Lokhandwala Garden

Laughter club members. They are all part of the same Jolly good family.

The laughter club is a Mumbai invention. Read all about it here.

Lokhandwala Garden

Whassup Andheri? It's Neighbourhood Social Networking 

This is an old photograph from a neighbourhood festival called Whassup Andheri that happened a couple of months back. The festival was started by a group of friends who work in the Hindi film Industry because they were wondering why all the happening festivals are in Bandra or Fort but not in the urban jungle called Andheri where almost of the people who entertain India live. But more about that in another post,

Meanwhile, this was one of the most popular installations there done by an artist originally from Orissa. His name is Sukant Panigrahy.

(thank you, @shweta_m89 and Anjali Punjabi.)

 

Off Main Road, Lokhandwala Complex

A Taste Of Home: "Strugglers" Dhaba

Guru Da Dabba is bang in the middle of Bollywood "strugglers" Central - Lokhandwala. It needs no introduction to those who have had their bit of struggle that is the integral part of probing the quicksand Mayanagari soil with your raw talent and star-in-the-eyes dreams. I'm not talking about only the people related to movies, television or music who outnumber the grains of sand on Versova beach. You could be an aspiring financial wizard too.

Living in this city is a struggle and this city is built on the dreams of millions who have come here to prove to their parents, their friends, their teachers, their neighbours or some invisible power that their dreams are not as foolish as they all think it is. They are ready to struggle to make it real. And this city can give you all kinds of difficulty, in any stage of your struggle.

Talk to the Sardarji or his daughter who run this Dabba and they will talk about the people who once struggled and after tasting success, have come back to eat here. They come back to show their wives and friends (Example: Madhavan, the actor) the place they used to eat when they were waiting for a break. To taste success, you have to first savour the taste of many very hard earned meals.

Look around and you see the Punjabi boys who still continue to stream in like the Kapoors, Anands, Kumars, Sunil Dutt or any of the many ____ Inders. However, now they can all retain their surnames.

And while they struggle, and try to make ends meet, this is one place they will come to. For a taste of home.

He will remind you of that skeptical old man of yours back home.

Read the rest of the Mumbai Paused, Eating out in Mumbai list