Friday, February 24, 2017

Just Walking Around


New Foodie Joints on the Block

Every few years the local landscape changes more so in Matunga than any other place. You can see new shops popping up , new line of business take shape , new food joints mushrooming enticing the customers to try something new. Over the years I have seen whole lot of changes in our area right from the kirana shops giving way to clothing business , hotels changing management or cuisine all together to appeal to the changing customer taste.

I still remember a Hotel going by the name of Coffee House in Matunga market just opposite the Matunga Railay station. This was the newest joint during my growing up years that was different from the typical Udpi joints crowding the space. At this restaurant you could experience a fine dine atmosphere with proper seating , glass cutlery , table napkins , set of forks spoons & knives neatly arranged on the table. The menu was exhaustive with starters , soups , salads , main course  and desserts. Even the snacks  like Sandwiches , Burgers , Frankie were more appealing to upwardly mobile crowd and not the typical idli and dosa’s. My dad would take us to this fancy restaurant to celebrate some special occasion like success in our exams or a special milestone birthday like 10th or a 13th birthday. We would sit at the decked up table and order for a Tomato soup. The soup would be served piping hot in proper soup bowls with dollop of butter on top and bread crumbs sprinkled on top. The crunchy and tangy taste would sooth your throat and fill your stomach. Next we would order for some starters followed by main course. The dinner would end with a scoop of ice cream with chocolate sauce. We would walk back home with great memories of a wonderful family time.

As I said in Matunga the food landscape changes every few years. I noticed a new joint near King Circle with an interesting name and an even interesting décor. “Café 2.0” signifying a version 2 of café, but I don’t remember a first version of this food joint. Anyways this one’s located near Gomathy Moorthy Idli –Dosa Atta Centre. It used to be a garage which would be leased out to fruit sellers during Mango season to store crates / boxes of mangoes. Now it has turned into this hip open air food joint patronized by the college crowd from Ruia, Poddar ,Khalsa and VJTI. The interior walls are painted with “Joker” that famous super villain from Batman with punch line “Why So Serious”. And that goes for the food that is served here. It’s mostly snack items like French fries served in a Cone , then there the Pizza fries or the Chipotle Fries ( fries served with Chipotle & cheese) , Or try their Chilly Cheese fries or Cheese Mayo fries which tastes great .For the spicy taste buds you have the Schezwan Cheese fries or Salsa Cheese fries. You can also try the same flavours in Wedges which a little thicker in size and softer than the fries. For a little filling snack try their wraps like Smile Wrap (crispy happy potatoes tomatoes , onion , lettuce , mayo & chilly sauce) , Popper Wrap (with Cheese poppers) or the little fancy Cheese Corn Nugget wrap. They also serve the regular burgers , Nachos and nuggets / poppers . One interesting dish which their specialty is the Twisted Potato , it’s a large potato made into a crispy screw like shape and fried to perfection. Can be eaten with Salsa or schezwan sause . All this can be downed by the thick milkshakes that they serve. Try the Belgian Chocolate shake , chocolaty and sinful. The other favorite are the Oreo milkshake , Caramel milkshake and the chocolate milkshake. Enjoy the food in this funky looking fast food spot with their funky interior designs and blue neon lights that has opened up in Matunga just a few months back and has quickly grabbed the attention of everybody.

The just near by you can grab a bite at the Rahul’s Food Court serving fast food snacks from the erstwhile Aarey Milk booth ,those white and blue wooden box like booths which distributed milk bottles and pouches early in the morning. With times changing the owners of these booths were given liberty to start additional business to add to their income. One such milk booth has now turned into Rahul’s Food Court. They serve little heavier snacks and not just fries , wedges and shakes. Here you can get variet of option from dosa to sandwiches , maggi to pasta , paninni sandwiches to pizza’s. Some of their best creations are the Paninni’s those subway type sandwiches with multigrain breads , stuffed with veggies , lettuce to give a crunch and a volume and loaded with cheese to give it taste. In pizza besides the regular Cheese , Onion and fresh Veggie you could try some new ones like the Italian Pizza with maggi & pasta topping or the Pizza Mongolian with Capsicum , Tomato and Paneer with some pungent sauce. Also a hit with the young crowd is the Square pizza with broccoli , red , yellow and green bell peppers and loaded with Mozzerella Cheese. They also serve pasta – Alfredo in white sauce or Arabitta  in red sauce. Also to cater to the Jain community all the items are available in Jain variants. The popularity of his joint can be gauged by the mingling college crowd during the day and family crowd at night on the open seating that is made available to them.

