The Wander Girls: Tours For Women Only!

Going niche seems to be the mantra these days. And based on this Mantra, Mumbai based entrepreneur, Hetal Doshi has launched ‘The Wander Girls’ which organizes national and international trips and events, but only for women!

Moojic: The Power To Play Your Music!

Are you tired of listening to the same songs whenever you go out to a pub or cafe? How amazing it would be if you could play your favourite songs at your favourite pub/cafe? Wouldn't it be the perfect setting for that special occasion, a birthday treat or a date? If yes, then you are in for a sweet melodic surprise. Mumbai based entrepreneurs Kumaran Mahendran & Neha Behani have come out with ‘Moojic’, a service that does just that. No, we are not talking about some creaking old jukebox with flashy lights; ‘Moojic’ is a one of a kind service that lets you control the playlist directly from your phone!

What Spirit Of Mumbai?

The city received welcome monsoon showers last Saturday. But all the cheer of monsoon arriving before time lasted short, as the clouds had a rather shady agenda of their own. Rarely are opening showers so heavy. And like year after year, the city, especially the hallowed BMC was taken by surprise. It's a wonder how the start of monsoon always takes the BMC by surprise.

Review: Royal China – Food Fit For An Emperor

Last Monday night, I and another food blogger were given an eleven dish feast to test at Royal China restaurant in Bandra.  Tough life isn’t it?

Royal China is far from the average Chinese restaurant to be found in Mumbai.  Far, far from average.  For one, the food to be found there is authentic Cantonese cuisine.  Not the usual mish-mash of ‘fusion’ oriental food that is popular in this city.  I really do not like a restaurant that can’t make up its mind. And although there are some set menus available at lunchtime (for 850 Rs + taxes), it’s a la carte all the way in the evenings. There is always a member of staff on hand to guide you through the menu, and you can even look up pictures of all the dishes on an Ipad - if you need help visualizing some of the more unusual items on offer.

Prawn Dumplings

Goodbye Premier Padmini!

On 28^th May the state government passed a resolution which may spell the end for one of the city’s most iconic landmarks – the Premier Padmini taxis or what we lovingly refer to as kali peeli.

Picture by blogs.reuters.com

Let's Ban It!

We Indians have found the sure fire solution to all problems that plague our society. And it’s such a simple solution that I wonder what why this didn't strike us earlier!

R.I.P. Lingerie Mannequins

The Week Guide

Wondering what to do post office hours this week? Need a midweek break from your mind numbing work? We have curated for you a list of events happening around the town this week. From comedy to drama to music and dance, here's our list of events that will keep you in shape this week! Why wait for the weekend?

Colaba Causeway Shopping!

What happens when you take a fashion blogger with a brand new camera to one of Mumbai's most famous shopping streets? Read on to know -

Hello to all the fashion lovers out there!  I was feeling really bored and useless the other day, and decided that my new camera needed some exercise, and my soul, some shiny stuff! And that's when you head straight to Colaba Causeway!

A Very Fine Food Walk

Our expat blogger BombayJules went around Dadar on a food walk to savour Maharashtrian delicacies. Here's what she discovered -  

For an expat dining out in Mumbai, it is all too easy to only frequent well known restaurants and Sunday brunch locations. Ones which can be considered 'safe options' that cater well to our western constitutions. But what about trying out some of Mumbai's more traditional eateries, the kind of places that are part of the very fabric of the city?

Mumbai is without doubt, the most cosmopolitan city in India - but it is also the most itinerant.  Over many decades, millions of people have flocked to the city from rural villages all over India, each one bringing their own traditions, faiths and recipes.  Nowhere else in India will you find such a variety of regional cooking; rich meat curries from the Punjab; coconutty prawn curries from Kerala; vegetarian thalis from Gujurat; Irani influenced Parsi berry pulaos; the Portuguese balchaos of Goa.  The list is endless.  The most well known of these food styles can be found at the best Indian restaurants in town. But in order to get right under the skin of itinerant Mumbai you have to dig a little deeper - by going right to the soul of the community.

Event: Knock, Stork and Baby

What: Knock, Stork and Baby

When: 1^st and 2^nd June 2013; 10 am to 10 pm

Where: CIDCO ground, Sector – 19, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai

Parents take note and mark the dates 1^st and 2^nd June in your calendars for a one of a kind event – a comprehensive kid’s carnival ‘Knock, Stork and Baby’!

Samved - More Than A Fusion Band!

