Page 19 - Seniorstoday June 2024 Issue

When we moved to South Mumbai, the soup and garam pao (hot bread). In the
water on the Gateway of India parapet and
the Marine Drive parapet was a huge force,
and everything one threw into the waters,
the sea threw back at you. Now we have
days when the sea returns all the ‘kachara’
that people dump and it’s a horrible sight.
As a child, my parents would take me to
Powai Lake to see the lake overflowing.
A trip to Pune (then Poona), maybe even
two trips to Khopoli to watch the monsoon
and the numerous waterfalls in the Ghats
and eat batata vada, medu vada, puri
bhaji, and kanda bhajjiya (the Parsis called
them Bombay bhajjiyas). The restaurant
‘Ramakant’ was a favourite. Last year, I
went back after 40 years and realised some
things are best left to memory. India’s
favourite foods in the rain are pakoras
or bhajjiyas, and every region has its
own specialty. The bhajjiya is the king of
the monsoon, followed by bhutta (corn).
Another one of my favourites was tomato
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #60 | JUNE 2024
North and in Central India, it was aloo puri
along with bhajjiyas. But today there is a
‘significant other’ in the form of noodles
with corn and egg, etc. Get onto the Mumbai-
Pune ghats, and you will see many carts
selling Maggi noodles.
The rain has a huge contribution to
Indian culture. There is poetry, Kalidas’s
Meghdoot, classical music and ragas like
Megh Malhar, and Surdas also created
the monsoon raga Sur Malhar. His father,
Ramdas, too, was a learned musician and
contributed Ramdasi Malhar to the rich
cornucopia of music! Other than these,
monsoon ragas that found expression
during this creative age were Madhu
Malhar, Mishra Mel Malhar, Dhulia Malhar,
and, of course, the more gentle Goud
Malhar.
And then there are the Hindi movie songs.
The most romantic Hindi songs are set
in the rain, with the heroine getting wet,
her clothes very provocatively clinging to
her body. Raj Kapoor and Nargis in the
immortal umbrella and rain song – Pyar
Hua Ikrar Hua, Pyar Se Phir Kyun Darta
Hai Dil, this is among the most iconic songs
in Hindi cinema. Mumtaz in Do Raste –
Chup Gaye Sare Nazare Aur Kya Baat Ho
Gayi. Amitabh Bachchan and Moushumi
Chatterjee in the movie Manzil – Rimjhim
Gire Sawan. Madhubala in Chalti Ka Naam
Gaadi – Ek Ladki Bheegi Bhagi Si, and love
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