The Burmese community in Mumbai will celebrate their Burmese New Year today, as the Thingyan Festival that started on April 13 culminates into celebratory rituals and food on April 17 this year. Having first been introduced to Burmese cuisine at an ‘Atho Kadai’, a street-side stall in Chennai’s Perambur in 2018, this writer had the opportunity to relish -- ‘Atho’, a street food snack; Egg Bhejo, eggs stuffed with wok-tossed vegetables, and Mohinga or Moinga, a delicious soup – bringing back sweet memories of a small kadai standing out in a bustling street because of its food and smiling faces. While the community is known to settle in Burmese colonies in different parts of the country including Chennai, among other metros, many of them moved to Mumbai and have called the city their home for many decades. Through all of this, it is their food and culture that keeps the community close-knit.  

Even as Mumbaikars are busy with their daily lives of work, family and fun, it is the festivals that make them reflect on their individual culture and identity. It gets even better because the ‘Maximum City’, as it is more popularly called, is celebrated as a melting pot of cultures and it is these festivals that are a microcosm into their lives. The communities include people that are not only from the different Indian states, but also from outside of it. Over the years, the city has not only seen the Iranis but also the Chinese make the city their home among others. While their population may not be large in number as compared to other communities, it is the festivals like Parsi New Year and Chinese New Year that bring them together more than other occasions -- at the family as well as community level.