Music these days is all about experimentation, about crossing over the boundaries of your genre, your style and collaborating with other styles to create a marvellous new kind of music. Fusion bands are a rage these days. But there are fusion bands and then there is Samved. Their music is a blend of classical Indian music with modern electronic music to create a fusion which will leave you spell bound with its soulful feel and refreshing sound. Samved recently got nominated for Radio City’s FreedomAwards from among 700 bands. We went behind the scene to understand how a six month old band has scaled great heights in such a short time!

Samved (L to R: Kirti Das, Sangeet Mishra, Ritwik Joe, KK, Zeeshan Khan)

Expat Corner: The Mumbai Dabbawalas - Dabba Dabba Do!

We have a new blogger on Discovering Mumbai. The ever inquisitive British expat blogger and columnist BombayJules. Recently she travelled all the way to Churchgate Station in south Mumbai to observe the famous Dabbawalahs in action (Dabbawallas, Dabbawallahs, or Tiffin Wallahs). Here’s what she has learned about the famous Tiffin delivery service of Mumbai!

You can follow her blog - here 

For the readers back home, a Dabbawala is a person whose sole job it is to collect home cooked 'dabbas' - basically packed lunches - from the homes of office workers and deliver them to said office workers via different modes of transport. After the packed lunch - or tiffin - has been consumed, the Dabbawala will re-collect the empty box and take it back home to the person's residence. Each tiffin box usually contains two or three containers - mostly carrying traditional Indian foods such as rice, veg curry, chapattis and vegetables. No doubt with a fraction of the calories of a Pret-a-Manger sandwich.

Dabbawala in his pristine white uniform

The Train Species!

Daily, the Mumbai local trains carry millions of people to work and back home, carrying a passenger load nearly 3 to 4 times over its capacity. But what’s really interesting about the locals is not the sheer complexity of the railway system but the people who use it for commute. The overstuffed, overcrowded and congested insides of the trains are a different world altogether. It’s nothing like the outside world! And in this unique environment you will find species that are exclusive to the world of Mumbai’s local train.

Hop on this train ride with us as we take a look at these special ‘Train Species’! You will certainly be able to relate with many of these train species!

Mumbai - The City Of Scams!

Coalgate, Railgate; we have become so used to these terms lately. Wherever you see, in newspapers, on TV and radio, people are talking about some or the other scam. Recent times have been very turbulent for the country, with many high level scams worth thousands of crores of rupees being exposed. So we decided to have a look at some of the scams that hit our very own city in the recent years. Here is a list of few of these scams! Let us know what you think about them.

Unjunking Junk Food

For most of us eating right is the mightiest challenge that we have ever taken on. Especially for those working in 9 to 5 jobs, taking time out of busy schedules on weekdays to go to a gym and sweat it out, is a tough task. Also the fact that our worlds are full of junk food, and people short on time invariably end up surviving on a diet of junk food, adds to our helplessness. While exercising might be tough, the easier way out to control your weight would be to control your food habits, avoid the junk. And to help you out in this endeavour two young entrepreneurs, ‘Divyesh Panchal’ and ‘Yash Bhatia’ have started a company by the name of ‘JustUnjunk!’, which gives you the goodness of “Unjunk” food with the taste of the junk! Doesn't that sound so enticing?

Divyesh Panchal

Warning! Just Skip This Notice and Move Ahead

Two days ago a trip to the Aksa beach turned tragic for a few friends. While two boys lost their lives, one was saved and undergoing treatment at the hospital. That Aksa is a dangerous beach is a well known fact. Over the years many have lost their lives at this piece of Mumbai coastline. The question then is why do people choose to ignore all warnings and put their lives at risk?

Event: Water conservation awareness campaign ‘Paani Ki Pehchan’ by Podar Jumbo Kids

We are all aware about the severe drought situation that parts of Maharashtra face this year, courtesy the various forms of media. People from all sections of society have come out to spread awareness about the dire situation and its consequences. And as we approach the festival of Holi, the calls for conserving water, of celebrating a water less Holi, have been gaining strength. This cause has now been joined by kids from the Podar Jumbo Kids institute and these kids have begun creating awareness regarding water conservation through a campaign which was launched on Friday, 22^nd March on World Water Day at the Santacruz Skywalk.

Event: The Broadway Funnies

Event: The Broadway Funnies

What: A comic musical based on famous Broadway compositions

Who: Delna Mody, supported by Winston Travasso; Nadine Jo Crasto on the piano

When: 20^th March, 8.30 PM

Where: The Comedy Store, Level 3, Palladium Mall, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel, Mumbai
Tickets: Book My Show - click here

Games People Play!

We have all played board games when we were kids. All of us still have some beautiful memories from those days, when we played those games for endless hours with our gang of friends. With time, however, we moved on to other forms of entertainment like playstation and those board games were left inside the closet, forgotten. Not everyone though moved on; a few grown up Mumbaikars are still crazy as hell about them. And two of them, Kumar Jhuremalani and Mihir Vora, have in fact created a platform for all board game lovers called ‘Board Game Bash’ (BGB).

