Mumbai Mania

'Live Earth', an initiative to save the environment, started last year by former US vice president Al Gore along with Kevin Wall, is taking place in Mumbai on December 7th, 2008, at Andheri Sports Complex.

Like last year's event, this one too will be a star-studded musical concert aiming to create and raise awareness about global warming and use of solar energy.

The proceeds will go to projects including Light A Billion Lives which aims to provide sustainable, solar-powered lantern in a billion homes around the world who do not have access to electricity, and Climate Project India.

Mumbai would be the apt choice to have such an event, because little more awareness and it would make a lot of difference, and with few celebrities involved, the event would be a crowd puller.

Jon Bon Jovi and Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan and his actor son Abhishek Bachchan, and daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai are slated to perform at the concert. The creative director of the event will be the acclaimed Indian film director, Shekhar Kapur. Line-up of other artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

Last year's Live Earth brought together global audience across seven continents with 24-hours of music and 150 acts, and was viewed by over two billion people around the world. India is also one of the top five countries responsible for carbon dioxide emissions, will Live Earth be a one-day awakening, or can India lead the way among developing countries towards an eco-friendly lifestyle?

Live Earth concert also implements guidelines causing least damage to the environment like recycling, minimizing waste, and reducing waste in transportation, setting up stage etc.

Update November 28th, 2008, on Live Earth

Live Earth has been cancelled after the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Several international artists, who were slated to perform at the event, were bound by advisories issued by their respective countries asking people not to travel to India, making this a major factor to cancel the concert.

Its a sign of changing with times or cashing in on the latest trend, whichever way you look at it, the city is taking steps to live in an eco-friendly environment.

Several buildings in Mumbai are being built with eco-friendly amenities and using natural resources to generate power.

These eco-friendly green buildings come with their own rainwater harvesting, solar panel system, and water recycling system.

Lets take an example of one of the buildings in Mumbai, that has successfully managed to cut electricity cost, face water shortage and cause no harm to the environment. Daulat bungalow in Juhu Vile Parle Development Scheme (JVPD), one of the first few to go green, switched over to hybrid power in 2002.

The hybrid system consists of windmill, solar panels, batteries and an inverter. It uses solar and wind energy to generate electricity, around 1800 kw of electricity enough to run at least a fan and a tube-light in every room of this seven-storey building at a given point in time. It can also bear the load of some televisions and computers.

The cost of installing this system was Rs 2.5 lakhs, and since government gives 50% subsidy on these set-ups, it becomes a viable option. Of course the cost of green buildings is 3% to 8% more than regular buildings, but the higher cost is recovered within 2-3 years due to savings in energy and water bills.

Currently there are 315 green buildings in India (they would be registered with Indian Green Building Council), including 250 commercial. They include IT parks, hospitals, airports and educational institutions.

Nearly 20% of those buildings are in Mumbai alone, a positive sign. Some of the major green buildings in the city are, Hiranandani BG Building, K Raheja group, Enercon India and Kalpataru building.

So at least this trend won’t harm the environment, but considering a majority of Mumbai's population lives in slums it seems environment friendly is only for the higher income brackets.

Come October 2nd, you might find less number of people or maybe none smoking on roadsides, waiting next to the cigarette seller or paanwala taking a puff.

With the health ministry having announced the ban on smoking at work and public places including restaurants, cafes, pubs and discotheques, it will be interesting to see how many actually abide by the rule. Like how alcohol is supposedly prohibited in Gujarat, but it is one of the leading states in India when it comes to alcohol consumption.

Will the ban, like many laws in Mumbai, implemented only on paper? A survey conducted by Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health in Mumbai, said the rules would be easy to enforce since they better defined what was not allowed.

According to the survey, 96% of the respondents in Mumbai supported the new regulation..

With Mumbai's population increasing fairly rapidly and governing body of Mumbai, the law will be tough to implement. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has already expressed difficulty of making the city smoke free.
Jayraj Thanekar, civic health executive officer, BMC, "Making Mumbai smoke-free is a Herculean task. We simply cannot do it with the current infrastructure and manpower. Besides, the BMC’s health department has other issues on its priority list, like monsoon-related illnesses and offering health services to the city’s overflowing population."

Fortunately, BMC is also under pressure to make Mumbai tobacco-free for the 14th World Conference on Tobacco and Health in March 2009.

Those found flouting the ban will be charged Rs 200 initially. The amount will be hiked to Rs 1000 for individuals and Rs 5000 for organizations. Smoking ban in pubs and discotheques of Mumbai is hard to believe, if its implemented strictly, then it would be a great achievement. Will celebrities be exempted from this law?:)

I remember a time when I used to hold my mother's hand as we walked down the steps of Mount Mary's for Bandra feast, begging my mother to buy me another one of those tin boats that you put a little fire, under the water container to get it going.

