagination.

The piano I played  every evening ,
one of the most melodious , romantic songs ,
how I wish she was present there ,
to hear the lyrics of my love!!!

Walked into a cafe alone ;
ordered an extra coffee ,
and again , I realized ;
an imaginary date it was !!!!  

Nothing as soothening as your voice,love;
your hugs would be sweeter than dessert,
holding your hand would be a dream come true ,
  for this life would become heavenly as ever!!!
 

Life became a blessing ;
with your image in my soul ,
my heart beats an extra beat for you ,
so recognise this passion of mine,love.

for the two of us can rock the world together !!

JAPANEASE

On 7 May 2016, I was travelling with my mom and brother for a four day vacation to Udaipur city by train . We were pretty excited about the trip and were making various plans of boasting to others about the fun and grand time we would be having . Thankfully , our seat was booked in the AC coach. We caught the train at 11:25 pm from Bandra terminus .While waiting for the train , my eyes caught sight of a lady tourist who seemed to be a Korean , a Singapore national , or maybe Chinese or Japanese .  But she was alone having a handbag and two other suitcases . She too  boarded our train and by coincidence got the seat just next to us!

She was fair, extremely good looking . She wore a simple top and a frock. I was learning Japanese language at that time and tried to find out if she was a Japanese by any chance. Yes, she was . I identified that when she started watching Anime. And later she began talking on her phone in Japanese .  Gathering enough courage , I greeted her 'Konnichiwa' meaning hello in Japanese. She gave me a pleasant smile and told me 'Namaste'. Her gesture was super friendly as if she knew me well before . Her name was 'Kaori', sounds really cute  .I thought this was a great chance to experiment all that knowledge I had learnt about this language . I told her  , 'Vatashiva Nihon tsuki des' (I admire Japan a lot) .She  was very pleased hearing this this . Japanese people will love and favour ones showing interest to know about their culture , lifestyle and tradition .It shows that their nation is being given priority like the western nations. I asked her about the stay in India ,the people and her plans. She told that she left her job for a break and had come to India for a month to do sight -seeing in different places . That's some great news for us Indians that foreigners feel the need to visit India and spend their time knowing about our history and take thrills of the diversity here. That lady had visited Mumbai and was travelling to Udaipur . Later she replied that she would be travelling to Leh , Ladakh , Shimla and all the way to Nepal. And can you believe it ; she was going to do this all alone . That was the first time I was hearing a person travelling so long all by herself . She was happy with the behaviour of people in India. We kept on talking various stuff and later I started speaking with her only in Japanese . She admitted that Japanese is a tough language with many grammar rules , patterns and greetings compared to Spanish, French and others. According to her , Japanese individuals showed lot of eagerness in knowing about India . The Indian food , music , cinema , festivals were well recognised there .

It was the first time she was travelling by a long distance train in India. I reminded her of surely having Indian  tea and coffee as it is a delicacy .  And also the food , of course!!!    May it be chaat , fish curry , paneer , chinese! Only factor was that instead of chopsticks ,as per the Japanese tradition ,she would have to eat with spoon and folk here .   The train journey became worth enjoyable ! So many new ideas ,knowledge and facts  entered my brain. It was really hot that time with temperatures soaring upto 40 degrees.  Everyone's faces were getting horribly tanned . But this  Japanese woman still glowed and looked pretty. We generally take time to get adapted to a new place , new surrounding , habitat and style . This woman talked freely without any insecurity or prejudice inspite of coming to an unknown place , seeing unknown faces. It was totally a new experience for me!! I learnt many simple values from her . Interacting with a foreigner  seemed less like a stranger , more of a friend. Wish that there will be many such moments like these. A memorable journey indeed..

Positivity vs Negativity

                                   Positivity and negativity ,.these things influence us so much in our daily life that it literally happens that our emotions are channelized and influenced by these two words alone. What  exactly is positivity and negativity?? Its simple .They are just part and parcel of life and reality. Just like the climate changes every season, a person grows bigger in age during continuous period or just as food and water are essential components to   be alive , same is the case with them. Only difference is that positivity feels warm and joyful while negativity is sadness , undesired thoughts after a breakup , any tragic incident or is genuinely there in every person . But seeing others and the surrounding people , we try to please them , show that school,college ,work and family life is all going well.