Both these small eateries have adopted new age technology to maximize their reach in the locality by tying up with food delivery specialist “Swiggy” . You can now sit back relax in your homes and order from these fast food joints and you are sure to get your Chipotle Fries in the Cone or a Paninni Sandwich still hot in its container when the Swiggy guy rings your door bell.

Another craze that has erupted in Matunga is the Belgian Waffle Co – A specialist in those sweet, yummy , crisp piece of heavenly dessert called the waffle. For the unacquainted a waffle is a dish made from leavened batter or dough that is cooked between two plates that are patterned to give a characteristic size, shape and surface impression. There are many variations based on the type of waffle iron and recipe used. Waffles are eaten throughout the world, particularly in Belgium, which has over a dozen regional varieties. Waffles may be made fresh or simply heated after having been commercially precooked and frozen

At the Belgian Waffle Co you get close to a dozen variety to satisfy your sweet tooth. If you are chocoholic you can order for their Choco Overload stuffed with creamy dark chocolate or the Dark & White Choco Fantasy with the milk chocolate filling. Bite into the crisp waffle and savour the gooey chocolate and smack your lips after each bite. For the regular eaters like you can order the Honey Butter or the Maple butter – waffles covered with Honey or the Maple syrup. Giving a sweet –salty taste. For the fruit lovers there the Bluberry Creamcheese , Strawbery Creamcheese or the Banana Salted Caramel. And for the Nutella fans they have the Naked Nutella Waffle stuffed with that crazy and addictive hazelnut cocoa spread . Little high on calories but delicious and heavenly to the last bite.

Take your pick of these new age food joint at Matunga , as they say on an airline announcement – Sit back relax and enjoy your foodie journey……..


Happy Hogging….


Friday, February 17, 2017

Just Walking Around




Mumbai – A City of Dreams

In my travels across India during my sales trips , I have had the good fortune of observing some of the major cities at close quarters. Each city has its own character, a way of life and attitude of its own. Be its cultural repertoire , its vibrant night life , safety for its inhabitants , the way it treats the outsiders who come for a living , its food quotient or the clean and secure environment it offers to citizens. You could say I am biased but I still find Mumbai with highest scores in all these indices. Being born and brought up here I have lived and breathed this city and experienced much it has to offer. Needless to say true Mumbaikar is the only living being even when he feels a lot of pride about his city, will not shy away from berating his city during a heated discussion on the lack of amenities and infrastructural bungles it faces. If in group someone says aloud that Mumbai has gone to the dogs and its infrastructure is collapsing due to administrative mis-management , a tru Mumbaikar will join the chorus and put out 10 more points on why Mumbai is losing the game as compared the other famous Global / International cities. As a tradition Mumbai has always been compared to cities like New York due to Manhattan skyline and similar space constraint or to London due to the red busses and for a matter of fact that it was directly ruled by the British for a long long time than the regional rulers like the Maratha’s , Mughals or the Nizam’s of the south. It has alsways been influenced by the British or the Portuguese who rule before them. The Mumbaikar felt let down when its storm water drains failed and it got compared to Venice , as its streets were flooded during 26/11 or was scarred when its heart was ripped out during the 1992 serial bomb blast and the riots that followed during 1993. This was much before the world got its taste of terrorism during 9/11 in New York .

Still it is a fact that the soul of Mumbai is very resilient and every time it has been  knocked down by bomb blasts or has faced the wrath of mother nature it has always stood up and taken the punches squarely on the chin , without complaining and making the whole Nation proud because of this resilient nature which is at its core. This unique nature has been ingrained in the DNA of every Mumbaikar.
Where else will you find a city which is Cosmopolitan in nature and allowing each and every one coming to this dream city and letting them be absorbed in its bosom and be treated at par . Be it the local neighbourhood sabjiwallah who has left his native some where in Bihar or UP and travelled all the way to this maxim city to earn a livelihood. Or the Lambadi families migrated from Rajashthan and earning a living working as manual laborers at construction sites Or the North eastern girls and boys working in hotels or hospitality businesses Or the well educated and hardworking Keralite women working as care givers in its many a Hospitals as nurses. This city has always given a safe and secure place to all those who want to make this city their Karmabhoomi and make it big by living out their dreams.