Those were the days, of course coming to think of it the fair had one major downside, they used to sell these bamboo canes, oh yeah we sure did get a canning with those. But the joys of being there at that moment at that time shall never be forgotten.
The fair brings back fond memories of family and friends, a special outing to Bandra fair was organized when I was in the youth group of Our Lady of Health Church in Versova. Now lets take a look at Bandra Fair 2008, from the pictures you will realise nothing much has changed, welcome to my stroll down memory lane.I clearly remember the Tattoo artists making tattoos of crosses and religious symbols for people on their hands, still wonder how much they cost.Apart from that I have fond memories of whats known as kardeo bideos those jaggery coated ghatia kind of things, I used to enjoy them, and you still get them. The fair this year had 3000 stall vendors and security was beefed up with the recent bomb blasts in the country.The festival has been on for years together now, every year the Bandra Fair is held to celebrate the birthday of Mother Mary on the Sunday following 8th September. Although you have to notice how this tradition has hardly changed, it makes me wonder if it will adapt to cater to the younger generations?

To get a feel of the financial capital of the country, a visit to Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) at Dalal Street is a must.

The iconic building of BSE is the oldest stock exchange in Asia, established in 1875, and is also the biggest in the world with 4700 listed companies.

Before being named BSE, it was called, 'Native Share & Stock Brokers Association', when a group of brokers started doing business under a banyan tree in front of the town hall which is now in the Horniman Circle Park.

BSE has made Mumbai the financial capital of the country. The raging bull outside BSE will definitely catch your attention.

The 5-feet high, 8-feet long and weighing over a tonne, the bull was installed in mid-January this year, signifying the positive sentiments in the market.


It was sculpted by Bhagwan Rampure from Solapur, a small city in Maharashtra. It somewhat resembles the Charging Bull of Wall Street in New York.

Soon after it was installed at BSE, the brokers protested asking for it to be knocked down, because they held the bull responsible for the market crash. A rather bizarre behavior, but people who invest huge sums of money in the markets are superstitious, and they would blame any change to be the cause of the market meltdown.

If you go to BSE during trading hours, 9.55 am to 3.30 pm, you are sure to see some action. Hordes of brokers/investors stand outside BSE following the markets on the electronic screen and the ticker, giving regular market updates. If its a hub for financial activities, then it has to be a high security zone. There are 85 security personnel guarding the 28 floors of BSE. Every person entering the building has to get a photo clicked at the gate, then the guard will make a photo id on the spot, which will allow entry into the premises. I guess security was beefed up after the 1993 bomb blasts that rocked whole of Mumbai, including BSE.

They receive lot of hoax bombing calls, many times from disgruntled investors who have lost lot of money in the market.

If you're looking at a good joint to eat, drink and have a nice time, then Cafe Leopold's will fulfil your desire. Located on Colaba Causeway, its one of our favorite restaurants, providing good food at an affordable rate and a friendly ambience to enjoy a drink.

People from different walks of life and of different nationalities frequent the place, so its always buzzing with life.

Founded in 1871 by Iranians, it is one of the oldest joints in Mumbai. Leopold's has been a warehouse, pharmacy and general store, opening as a travellers' cafe in 1987. It serves variety of cuisine, Chinese, Indian, Western dishes, soups, fresh fruit juices, milkshakes, and of course beer, whetting your appetite and getting you high as well. The long beer tower is quite appealing, priced at Rs 300, its good for two people.

According to Clyde, Leopold's serves the best beef steak in Mumbai at a decent price of Rs 100 and for vegetarians Leopold's has a decent choice of food, starting from Rs 150 onwards. I like the Paneer dishes and noodles too, but desserts can be a bit disappointing. So a meal for two with a beer tower, starters and main course would cost you approx Rs 500 to Rs 1000, depending on how much you drink. Leopold's or Leo's as its called has two sections, the first section is like an open seating with square-shaped tables, and wobbly fans, gives a feeling of sitting in an old Irani restaurant. The interiors is a mix of retro posters, 1970s murals, beer bongs on the bar and logo T-shirts for sale.

While the Leo Square upstairs is the pub-cum-lounge area is comparatively smaller where they play different genres of music and has a small dance floor to shake a leg. The cafe is crowded throughout the week, and if you are lucky enough you won't have to wait for a table.

As far as the service is concerned, its fairly quick and prompt, though sometimes me and a friend of mine have felt that the waiters in the pub section get a bit drunk, which slows down the service. That doesn't stop us from going there again. Next time you in Colaba, take a break from shopping and chill out at Leo's.

