PUBLICATION: Hindustan Times, Mumbai DATE: November 26, 2007

PUBLICATION: The Daily News & Analysis, Mumbai DATE: November 25, 2007

PUBLICATION: Hindustan Times, Mumbai DATE: November 24, 2007

This article appeared in DNA, Saturday, Nov 24, 2007

Growing young in Bandra

Bandra, a little more than 60 years ago, was a very intimate suburb. Everybody seemed to know everybody else and there was a great sense of camaraderie.

We lived next to Mount Mary’s and our immediate friends were in Dubash Mansion, right next door. Down in Bandra proper – our mansion was known as Summit View – life was rougher and tougher, and we were apprehensive and in awe of it at the same time.

Our kindergarten was known as Toddlers’ Academy, where Mehboob Studio now sprawls. My friend Manu Tandon -- whose father rose to become the first Indian to chair Hindustan Lever – and I once tied a girl who stole our snacks to a tree, most of which still stand. Our ears rang with the scolding from our parents for several days.

When I was older, we cycled everywhere. Some of the more adventurous amongst us even cycled to Poona, as it was then called, which remained engraved in the annals of Bandra of our youth. A few years ago, I tried to do cycle in Bandra, all in the interests of the environment, but found that this was a terrible hazard, given the tendency of autorickshaws to whiz centimetres past you.

When I was in college, we belonged to the Catholic Students’ Association, which was an opportunity to meet members of the opposite sex – under the guise of cultural and social activity. It was a great delight, this Celebrate Bandra, to once again meet Nalini Jones, daughter of my old friend Marguerite Suares, who has now turned into an accomplished author in the US, where she lives (her father is American).

Nalini’s first book is a collection of short stories, titled What You Call Winter, set in a fictional suburb of Mumbai called Santa Clara. No prizes for guessing where she has memories of – visiting a throbbing suburban home, full of quirky relatives who didn’t exist back in the USA.  She is now researching a novel.

This Celebrate Bandra festival, like others, has many senior citizens who volunteer to make it such an exciting 16 days. There is Capt. Reza Beg, who still cycles effortlessly through Bandra in his trademark red T shirt and cap, and indeed led a group of bikers at the inaugural parade. There is Kekoo Ghandy, who owns Chemould Art Gallery, the country’s oldest art dealer, who will speak about living in Bandra at a literary meet where old citizens reminisce, this week.

Bandra isn’t what it used to be, but then, no place really is, or ought to be, unless it is recreated on the sets of a movie studio. But we would like to think that Celebrate Bandra rekindles the spirit that existed and keeps the flame alive today.

Darryl D’Monte is the Convenor of Celebrate Bandra

PUBLICATION: Hindustan Times, Mumbai DATE: December 1, 2007

PUBLICATION: Hindustan Times, Mumbai DATE: December 2, 2007

PUBLICATION: Hindustan Times, Mumbai DATE: November 27, 2007

PUBLICATION: Hindustan Times, Mumbai DATE: November 29, 2007

A Mumbai suburb revels in its past and present Mumbai | December 05, 2007 9:05:27 AM IST

For over a fortnight, the Mumbai suburb of Bandra lay in celebration - a heady mix of music, dance, art and theatre that spelt festivities as well as nostalgia for the young and old.

Residents of the township came together with infectious enthusiasm for "Celebrate Bandra 2007", a bi-annual festival.

"This year, heritage was the focal point at Celebrate Bandra. While change is inevitable, it is important not to lose track of our roots. Today, Bandra is a Bollywood and food haven...Celebrate Bandra took a few moments to remember the Bandra that once was," says Patricia Nath, secretary of the Celebrate Bandra Trust.

Adds Vidya Vaidya, a trustee, "Bandra is as much about its people as it's about its places and Celebrate Bandra brings all of its people together wholeheartedly, with vigour and warmth."

Situated in the southwestern corner of the island of Salsette, Bandra's historical importance is noteworthy.

"Historically, Bandra has been an important business hub, supplying meat, sand (which would come from Dahisar and beyond) and fish to the rest of Mumbai city. As suburbs beyond Bandra came up, it served as a much-needed connecting point, making it the queen of suburbs," says Jayanti Shukla, joint secretary of the Trust.

Shukla, chairperson Darryl D'Monte and other trustees toiled for six months to string the celebrations together.

Last Sunday evening, the Lands end Amphitheatre swooned to jazz while on Monday the Carter Road Promenade was abuzz with old time hits belted out by local band Retro Park. The wind brought with it the first whiff of the Mumbai winter; the lanterns painstakingly decorated by the residents of Bandra rustled in appreciation.

Through the festival, the young and old alike swayed to the tunes of Indi-pop singer Usha Uthup, Maharashtrian folk music, Hindustani instrumental and popular English numbers. And, if you didn't catch an old man shaking a leg and more, you obviously weren't hanging out at the Bandra festival!

At Celebrate Bandra, even theatre came with an interesting twist. Pali Village housed street plays minus any props in the village centre. Like the good old days, residents were seen hanging out of balconies to catch a view and even becoming a part of the performance!
Art enthusiasts etched murals across Bandra's promenades while short films like Rohan Sabharwal and Andrew Fernandes' "Romson and Juliana" took cinema lovers through Bandra's history with the tale of the feuding Cardozos and Mendonca families.

Then there were Heritage Walks that toured the uninitiated thorough landmarks like the Jari Mari temple where wishes are fulfilled and the Ca stella De Aguada, Bandra's Portuguese fort that serves as a watch tower over Mahim bay. Interestingly, sponsors Vodafone ensured your cell phone could make a useful tour guide narrating stories as you toured the suburb!

With a magazine that detailed Bandra's history, Celebrate Bandra 2007 had a little something for everybody. The magazine edited by Patricia Nath, entitled "Once Upon a Time" journeys through Bandra's oldest eateries, bakeries and people with pictures and prose. Some of these people were brought forth for a story-telling session. Resident Kekoo Gandhy, for one, recounted stories of Bandra during India's Emergency in 1975 and memories of long gone dance balls and parties.

A special segment brought all of Bandra's underprivileged children together in its merry-making, imparting knowledge along the way. The Warren Menezes- and Fabian Pinto-led group 'Eon M' on the other hand provided a platform for young blood to explore and showcase their talents.

Far from being a money-making venture, the festival has been ploughing back its profits into the welfare of the locality. One year, the funds were used to uplift the Bandstand and Carter Road promenades and in another year to buy a bus for school-going children.
The Times they are a-changing. But if the celebrations in Bandra were any indication, townships across India can take heed and revel in who they are and what they once used to be.

(Gayatri Makhijani can be contacted at makhijani.gayatri@gmail.com)

-Indo-Asian News Service

(IANS)

PUBLICATION: Hindustan Times (Café), Mumbai DATE: November 28, 2007