Another aspect of Mumbai and which is the most taken for granted and often verbally abused is the travel infrastructure built over centuries. Starting from the Railways which the British built starting from VT (Victoria Terminus and now renamed as Chatrapati Shivaji terminus ) to Thane or the highly unionized Kaali Peeli’s or Taxi’s and the Rickshaws which scurry around  like rats ,moving through most traffic snarls and then there are the BEST buses modeled on the Red Bus in London. I still remember hurrying up the stairs of the big Double Decker bus and fight our way through the crowd to catch the seat right at the front on the upper deck . Looking out and enjoying the City view. Or during monsoon days taking the bus route winding down the Marine Drive enjoying the splashing of the waves of the big pontoons. You may curse the Taxi drivers or the Auto wallah but where else will you be able to hail a cab or that odd Auto in the middle of the night or at crack of dawn on a silent street or that creepy -eerie street with just a wave of your hand . You could thank your stars that you live in a city which never sleeps and never let you go hungry even if its 4 o’clock in the morning and you want to grab a bite. You will always find some place open serving you a hot pav bhajji – Mumbais very own all time favourite fast food or that garma garam Vada pav with that spicy garlic chatni or even a yummy and lip smacking Unda Burji Pav right across a busy railway station and fill your stomach with food and your heart with that special warmth.  

Mumbai has a unique magnet –The Bollywood home of the arc lights and all that glamour and jazz that attracts people from far and wide to come here and try their luck at striking gold in the Film Industry as it is called. So you will find young boys and girls from Delhi , Himachal , Punjab trying to grab the  attention of the event promoters , ad producers , photographer to get a toe hold in the film line with a wee bit roles or ad campaigns. You will find these young crowd hanging around the Café’s in  Juhu trying desparately to catch the attention of these connect people. Though most of them have a lot to struggle before they get a meaningful break , there are stories of a certain a lad from Bhuleshwar who turned into India’s first Superstart – Rajesh Khanna or a certain Jaikishan Shrof a guju tall lanky boy staying in Teen Bati area striking gold when found by Subhash Ghai and turned into a overnight sensation of Jackie Shroff or in recent times a young kid from Delhi doing VJ jobs on Television becoming the new heartthrob “Ayuushman Khurana”.

This city has also given wings to person of business acumen and turned petrol pump atttendants to Muliti Milllion Dollar Industriallist like the one and only Dhirubhai Ambani. Or even the lad from UP but a IIT –IIM graduate going by the name of Dheeraj Gupta turn a simple Vad Pav into a franchise chain business like the McDonalds – our very own Jumbo Vada Pav. This city has nurtured talents like Sachin Tendulkar’s and now the current crop of cricketers like Abhishekh Nayar or the copy book batsmen like Ajinkya Rahane.

Though the city is congested and at times it feels claustrophobics moving around town , it still has a vibrant Arts and Cultural ethos. In South Mumbai you have the Art District around Jahangir Art Gallery and National Gallery of Modern Art just across the famous Chatrapati Shivaji Sanghrahalay or the Cities Mueseum which is host to a lot of historical artifacts. Every year during February there is the Kala Ghoda festival where there are lot of contemporary performances by musicians and artist coupled with lot of food stalls on the streets of Fort area from Jahangir Art gallery right upto The iconic Gateway of India. During the 10 days the city folks enjoy the experience of walking this art district and have fun.

This city also plays host to innumerable classical singing program like the Pandit Wamanrao Sadolikar Sangeet Samelan arranged and hosted by the famous Jaipur Atroli gharana singer and his daughter Shruti Sadolikar Katkar . This is open to music lovers and hosted at the Shanmukhanand Hall in Matunga –King Circle. This hall has been a hub of activities to promote musical and especially the classical singing talent. Many a stalwarts like Pandit Jasraj , Late Pandit Bhimsen Joshi , Pt. Shivkumar Sharma (Santoor maestro) , Pt. Amjad Ali Khan (Sarod Maestro) and Pt.Hari Prasad Chaurasia (Flute maestro) have performed and keep performing here to mesmerize the listener’s and take them on a musical journey which out of this world.