How to Reach Leopold's, Colaba

Its walking distance from Gateway of India, and another landmark is Regal theatre, straight down that road on the left. It open from 8 am to midnight daily.
Contact: 22-22020131

Roaming around in the streets of Mumbai, you would have noticed the large number of hoardings dominating the skyline. Hoardings or posters of political parties running a campaign, or a company advertising their new product, TV channels promoting their show and so on, aren't just spoiling the face of the city but also wasting electricity. Now even mobile hoarding trucks are parked on the sides of roads for long hours.
Each hoarding in Mumbai has around three to six halogen lights on an average for the usual sizes. These lights consume a good amount of beneficial electricity, and at a time when load shedding has become more of a norm in Mumbai, consuming electricity for outdoor advertisement seems a waste.

For instance - over 20 lakh electricity consumers in Thane, Mulund, Bhandup, and Navi Mumbai are experiencing nearly six-hours of load-shedding. Farmers of Maharashtra have been experiencing load-shedding for eight hours a day. Clearly the demand is more than the supply.

The gap between demand and supply has shot up to an alarming 4,500 mw. As of August 24th, 2008, the demand for electricity all over Maharashtra was set to touch 14,500 mw, whereas the total availability of power was in the range of 9,300 mw to 9,500 mw.

Why are the Banners Still there?

BMC (BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation) had pulled down 8,005 political and commercial banners in March, but that hasn't changed anything, they have all sprung back. You will still find a political party poster hung on an electricity pole. Apparently, the western suburbs will bear the brunt of having highest number of hoardings, as they have more buying power.

The so-called new policies of BMC with regards to hoardings, according to senior BMC officials, will not result in more than 10% reduction in the number of hoardings.

The best drink to help you survive the heat in Mumbai would be 'nariyal pani' or coconut water. Its refreshing, purest liquid second only to water itself and its easily available.

You will find coconut vendors at every corner of the street or by the seaside, most of them are South Indian men dressed in sarongs or 'lungis'. They make their daily bread by selling coconuts.

Every morning a truck carrying thousands of coconuts from the Southern states like Karnataka, Kerala etc., enters Mumbai and delivers it to various vendors. This happens before dawn so the vendors are not present to take the delivery. So the seller covers the coconuts with the traders’ tarpaulin sheets, and then the vendors collect it at dawn. This practice has been going on for decades.

Its a money-making business, consider this: The annual tender coconut turnover in Mumbai, handled by some 40-50 wholesalers, is estimated to be around Rs 53 crore to 69 crore. Among the metros, Mumbai consumes the most. Especially when the temperatures rise during March-June, and from mid-September to mid-October, roughly 170,000 fruits are consumed by Mumbaiites every day. Tender coconut is certainly everyone's favorite drink, nature's gift to quench your thirst.

It causes no harm, coconut water has several health benefits, like -

• It rehydrates your body, and helps in keeping it cool.


• Replenishes body fluids after exercising


• It relieves urinary problems


• It is effective in treating kidney stones and cleanses digestive tract


• Boost your immune system

With so many health benefits, and it just cost anything between Rs 14 to Rs 16, although it use to be available for Rs 9 and Rs 10 some 8-9 years ago. The funniest part is that in five-star hotels or a posh restaurant, the same drink is available for some Rs 75 to Rs 100, crazy pricing.

Nothing like walking on the beach and sipping on some coconut water, ideal picture, ain't it? When you're done ask the vendor to scrape out the tender kernel (malai) inside, sometimes a large coconut is a meal in itself.

Simplicity lies at the heart of innovation. Who would have imagined that a food delivery service started century ago would gain so much popularity that it is considered to be a successful business model at present. It has helped to salvage the traditional habit of eating home-cooked food for lunch in a rapidly globalized city. Yes, I am talking about the Mumbai dabbawallas (tiffin carriers), who are known to be punctual, efficient and well-organized, to such an extent that they can put a high-tech system to shame.

Around 5000 dabbawallas, who come from remote villages in Mumbai, comprise this unique network to delivery approx 2,00,000 lunch boxes from homes to respective offices around the city every day. Everyone who works within this system is treated as an equal regardless of their function, they get paid approx Rs 2000 to Rs 4000 a month. Their punctuality is so remarkable that there is only one mistake in every 16,000,000 deliveries.

The concept of a dabbawala originated when India was under British rule. Many British people who came to the colony did not like the local food, so this dabba service was set up to bring lunch to these people at their workplace straight from their home. This system has still survived, as thousands of corporate houses prefer this service over eating at a crowded cafeteria or carrying lunch early in the morning to work.

How does this system work without any goof ups?
Dabbawallas follow a simple yet complex system. The dabbawallah picks up tiffins from homes or from people who cook meals to order. He then takes the dabbas to a local railway station where he and other dabbawallas sort out the lunch boxes into groups.

The dabbas are then taken by train to respective stations, where they will be handed over to a local dabbawala who delivers them. After lunch the boxes are again collected and delivered back home.