                                     But deep inside there is some sort of sadness which generally remains inside you on seeing   other people happy . It looks unsocial to show irritability or signs of sadness in front of others because everyone pretend to be genuinely happy by face and expect others to be the same .  for eg  4 friends are talking about their crushes ,girlfriends and where to party tonight and the fifth one has been bullied by some rowdies and they have threatened to to use force if he fought against them . He finds it difficult to tell them openly about this issue thinking that it will spoil the jovial mood. He will want to tell one friend particularly in private. Now that he looks tensed his friends may ask him the reason for his quietness in a friendly way , lament on his unsocial personality or point out some random incidents in which he was always moody. Now if he was generously asked about his problem , he would open up his heart feeling secure. Critising would only end up in him losing interest to talk his mind and  develops irritabilty towards that person. Some feel that negative people always have negativity  as a trait in them . But why don't people realize that negativity has to be removed instead of being replaced by positivity . Will you really enjoy life if things go right always and bad things are like subjects that belonged to stone age??Today you are having crores of rupees , but who knows that in future, you can be in debt? One has to face reality however good or bitter it is. Because how much ever people try to run away from it , it is going to come one day surely as a burden . Somehow it has to come out however dirty it is then  there will be peace. People crib because they are unhappy . Any common person loves to be happy .  People judge such people  as boring too early and prefer to be with happy go lucky and cheerful people .Becoming too judgemental about others is one problem. Its better to develop oneself first .  Talking with  people for solutions  , spending time alone , pursuing hobbies , has helped me to keep moving ahead. . On the other hand , being negative all the time also puts people away.

                                        One problem in India is that beliefs , superstitions and Gods are worshipped a great deal. Realistic thinking gets overpowered thats why we get surrounded by irrational fears . Muslims can go to a church and pray to Zesus Christ irrespective of being  Muslims. A Hindu can learn namaz  even after being a Hindu. Divide is being created by we humans only by making beliefs in the name of God and religion. This  aggrevated various emotions among people . God is a divine power within us. Destiny is equal  , 10 problems are there then there are 15 happy reasons to smile too. We love and crave to be socially accepted by others . Rejection upsets and we sometiimes forget that our parents and family love us too.  Simple,You make 10 friends .2 have started becoming jealous of you . 2 guys love your friendly behaviour. 2 others are using you to get their homeworks and projects done. 2 put a toy lizard in your bag as mischief. 2 guys took you to the hospital and paid the medical expenses from an accident last night . This goes on as a cycle . You feel angry , happy, disgusted , lonely , express it . What are the use of social rules if people have to keep their emotions at bay  just to get adapted to the society? Just let out your thoughts , emotions freely and the world will become a better  place to live in  than yesterday. Wish you all a happy and safe Holi.!!!!!!

                                                           HIDIMBA MAGIC
 'Nature is the best medicine; this proverb proved to be true to me after visiting the Hadimba temple in Manali. Scrolling different photos in my mobile phone , one family pic at this spot grabbed my attention. Memories of the vacation Manali trip started invading the mind like an army . There's something special about this temple because its good vibes are still being there inside me .                  Two years back , I went to Himachal Pradesh with my family and this temple was the first place that we visited. People usually flock here with a belief  that their desires would be fulfilled. But we, as devoted souls,  planned to visit  it as a part of paying respect to the almighty . Situated on a hilly region close to snow-cladded mountains , the area around the temple looks perfectly circular in shape with pine trees , shrubs , sunflowers , bushes beautifying it like a stage which is decorated for conducting an annual function .  The temple is surrounded by a cedar forest at the foot of the Himalayas . There were horse rides , yak rides , camel rides and rabbits lined up to attract people. The fragrance itself  there gave a sweet sense of divine power.The temple is named after the Goddess Hidimba  , revered for her strength and the power to cure the worst of human pains. It was built in 1553.  Built in a small dome with a tiny statue , its vibes were were positive enough to attract people like a magnet . The area was filled with people lining up to seek the miracle of Goddess Hidimba's blessings . My ears became active to hear priests saying that people under trauma , depression , weak will power , after visiting this temple have been cured instantly . There lies a medicinal plant which is used as a homeopathic medicine by people living there which heals health problems merely by its fragrance. That's where that realization was felt that being in nature is the best cure and mind would be at peace . Many local people here believe in life after death .Visit to  Hadimba temple is as equal as a pilgrimage.  Being there gave the feel that I got another new life .  We even held rabbits in our hands for the first time ever and they were really cute . I  clicked nearly 50 photos around the temple garden and the market nearby . After that , it was  a turn to ride a camel . After the enjoyable ride , hunger started troubling us!!   Maggi noodles and tea was the speciality there . And yes , it was the tastiest food I ever had in a lifetime!!! Morever the area being on a hill top , seeing the lush green pastures , the tiny houses , the majestic carved roads through the mountains , it was a like a view from Ashoka's  kingdom or a high built castle.
When it was time to leave that place , I was not in a state of mind to leave . People usually visit amusement parks , water parks , snow points but a  temple for the first time  gave the pleasures of all these . It's peace . Peer pressure,  bullying , emotional problems gave me a hard time in dealing with life. Sometimes it felt like total darkness and I was dead to search for light . Positive thoughts would often be chained by negativity . After visiting this temple , my soul became alive again. Enjoying with friends , being smart , expressing my views assertively became my cup of tea. A transition it was from  living to being almost dead but coming up again stronger than ever . Truely a miracle!! From this visit , I have discovered  myself  and  now .prepared to crush every problem like a sword !!  Most important thing learnt was to move on in life no matter how many storms came in the way .! Thank you Hidimba Devi ! You have made my life again!!!! You all too grab this chance to feel as blessed as I m  ..