Not Your Regular Meet-up Group

Mumbai is a tough city for singles! For people around 25 and single, things are nastier, as everyone around you is getting married, leaving you alone on weekends! Mumbai is also full of people who are bored of hanging out with the same faces every weekend, at the same place. Well, if you belong to any of the above groups then we have good news for you! Few months ago a bunch of Mumbaikars, who too went through all the above and decided that they had enough, started a group by the name ‘Covalence’. Don’t mistake it for a dating platform, it definitely isn’t one. Covalence is this supercool place where you have the opportunity to meet other supercool people from the city. Sounds interesting? Read on…

Giving Stars That Perfect Look

The best thing about being an actor is that you can play so many different characters. While we enjoy the various characters our stars play on screen, the work that goes behind the screen is something that is often overlooked. Making the characters look real is not just about acting it’s also about the look. Creating that perfect look that makes the character real, believable and lovable is a strenuous task performed by talented makeup artists. It’s only because of these professionals, the stars we love look the way they do. Discovering Mumbai presents NamrataSoni, an award winning makeup artist and hairstylist, who has worked on films like Main Hoon Na, Om Shanti Om and many others.

Namrata Soni, picture courtesy Elle magazine

Words Speak Louder Than Action

Movies hold a special place in the hearts of us Indians. Fridays are auspicious days and we look forward to each Friday for the release of new movies. Some watch for the stars, the music, the fun and some for the escape that they provide from our mundane lives. While the actors do bring the characters to life on the silver screen, it would be hard to imagine how they would do so without those dialogues. While the actors who speak them are mortals, the dialogues have the power to become immortal. Discovering Mumbai features the personality behind those dialogues, Ishita Moitra, a talented and successful script writer and dialog writer.

Ishita Moitra

Ninjas in your city!

The Ninjas are in your city, all around you, going about their business, quietly, just like ninjas do. Their purpose, their mission, is to get under the skin of this city and to uncover stories that make Mumbai unique. Here at Discovering Mumbai, we are always excited about meeting people, just like us, who are wandering, exploring every nook and cranny of this mystical city and coming up with stories that celebrate the spirit of Mumbai. We were lucky enough to bump into the ninja, who started this ninja institute, a website actually, by the name ‘City Ninjas’. Here is the story of Anisha Sharma, an extremely passionate Mumbaikar and founder of City Ninjas.

Guest Post: Down the delicious memory lane!

Today, on Discovering Mumbai we have Richa, a food blogger, who writes the blog Knead With Love. This is her guest post about some of the famous Mumbai eateries which have stood the test of time. Hope you enjoy reading the post, and to read more from this awesome food blogger head over to her blog - Knead With Love

Readers Paradise

Mumbai is a city where you have to travel long distances and long hours, thanks to horrible traffic and geographic spread of the city. Anyone who has travelled by a train or a bus knows that the best way to kill time during daily commute is to read books. You see so many people with books on a local train that you feel if it were a mobile library! But wouldn’t it be more interesting if you had company, company of people who shared the same love for reading books, and have long talks with them, over a cup of coffee, about your favourite book, author or anything related to books. Well, if you are one of those who yearn to meet such hard core readers then ‘Bound Together Bombay’, founded by Mumbaikars Delnaz and Aarti, is the place for you.

The Sugar Artist

As a country we have always been attracted by the western ways, their fashion, lifestyle, music and food. With increased exposure over the years, we have seen a shift in our tastes from Indian cuisines to foreign ones, from parathas to pizzas, from tea to coffee and so on. Gone are the days when you celebrated festivals only with Indian sweetmeats (ladoo, pedha etc.), today we have moved to chocolates and cakes. It’s no wonder how popular they have become, given the way they are being marketed. Some are trying to push chocolates by saying ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye’, while others are teaching the art of chocolate making so that people can add a little sweetness to their otherwise bland lives. Discovering Mumbai features Rakesh Saini, a chocolatier, sugar artist and founder of ‘32 DegreeStudio’.

 

Rakesh Saini

Delhi Gang Rape: What They Said...

Over the last few days we have seen the nation erupt with anger and grief over the gang rape of 23 year old women in Delhi, and her subsequent death. The entire episode has been very closely captured by the media. Many people have said many things over the last few days. We present to you a collection of quotes from politicians,  celebrities, doctors, social workers on the issue of rape, strict laws, capital punishment and more. We would like you to share with us your views about this incident, please leave a comment if you would like to contribute. You can click on the names to open the relevant news articles.