Mumbai meri jaan ( Mumbai, my love)

 Mumbai is a city of/for dreamers- dream big and reach for the stars. and when you make it big, don’t forget the path you took and where you came from.
My life in Mumbai can be compared to an Andheri local. I have lived in rented beds(yes beds, not a room or a flat) in chawls in Colaba, Flora Fountain, Dadar,Vile Parle, and Andheri and PG digs in Bandra and Andheri. the first 3 years I lived in Catering college( IHMCTAN-Respect!!) hostel in Dadar which was comfortable. Since it was a college preparing us to work in hospitality industry.we (students) cooked and ate what we cooked which was less than desirable. Healthy wholesome food, as the menu was designed and prepared towards nutrition, but taste.....left a lot to be desired. the refuge was vada pao with lasoon chutney at Shivaji Park(which was a staple every evening-cheap and filling), potato toast at Greens restaurant(near Shivaji Park) and when I could afford it maybe a chinese fried rice at Sanmaan near Shivaji park or a Thali at Sujatha Udipi. the first year was tough as I was perpetually broke living on meagre allowance that came from home. Starting the summer of 1981, I started earning some money on the side waiting tables and working banquets. just enough for an occasional indulgence in lifes little luxuries. yeah turning 18 introduced me to some minor vices. on weekends we took the BEST bu 83 or 84 to south Bombay to watch movies at Metro, Eros, Regal, Strand et.al.
Now you might think someone who goes to Catering college would end up in ritzy and glamorous 5-star hotels. Sure, it could be true in some cases. for all the razzmatazz that’s visible from outside, the people who work behind the scenes toil an average 12 hours a day, which pays meagre wages (this is the 80s, not sure about now). Management will suck every bit out of you. The motto was "guest is always right". Gulp, even if the guest is berating you for no fault of yours? Service industry has double standards and it sucks.
Bombay of the 80s was a small town. it’s not the city with mega malls and skyscrapers that it has become today (change is inevitable, but call me a romantic, I miss the small-town feel when i visit). no matter where you are from, everyone was welcome (well-almost everyone). If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere (another cheesy cliché). I worked for an upscale hotel in South Bombay which had a revolving restaurant, Bombay Gymkhana and Air-India before I decided to risk it all and venture out overseas. the owners of Ambassador had a nice looking German car( again, this is 80s, it must be a common thing now) which he would park in front, I would look at and wonder- would I ever be able to take a ride in something like this? 10 years later I owned one similar in a different land- dreams do come true.
Anyone remember Gemini, Gaiety Galaxy? I remember watching Rajesh Khanna's "red rose" in one of those in my first week in Mumbai. There was an Irani restaurant in Khar-Danda, where sometimes I ate with my cousin.  I had just learned to eat with a spoon and fork in Catering college, to show off my newfound skills, I asked the waiter for Kanta (fork), he brings me- Kanda, onions. I am learning quickly- it is baida not anda,batata not alu, and so on.
1986 was a special year because after living for a few years in dark, dinghy, humid, squalid conditions(again, I am always thankful, I had a roof over my head, never had to sleep on the sidewalk, God’s grace) i was actually able to rent a room in Hill Road Bandra with a friend and co-worker. running water, fresh air, proper bed and clean surroundings, it was like coming out of prison and feeling free. Anyone remember Casbah? Beer and mystery meat kababs? Once I got food poisoning and was down for a week. but did that stop me no... went back for more. cast iron stomach. Also, I finally felt a sense of belonging. I was truly happy, a little less insecure, and like any young blood, I felt I could make a difference and change the world. A special person who hopped on my Andheri local and stayed a while before hopping off may have something to do with it. I digress.
I have fond memories of Asiatic dept store, AkbarAllys, Sahakari bhandar, Sundance Cafe, Satkar, Lucky Biryani, Sayba Gomantak (Bandra),the list is endless... ( are they still around?)
Anyone remember Talwalkar's gym at Charni road? I went there for a few months. the trainer took one look at my scrawny physique and said you work out here every day and have a beer after-"body ban jaayega" . I left Mumbai in 1992 as a lean, mean hungry dog. today I am a lazy fat cat.