Just Walking Around

NCPA & A Memorable Family Night Out

I was checking out Book My show for watching the latest movie releases and there were the obvious choices Dear Zindagi , Kahaani 2 , Befikre … but none of the options were good enough for a family viewing in which there are kids aged 3 & 9. While checking out the events listings , I stumbled upon “Carry On Entertainment” –A Puppet Theater –Performance by the world famous Puppeteer & Ventriloquist Ramdas Padhye & his family to be held at Experimental Theater NCPA , Nariman Point. Old memories were triggered of having fun at the Marathi play put up by Ramdas Padhye with his effervescent puppets. Booked 4 tickets to this show so Netra & Bhakti could enjoy the same experience that I had experienced nearly 3 decades back.

That Sunday evening we drove across town to the city side as it is called, enjoying the evening visuals of the maxim city . The busy as bee area of Labaug – Parel now fallen silent due to the textile mills giving way to tall sky scrapers ,and over the teeming Crawford Market where you can shop from pins to glass crockery , bags to furnishing , children’s toys to ladies accessories anything that you want to shop for can be got here at great bargains. Then passing over the JJ Flyover one of the longest bridges winding over the area famous for the land mark Phool Galli Raza Jama Masjid brightly lit for the upcoming Eid –E Milad ul Nabbi and passing the non veggies delight Hotel Shalimar  and ending at CST or Victoria Terminus as it was called.. The evening light falling on the iconic buildings of VT Station and the Bombay Municipal Corporation and finally reaching National Center for Performing Arts (NCPA) at lands end at Nariman Point.

The NCPA itself is a sprawling complex having 4 theaters and managed by a trust with enthusiastic members who want to promote Arts and Culture through the various show presented here. The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, is India's premier cultural institution. Inaugurated in 1969, it was the first multi-venue, multi-genre cultural centre in South Asia. The NCPA is committed to preserving and promoting the India's rich and vibrant artistic heritage in the fields of music, dance, theatre, film, literature and photography, as well as presenting new and innovative work by Indian and international artists from a diverse range of genres including drama, contemporary dance, orchestral concerts, opera, jazz and chamber music. Today, the NCPA hosts more than 700 events each year, making it India’s largest and most holistic performing arts centre.

The NCPA was the brainchild of JRD Tata and Dr. Jamshed Bhabha, two visionaries who saw India's need for an all-encompassing world-class performing arts centre. Luminaries from various fields have contributed towards lending the NCPA the iconic status it now enjoys, with such artists as Satyajit Ray and Yehudi Menuhin as its earliest mentors. Built on land reclaimed from the sea, the NCPA campus houses five theatres (including the innovative Tata Theatre, designed by the postmodernist American architect Philip Johnson), as well as galleries, libraries, restaurants, and numerous reception spaces. Boasting the best-appointed auditoriums in India in terms of equipment and expertise, the NCPA frequently attracts major events from overseas and is ideally suited to host large productions, including fully-staged operas and ballets.

We entered the Experimental Theatre one of the smaller venues inside the complex which also hosts 4 other venues The Godrej Theater , Jamshed Bhaba Theater , Tata Theater , & the Little  Theater.

The show started with a  gala song setting the tone “Carry On Entertainment” . The show was Hosted by Aparna Padhye the wife and professional companion of the great puppeteer himself. The show was special as it was the Centenary Celebration of the most famous puppet – Ardhawat Rao or Gappi das or Mr.Crazy as he is lovingly called. To start with we were introduced to the art of puppetry by mesmerizing us with nothing but a glove puppet and act with 2 gloves one white and one black and a face of a sweet kitten. The act itself was enthralling and loved by everybody in the audience. And to let you know in the audience was sitting the Marathi & Hindi Theatre thespian Vijaya Mehta enjoying and laughing all the way. This 3 minute act was followed by introduction to various forms of puppets , the  string puppets or The Marionette , puppets controlled by strings hooked up to a T-Square. This followed by a beautiful presentation by Satyajit Padhye , Ramdas Padhye’s talented son and the future of this family troop. The act was visually appealing and mind blowing . A Huge round of applause went into the air when it ended. The show carried on with Satyajit bringing on the now famous “Chotu Singh” the street smart and boisterous puppet know for his wit and sarcasm brought alive by his masters voice. 

