Mumbai Diary page: Friday frolics

Oops! at Elephanta
A recent trip to Elephanta Caves left one chuckling at the spellings on certain notice boards warning tourists of danger from monkeys (put away those food packets, please) and telling them of a beautiful vista ahead.

A Grammar teacher needed at Elephanta, besides other things as these two posters clearly speak a 100 words

While the ‘beaware prom monky' was mirthful, ‘minits' and ‘side seen' left one with a whaaaat? Given the state that the UNESCO World Heritage Site is in though, perhaps wrong spellings are the least of the problems.

Strings take wing
With us president Barack Obama set to visit India later this month, the city of enterprise has naturally cottoned on to the high-profile visit. Kite makers are gearing up for Makar Sankranti next week, by making kites with pictures of both leaders.

A shopkeeper strings kites with images of Narendra Modi (l) and US President Barack Obama (r) in Mumbai. Obama travels to India as chief guest for the January 26, Republic Day celebrations and talks with Prime Minister Modi. Pic/AFP

We have heard of ping pong diplomacy, which, the Wikipedia says was the exchange of table tennis (ping-pong) players between the United States and People's Republic of China (PRC) in the early 1970s. The event marked a thaw in US-China relations that paved the way to a visit to Beijing by President Richard Nixon. But patang diplomacy? That is surely a new one.

Blueprint Mumbai
One could not help but be struck at the number of times foreign news channels covering the Paris terror attacks by Islamists that left 12 dead, used the word ‘Mumbai'.

A police operation on in the ‘Croix-Rouge' suburb of Reims, northern France following the attack on satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo that left 12 dead in Paris. Pic/AFP

The correspondents mentioned several times that the terrorists (they called them gunmen in certain instances) were planning a ‘Mumbai-style' attack in Paris. Mumbai attack of course, referred to the city's 26/11 massacre. It is a comparison that unfortunately, has become a blueprint for terror attacks across the world. A shameful one at that.

The eat is on in town
All those foodies need to make their way to Mahalaxmi Saras, the exposition of rural arts and crafts and indigenous food products currently on at Bandra (W), opposite the Lilavati Hospital. One saw that the food stalls attracted several famished, but many more curious patrons, who seemed hungry (pun included) for a dekho at rustic ways of cooking.

The matka used to make puran poli. Pic/Hitesh Chudasama

Here, the sweet puran poli is made on a matka (clay pot). The cooking method certainly attracted onlookers. It was not exactly flambe cooking but it had its own, homegrown charm. Meanwhile, avoid the polis in case you do not want to become roly-poly and there's a spread for non-veg lovers, too. Incidentally, the Mahalaxmi Saras is on till January 15.