Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, third-generation member of the family running Dadar's Pritam Da Dhaba, says Dr Ambedkar lived 500 metres away and was frequently seen enjoying tea, holding discussions with his friends at Pritam. Photos: Pritam Da Dhaba/Khaki Tours
Pritam found itself at the centre of a busy transportation centre thanks to its advantageous location close to the Dadar tram station, close proximity to the General Post Office, and easy access to trains, trams, buses, and horse-drawn carriages. Over the years, four generations of the family has handled the business, and even Bollywood actor Raj Kapoor was called to re-inaugurate the restaurant in 1975.
Today, Jaibir Kohli (in picture) manages the business along with his father Gogi. He narrates that his great-grandfather Prahlad Singh Kohli came to Mumbai from Rawalpindi almost 81 years ago with his great-grandmother at Dadar railway station. Since they were hungry, they sat to eat at Pritam Hindu Hotel near the station, but his great-grandmother wasn't impressed with the food and told the owner about it. The owner challenged her to cook, and in the mean time, Kohli discussed with the owner about how he wanted to open a restaurant, so the owner told him to run the restaurant wit him. Five years later, the former owner sold his share to the Kohlis and the rest is history.
Bharat Gothoskar, founder of Khaki Tours, which hosts heritage walks around the city, says South Mumbai cries of Mumbai’s contribution to the Independence movement with several landmarks including Chowpatty, French Bridge and even Gateway of India, marking important events. While Juhu Beach and Chowpatty saw protests supporting the Dandi March, people burnt cloth at the French Bridge to support the Swadeshi movement, and the Gateway of India has a place that marks where Mahatma Gandhi landed when he returned from South Africa. There is also Jinnah's People Hall dedicated to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and many other such important landmarks in the area that contributed to the freedom struggle.
Among other areas, Love Lane in Byculla houses Khilafat House, which was the root of the Khilafat Movement, between 1919 and 1922. It was started by Maulana Mohammad Ali, after whom Mohammad Ali was named and everybody goes there during Ramzan to eat food but not many know about this. It is only a footnote in our history, and we don’t realise that a physical manifestation of the Khilafat movement survives in Mumbai. Image for representational purpose only from one of Khaki Tours's heritage walks.
Gothoskar's team covers these and many other locations as part of his Azad Hind Walk for adults, and Freedom 4 Kids walk for children to inform them about Mumbai's contribution to the independence movement.
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