Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Coasting Along the Coast
A flock of seagulls take flight on a sunny morning at Girgaum Chowpatty.

Mango-ing places

GI-tagged Alphonso mangoes

The first shipment of this season's first Alphonso mangoes from the Konkan region was exported to London this week. Twenty-one boxes containing a dozen mangoes each were delivered, with the first box fetching a record price of £51(R5,000). The other boxes were sold at £30 (R3,000) each. This transaction marks two firsts - it is the first time that GI-tagged Alphonso mangoes have been sent overseas and that mango exports have begun in the month of February. GI-tagging will help fetch fair prices for mango farmers and buyers, while also ensuring that buyers receive authentic, naturally ripened produce. This diarist was informed that Ketul Patel from Fruit of Lebanon (Western International Market, UK) was the lucky recipient of this season's first pickings.

Together they can

The members of Sangeet Cooperative Housing Society in Nalasopara have shown what it means to take matters into your own hands. Around 10 days ago, the society approached a contractor to get a wall in their compound painted. The price they were quoted was Rs 25,000. It seemed like a high amount to the people in charge, since the society's finances had taken a beating due to the pandemic. So, they asked their members if they would lend a hand in painting the wall themselves, and were met with an enthusiastic response.

Children paint the wall at Sangeet Cooperative Housing Society

People of all ages - from senior citizens to children - and of varying professions - teachers, businessmen, government workers and lawyers among others - got together to get the job done. It took them just half a day to complete it, at a total cost of only R2,500, which included a complimentary meal. Society secretary Nilesh Patel told this diarist, "We had waived the maintenance fees for our members by about 40 per cent for some months during the pandemic. They were happy about that, and came forward to help out with the painting." He added that after painting the wall, the members also volunteered to clean up the entire premises themselves. That's a job well done, indeed.

History on track

Many of the relics of India's first railway between Mumbai and Thane called the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR) continue to live on even today. One such relic was an antique steam engine water pipe that was removed while upgrading the harbour line near Kurla sometime in 2000. The pipe, which had served old steam engines for over a century, was dumped in an engineering office next to the line near platform 8.

This diarist noticed it first in 2005. Two years ago, Central Railway (formerly GIPR) shifted the pipe to Mumbai CSMT and last week, it was repaired, painted and is now dazzling at the open-air museum in the station premises. The pipe was made by the historic Patent Shaft Steel Works, in Wednesbury, West Midlands, England, which survived for over 140 years. It was established in the late 1830s and lived on till the mid-1990s. With the pipe now being preserved, its history will hopefully live on for another century.

The Village moves

Once a popular haunt on Bandra's Chimbai Road, The Village Shop has a new address at Pali Hill, beside Learner's Academy. "We were informed by the BMC that our premises were not in compliance with their guidelines, and subject to demolition. We quickly looked for an alternative spot, and have now resumed where we left off," owner Jennifer Mallick shared with this diarist. The café will continue to serve the same menu of organic, gluten-free and vegan-friendly fare as before.