So next you are calling names to our Mumbai city and are cribbing about issues step back for a while and think how great this city has been how it has evolved over time .And why did I choose this topic , I want all my readers to exercise their franchise on Tuesday Feb 21st of voting for the Municipal Council election , which may seem very trivial but remember to vote for those who have delivered on the promises and made this city a little better place to live …..Do take part in electing the right candidates , those that can carry on the development , take care of  the special ethos or the character of the city and maintain the cultural diversity. Let this city of Mumbai always be the city of dream fulfilment, a city with never say die attitude and a city that never sleeps….


Proud to be a Mumbaikar……


Friday, February 10, 2017

Just Walking Around



Yoga –A way of Life

You get up early do all your routine in a hurried manner. Most times you skip breakfast and rush to office just to beat the traffic , just so you can reach a few minutes early and plump at your workbench. You sit there all day long in that chair , your back and neck all stiff from punching at the keyboard and multitasking with the desk phone to the ear. Sometimes it’s well past your lunchtime and you say might as well grab a sandwich and a Cola to save time and be back at the desk. You work at the computer staring at the screen like a zombie. You answer some more calls and finally end the day well past 7 or 8 o’clock. Then rush to catch that fast local or grab a UBER / OLA to head back home . Have some dinner catch up on the news if you are and plump on the bed to catch a few winks before the routine begins all over again.

Then one day you are ordered by the office management to have your Annual Comprehensive Health Check up with the partnered Pathological Lab’s like SRL Diagnostics or  Fortis Healthcare. The test are routine blood check for diabetes, cholesterol and other body part analysis like Liver , Spleen and Kidney’s. You are anxious about the test results like a school going kid and finally the Lab reports are in. You look at all the red remarks – your blood sugar is borderline on the higher side, your bad cholesterol is High and going through the roof . Some may have their Livers remarked as sluggish and needs attention. The doctor attached with the Labs prescribes total lifestyle change , puts you on a diet and you get worried , what went wrong.

But this is the new normal. You work like a dog and take all the stress that comes your way and finally end up bruised and maligned healthwise. You think of changing your lifestyle but don’t know what to do . Some of your colleagues suggest hitting the Gym. Some say they need to hit the road either jogging or speed walking . The ladies decide to do the in thing like Zumba. Then some wise guy in the office says “Why not try Yoga”

You start thinking of all the asanas (twisting your body in unimaginable positions) and the bearded man in orange robe teaching Kapalbhati on television . But Yoga is much more and beyond all this. Derived from the Sanskrit word yuj, Yoga means union of the individual consciousness or soul with the Universal Consciousness or Spirit. Yoga is a 5000-year-old Indian body of knowledge. Though many think of yoga only as a physical exercise where people twist, turn, stretch, and breathe in the most complex ways, these are actually only the most superficial aspect of this profound science of unfolding the infinite potentials of the human mind and soul. The science of Yoga imbibes the complete essence of the Way of Life.

Yoga is more than 10,000 years old. The earliest metion of the contemplative tradition is found inn the oldest surviving literature Rig Veda. It dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The Pashupati seal from the same civilization shows a figurine in yogic pose, further corroborating its prevalence in those olden times. The practice of Pranayam of the art of breathing in and breathing out , which we all have lost in todays hurried life is mentioned as a hymn in Chandogya Upanishad. Yoga was seen as a process of inner journey or ascent of consciousness.

Vratya , a grup of ascetics mentioned in the Athravaveda , emphasized on bodily postures which may have evolved into Yogasanas. Even Samhitas mention munis, sages and seers who practiced rigorous deportments to meditate or do tapasya.

Yoga is discussed in the ancient foundational Sutra of Hindu philosophy and is perhaps most elaborately mentioned in Patanjali Yogasutra. Patanjali defines yoga in his 2nd sutra as : “Yogah Citta-vrtti-nirodhaya” meaning  “Yoga is the stilling of the modifications of the mind. Patanjali’s writing also became the basis of Ashtanga Yoga. Many practices like five vows in Jainism and Yogachara of Buddhism have their root in Patanjali Yogasutra. The medieval ages saw the development of Hatha Yoga. Patanjali is considered father of Yoga and his Yoga Sutras the bible of Yoga , dedicated to the knowledge of Yoga.