The audience and especially the little children cheering on in between the act. There was a small Audio – Video presentation on Yeshwant  Keshav Padhye or simply YK as he was known. Ramdas Padhye’s father and the person who started it all. The pioneer of Indian Puppetry & Ventriloquism. It charted the life of YK Padhye his journey as Maharashtrian Magician and how he got inspired by puppetry and ventriloquism the art of throwing voice and making the puppets come alive. He got his 1^st puppets special made to order from  London and performed with these puppets a family of 4 – Ardhwat Rao , his wife Avada bai and 2 sons Shamu & Gampu during 1930’s . The people who watched the shows were amused and mesmerized by his acts of ventriloquism. The puppet Ardhwat rao was brought in the Indian house hold by Ramdas Padhye who carried on the legacy. He and his wife Aprana made numerous shows with this famous family of puppets on Doordarshan the government promoted Television Channel. The shows were very popular with kids and elders alike in the late 1980’s . After their AV presentation the puppet of Ardhwat Rao was once again brought to life with fun , witty jokes and sarcasm before our eyes right there on stage. Bringing back old memories . I looked at my kids and both Netra and little Bhakti were totally lost in this dream world , laughing cheering and having a gala time .

The final act was called dream world a song and dance performance by the entire family of the Padhye’s their backstage crew and off course the every smiling and fun filled puppets .

All through the show there was this old Parsi lady who must have been in her 70’s,  sitting besides me and engaging me in short talk , cheering the show and having fun . As she was alone she asked me if we could drop her some where close to Churchgate as she had to go to her home in Kemps corner. She looked familiar but I couldn’t put a finger on who she was. After the show she gave away her name “ Meher Moos” , and it struck me , She was the Meher Moos the famous Social Celebrity , Globe trotter and Travel Enthusiast . The only woman to have travelled across 180 countries , she’s been to countries including Iceland, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Myanmar. Exotic locations in Tunisia, Jordan, Brunei, North Korea, Micronesia, Mozambique and Malawi are all on her list.  The travelling bug caught on when she started her carrier as an Air Hostess with Air India taking her to different countries in her professional life . And even after retirement after becoming the DGM at Air India , she continued her travel till date. Hats off to this sweet old lady with a twinkle in her I when she asked me to Google her name in the lobby of NCPA.

We dropped her off at the corner of “ Pizza By the Bay” –the famous Italian Cuisine Restaurant right opposite The Ambassador and positioned at the corner and sparkling view of the Marine Drive. The restaurant was earlier known as Jazz By The Bay and hosted Jazz and Blues band on weekends till some time back. They still have live music sometimes on special occasions. The food here is authentic Italian with Pasta’s , Spaghetti , Pizza’s The striking art deco inspired interiors create an extremely stylish and vibrant family dining experience. During lunchtime, its famous soup, salad and sandwich buffet remains a big favorite, while the newly introduced healthy breakfast served outdoors, overlooking the sea makes Pizza By The Bay the talk of the town . You can try their mouth watering Starters like Bruschetta – freshly baked bread topped up with garlic butter finely chopped garlic & parsley , Or Bruschetta Al Pomodora Plum Tomato, Red Onion, Basil In Evoo And Baisamic Reduction. Or the tasty Ravioli Di Formaggio- Golden Fried Pockets Stuffed With Cheese and others like Paprika Patatoes , Jalepeno cheese poppers etc. For the main course you can select from the wide variety of Pizza’s like Plain Cheese pizza , Pizza Primavera (with black olive , mushrooms and zucchini ) or the more exotic like Chicago Supreme , Mexican Ole or the Meat Lovers Pizza .

If you are not that hungry you can try their light on the stomach Pasta’s like the Alfredo in white sauce and a little cheesey or the Sarentinno in tomato sauce base lightly spicy and stuffed with chopped egg plant , zucchini and topped up with grilled chicken pieces.

Enjoyed the view , a hearty meal and had a fun filled conversation with the family which both me & the missus hardly get time for . And before we left for home Kashmira literally pulled us to a small ice cream parlour going by the name of “ K Rustom and Co” next doors to the Tanishq showroom and in the building encompassing the Brabourne Stadium. This small shop sells the best ever Ice Cream Sandwiches, in flovours like Strawberry , Chocolate & roasted almonds , Choco Walnut , Tutti Fruity , Mango , Sitaphal and even Pan. These heavenly creations are nothing but small slabs of ice cream placed between crispy orange colored thin wafers and served in paper napkins. You eat it right there on the footpath across the shop and at any given time you are sure to find a small crowd of 20 – 30 people flooding its counters. What way to end this memorable night .

We went back home with warm hearts and great memories and to last us a life time.

Happy Weekends …

Happy Reading …