FOOD FIESTA

                                            FOOD FIESTA

In India, we are exposed to many kinds of foodstuffs from different communities and lands. May it be the famous Vada pav from Mumbai , Dhokla from  Gujarat,  Idli-dosas of Chennai , Gol gappas or Pani puri from Delhi and Kolkata ,  the mouth starts watering even while hearing about them . Eating the spicy pav bhaji and coconut water along the beach side is a bliss !!A great way to spend spend the weekend evenings with families and friends. Whenever someone in the family announces , "Lets go for dinner tonight" , I glow and smile like a kid!!! Along with food, all family members would get  to meet each other and it would be a good change and fun. Sometimes it feels having breakfast with friends or a pizza is all that is needed to make our soul happy.  Watching movies at home after switching off the lights while having popcorn along with maggi noodles and  pepsi and coke - a cool idea indeed!!!!!

Here are some interesting facts about these very popular and mouth-watering food items:
1) Samosa : 
Samosas , especially the Punjabi ones are yummy with that spicy potato filled savoury  and green chillies. Ready for a surprise? That delicious samosa you always munch on relishiously as a tea time snack is a foreign dish. The triangular potato/meat filled savoury dish that is easily found on every street corners originates from the middle -east. Originally called 'sambosa' , the Indian samosa was actually introduced to the country sometime between the 13 and 14th century by traders of the middle east. But irrespective of it , we are just happy to enjoy hogging them .

2)  Gulab jamuns: 
Surely we can sense some mouth watering sounds here !!! Very thought of these calorie filled dough balls , deep fired and then soaked is enough to send anyone to food heaven.This dish is so versatile that it can be enjoyed hot , cold, or simply at normal room temperature.It originated in the Mediterranean and Persia. Though the original form of the dessert is called luqmat  al  qadi and made of dough balls deep fried, soaked in honey syrup and sprinkled with sugar, once it reached India , the recipe was modified. How we wish it was lunch time already!!
3) Tea: 
One among the most loved and fantasy  drinks among adults is none other than tea. Famous over the world as 'Chai'  ( Starbucks has a  Chai latte on their menu ) , tea has its origins in China . While the Chinese used it has a medicinal drink , the  Britishers soon discovered it and loved its versatile nature. Now the British being British wanted to cut China 's monopoly in the tea market. So they brought the humble 'chai' to India. And it has been a part of India ever since then .!!In fact it was only in the 1950s that tea became so popular. In Japan , there are tea parties on festive occasions , ceremonies and marriages. Surely you would be wanting to have a cup of tea now for beating the chill outside.
4) Jalebi :
This delicious item is a blessing!!! Jalebi is actually from the middle east though different variations of it were found across different Asian regions. Originally called 'zalabiya ' (Arabic) or the ' zalibiya' Persian , the dish was brought to India by Persian invaders . While North India loves their thin and crispy jalebies , the South Indian version is thicker and slightly different in shape .Now , this sweet is famous all over India in its own forms.
5) Coffee : 
 How can filter coffee not be Indian ? Hmm here is the fact.  Filter coffee became popular in India pretty late , in the 1950s , around the same time when chai began becoming people 's  favourite  . Coffee became a part of our nation , after 16th century , when it was smuggled into the country by 
 Budan , on his pilgrimage to Mecca. Soon , it was cultivated . Indians would drink coffee without milk or sugar in place of liqueur!!  Are you sipping a cup of coffee while reading this??