The western world has adopted this physical practice of Yoga be it in the form of the regular Yoga or the extreme action Yoga a combination of kick boxing & yoga asanas. Or another variant a combination of Aerobics and Yoga exercises tuned to pump-up music.
But the best way to practice Yoga is to join your friendly neighbourhood Yoga centre. In Dadar-Matunga belt you have 2 of the oldest such centers . One is the Shri Ramtirth Yogashram at Dadar East close to the Hindu Colony . Shri Ramtirth Yogashram began its activities in 1933 , with an aim of propagating Yoga & Nature cure. Till date they conduct Yoga classes early in the morning with fine tutors experienced in Asanas , Meditation and Pranayam. Students and Patients from all over the globe have come here and availed of the teachings and treatment.

The other being The Yoga Institute in Matunga Market near the famous Shri Kankhya Parmeshwari Temple. Their founder Shri Yogendraji’s life mission was to bring yoga out of the forest , hermitages and make it accessible to the common men , women , young , old, sick , healthy , people of castes and communities in all parts of the world. To actualize his mission he and his wife Smt.Sitadevi worked tirelessly to make the science of Yoga available to people, the world over and founded The Yoga Institute in 1948.The simplicity, sincerity & non-commercial angle of The Yoga Institute caters to householders and offers guidelines of how to manage self and keep up one’s sanity as well as balance in today’s competitive & tension ridden world.

One of the beauties of the physical practice of yoga is that the poses support & sustain you no matter how old or young or fit of frail , you come to your mat. As you age , your understanding of asana becomes more sophisticated. You move from working on the external alignment & mechanics of the pose to refining the inner actions to finally just being in the asana.

So go out there , start a new life , learn to be one with the universe by way meditation , pranayama and Yoga asanas.

To quote the legendary Yoga Guru B.K Iyengar “ Live Happily and Die Majestically” , for you have this one life live it to the fullest….try Yoga and Reach your balance…




Friday, February 3, 2017

Just Walking Around



Nasik –The City of Legends

With winter setting in Mumbai and our eating habits changing with the advent of fresh vegetables and fresh fruits . All one needs to do is walk into the local market and enjoy the visual delight of green , fresh vegetable and abundance of vibrant colored fruits. This is the time when you can pick up those green juicy grapes of the big succulent black grapes from your fruit seller and devour them just like that or put them in a custard and have it as a dessert just after your dinner. But did you know where these juicy grapes come from, its Nashik.

During the early part of last year I had the good fortune to stay in this City steeped in Legends and now developing into a City of the future. The city was honored with 'India's most promising city' award by the First Smart Cities Council . Nashik was among the 20 cities in the country which were nominated for the award instituted by the First Smart Cities Council.

We were there over one weekend in February when the climate was very pleasant with cold winds blowing in the evenings. We decided to visit Sai Sansthan at Shirdi to take the blessing of Sai Baba. The fakir who gave us the moto “Sabka Malik Ek” . He is revered by all , rich –poor , big-small , Hindu-Muslim-Sikh-Christians , one and all. The main temple complex has been renovated over the years and now looks pristine in its pure white avatar. In this complex is installed the marble statute of Shri Sai Baba seated on a golden throne and flanked by the trusts priests . On special occasions like Ram Navmi there is a huge gathering from across India. Many mandals sponsor palkhi’s which are accompanied by devotees who walk along from their respective places to Shrdi , sometimes the walk take nearly 7 days. All the effort and exhaustion gets vanished into thin air once their eyes get locked on the serene moorti. Baba’s gaze and his blessing are always with his devotees. The temple  complex itself has been converted into a world class establishment with wide LED screens at regular intervals and specified places like Dwarka Mai  and Baba ki chawdi .The surrounding area is a buzz with whole lot of small business activities , from local flower vendors to the sweet meat shops selling Dharvadi pedh and brown raisins to the toy shops selling Chinese toys for children to the shops selling photos , pendants and decorative items. Though you could say that Shirdi has become more a commercial town than a temple town of yore, on the flip side it is giving a chance to all the locals who want to earn a decent livelihood . It was a great experience visiting this special place , going back to Nasik we had fond memories in our mind and were taking back the goodwill along with us.

The next day we decided to explore the Nashik town and were ably shown around by our local driver Vishal . He was one of those fellows who knows every nook and corner of his town as if the back of his hand. We went to Panchavati has significant religious attributes for Hindus with a temple complex on the bend of the Godavari river, which includes Kalaram Temple It is a pilgrimage site,with the Kumbha Mela, the largest peaceful gathering in the world – involving over 10 crore people in 2013, taking place here once every 12 years in rotation with Haridwar, Allahabad, and Ujjain.