This was the process, but the secret lies in the colored codes marked on each dabba, which tells the dabbawalla where the food came from, which station it will be unloaded and the delivery address of the building. They use cycles, or hand carts to deliver the food.

Its a labour intensive process executed brilliantly, thats why top business schools of India invite dabbawallas to give lectures on their system that is infallible. The dabbawallas even deliver in heavy Mumbai rains or during political strife and the best part, they never go on strike. Now dabbawallas also have a website where people can book for delivery online, if not that, they also take orders through SMS.

To use this service, you need to send an sms with "dabba YourName HomeAddress OfficeAddress" to 3636. On receiving this message, one of the dabbawalas will contact you on your cell phone and your dabba delivery service will start.

To give you an idea of their soaring popularity, Prince Charles had met up with the dabbawallas at Churchgate in 2003, Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic also spent some time with them. Seeing their wide reach, many companies use dabbawallas for promoting their product, movie or any service.

Microsoft did it to promote Vista, Yashraj Films for their movie Tashan, Reliance Power for theri Initial Public Offering (IPO). There is also a Marathi film made on them called, "Mumbaicha Dabbewala" (the dabbawallas of Mumbai) which portrayed their daily life and unique work. They serve as an example for organisations of unity, simplicity and a human touch to keep everyone happy.

Everyday newspapers are filled with stories on robbery, rape, extortion, murder, and the list is endless. When Mumbai police said that, in a city with population of 19 million, crime rate has fallen by 40%, we all know that it can't be true.

In fact its a matter of concern because it raises questions of effective policing in the city. Figures show that the number of criminal complaints filed over the last two decades at various police stations in the city have actually dropped.

It has come down from 373 per lakh population in 1984 to 223 per lakh last year. But in the last twenty years, population has gone up by over 60%, so how can the crime rate drop?

The police department further says that twenty years ago, 35,802 cognisable complaints were filed at various police stations across the city, while last year saw only 30,197 complaints being filed at various police stations.

Even former police officers, who were in charge of different zones, have ridiculed the latest figures. Sanjay Pandey, a former IPS officer, said, "It is a known fact that if an FIR (first information report) is registered, the policeman will have to investigate the case. Under the law, a copy of the FIR has to be send to the magistrate and a charge-sheet has to be filed within a given time period. This requires lot of effort and sincerity from the part of the police."

So this simply means that the police officers refuse to file an FIR when a common citizen would go to register a complain, and harass the innocent, as a result criminals are always left scot-free. This way the police station also remains in good light.

Situated on the banks of Malad creek, in western suburbs of Mumbai, is the Mindspace Municipal Garden. Mindspace was originally a garbage dumping ground, which was converted by K Raheja group into a hub for BPO and the KPO sector.

We were quite surprised seeing the map of the garden, its a huge area dedicated solely for recreational purpose. If you live in Mumbai, you would know exactly how it would feel to see such a huge garden. Before you enter the garden you will see the solar system with nine planets placed firmly on the ground, giving it a celestial feel.
There is a nominal entry fee of Rs 5 for adults and a lesser amount for children, which we don't remember since there was no child with us. On entering this massive garden you will see the Zodiac walk, which has pillars on either sides bearing information on zodiac signs. The park consists of different areas - like Old Folk's corner, play area for children, jogging track, zodiac walk, leisure walkway, star-gazing plaza etc. Since it was the weekend hordes of people thronged the park, and there was space for everyone to have a nice time.

Beautiful Palmeria (champa) flowers, lilies, hibiscus formed a major part of the landscape. We took a stroll around the park, observing the surrounding, and sat on a bench as the sun was setting in the horizon. We look around and what we see, a semi-circular rainbow in the sky, a wonderful sight, as its not everyday one gets to see a rainbow.
That wasn't the end of the visual treat for the day. The sunset was simply spectacular. Golden, yellowish streaks with a tinge of blue in the middle brought the sky to life, it looked as if it was photoshopped.
That was the highlight of the day, as we gazed for a long time at the scene unfurling before us. But the creek is obviously not clean, with piles of garbage stacked in the corner, and although the reflection of the sky on the water looks nice, its actually harboring several insects. We continued to walk around the place, checking out every corner, and entertained ourselves with a bit of green photography. The leaf looks illuminated with the light behind it. Drops of water settled on the leaf. Its a good place to hang out or come for a stroll or simply spend a quiet Sunday evening.

How to reach Mindspace Garden?

It is easily accessible from Andheri, Lokhandwala, Jogeshwari and Goregaon. Its on the back road of InOrbit mall, Link road.

By train, you cna get off at Goregaon (West) and Malad (West) and take a rickshaw to Mindspace. It will cost you around Rs 30 to Rs 40.