Panchavati was the name of a section in the huge forest of  Dandakaranya where Rama with the help of his brother Lakshmana built a nice hut they could call a home in what would eventually become the crucial part of their exile in the wilderness. Panchavati literally means "a garden of five banyan trees". These trees are said to have been there during the exile of Lord Rama. There is a place called Tapovan where Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, cut off the nose of Surpanakha, the sister of Ravana, when she attempted to kill Sita. On the hillock near by are installed statues of Rama , Lakshmana and Sita , looking at them one feels their energy permeating the entire holy site.

Close by is the Ram Kund. Ramkund is a holy place for Hindus. Devotees believe that a dip in this tank will fulfil their wishes. According to the epic Ramayana, Lord Rama used to bathe in this tank during his stay in Nashik. Another place of historical importance is the Sita Gufa , said to be the spot from where Sita was kidnapped by Ravana.A narrow staircase leads to the caves. The caves house idols of Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman as well as a Shivling, said to be the one Sita worshipped. Just opposite is an establishment housing the re-enactment of Sita Apharan by Ravana and the epic fight with Jatayu in the form of a small light and sound show. A great attraction with the tourist visiting this place.

Just outside you can have the local puffed wheat which look like popcorn and tastes awesome. Or if you are a little famished try the hot wada pav sprinkled with spicy Garlic chutney. And wash it down with a tall glass of freshly crushed Sugar cane juice. The cane crushing machine is not motorized but manually operated by the person running this roadside stall. Enjoy the sweet nectar like juice on a sunny morning.
Having seen all this it was as of having travelled through time and experienced the legendary tales which were sounded out to us from generation to generation .

Next  we headed to India’s most famous Vineyard – The Sula Vineyard. They were the valley's first commercial vineyards.The Sula Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling have won countless Indian awards. The vineyards also house a resort to live in the winery and a tasting room in which people can taste different samples and varieties of wines produced at the winery. Sula Vineyards spread over 160 acres of area in Nashik. Wine tasting is the best part of the visit. They let you taste different varieties of wine. The fee for this is included in your entry fee. If you want to spend your holiday experiencing something exotic , do visit the place . Don't miss Sulafest which is full of music , wine , food, fashion which is of course everyone's favorite. Sulafest is held every year at Sula vineyards in the month February. People come in huge numbers from different places and enjoy this event.

On the day of returning back to Mumbai , it was a Sunday and we had time to kill till evening as the train time was around 5pm. So instead of snoozing in the hotel bed , we decided to explore some more of Nasik. A close family friend had recommended we visit Hotel Sanskruti on the outskirts of Nashik. We hired a local rickshaw and went there and were really overjoyed at the site. The hotel has constructed a real village “ Apla Gaon” on its precinct, with mud huts showcasing a simple village life , a well , a tiled roof , a house with an Aangan coated with cow dung. Mannequins of men sitting on cane chairs and women cooking food on the wood fired chulah. Then there are life like figures of Bara Balutedars or the 12 craftmen which every village had. The Lohar ( black smith ), the Carperter , the Cobbler , the Mason , the farmer, the fisherman etc. In between the tour you could get an Astrologer to tell you your future or enjoy a small Magic Show or go for a Horse ride or even a breath taking and a little wobbly Camel ride. Later you could eat at the traditional pangat . A typical Maharashtrian thali with goodies like Shrikhand puri , Puran poli , Alu wadi as appetizer with yummy gree chutney. 2- 3 traditional but tasty subji like Bharleli Wangi (stuffed Brinjal) , Dalimbya Usal or Channa Usal and followed by piping hot steamed rice and waran (yellow dal) topped up with pure ghee. You are sure to lick your fingers and give a welcome burp once you are done. Still the lunch is not complete till you have tall glass of cool Sol Kadi or Chaas (butter milk) to digest the heavy food that you just ate.

Come out and lounge on the khaat or traditional choir string char-pai layered with soft cotton gaddi or on the cane chairs kept outside. You are sure to feel sleepy , but then we had a train to catch.

Hopping on to that train to Mumbai and leaving behind a trail of memories .A great time spent together on small but memorable mini vacation.