‘Pudding is like Bandra, how can you not love it?’

Stories beget stories This is ringingly true of Shormistha Mukherjeersquos hotfromtheoven Pudding mdash an anthology on Bandra by Bandra but for Bandra and far beyond Lovingly baked layer upon layer with insightful perspectives and delightful firstperson narratives centred on the history of the growth of the tiny seaside hamlets that collectively created the Queen of the Suburbs the first of this annual volume is out next weekSitting between stories of joy and loss Pudding organically flows from media professional Mukherjeersquos Memory Keepers of Bandra series on Substack Realising there are several residents like her who set up home here later in life Mukherjee takes care to have different essays describe why this suburb is a place where everyone feels they somehow fit in ldquoI want this book to be something they read as well and sort of grow roots withrdquo she saysMukherjee wishes we return next year for flavourful second helpings Before offering Bandra on a plate she says ldquoPudding is selfmade and scrappy Itrsquos made with jugaad and favours and help and a whole village backing itrdquo Arrestingly designed by Gary Curzai the introductory Pudding in the words of its curatoreditor ldquowith its sweet bits and its burnt bits is now yours to loverdquoIt all turns out tastyHow was the idea of Pudding seededSM Sometime in June this year I was already observing and documenting my neighbourhood of Bandra on Instagram via the handle Houses of Bandra I got frustrated because I couldnrsquot tell longform stories on that platform So Memory Keepers of Bandra was born on Substack Then I thought there has to be a way for people to read these stories without having to click a link I loved the idea of a brilliantly designed book almost like a magazine With stories of Bandra geography history sport food nature music and of course people With not just my voice I wanted lots of voices to bring alive all these topics and reasons why we love BandraWhy name the anthology PuddingSM Pudding is like Bandra how can you not love it A dessert with a bunch of tasty ingredients it can be basic but also super complex You can add alcohol dry fruits caramelise it blowtorch it Do anything at all it will always turn out tasty I felt this book would be like that Many voices many topics but all coming together to make you fall in love with BandraHow much inspiration do you trace to cycle rides and walks through the COVID yearsSM I was privileged to spend time walking and cycling then and saw initial signs of the city changing Irsquod cycle past Haji Ali almost every day and watched the reclamation right when it started Big changes were coming to Bandra Iconic bungalows began to go under I realised I should start to document what was there You canrsquot stop change but itrsquos good to know where you come fromAnyone from Bandra will tell you itrsquos not just about change Itrsquos also the disconcerting pace at which the change happens All of Bandra is being redeveloped The cottages low walls small kirana shops bazaars and buildings with sweet seaside names are going This is my attempt at holding on to whatrsquos there before it all goesWhat features of Bandra make it unique in the citySM The fact that this tony suburb has living villages right in the middle of it Like the jetty where every morning little boats come in with their catch to the fishing village of Chimbai And just behind the spot where the boats turn in for the jetty you see the highrises of Bandstand Where cars are already making their way to glass buildings in Parel or BKCTwo worlds exist in Bandra Like Bazaar Road parallel to Hill Road One like a local haat doesnrsquot feel like fancy Bandra The other is shopping eating trendy Bandra If you find the other Bandra the older slower Bandra yoursquoll never miss the fast BandraAny message for city lovers wanting to explore BandraSM First walk Ditch the car Embrace the bylanes Come in the morning have puri bhaji from a small window in Chimbai Do your grocery shopping not from an app but from Bazaar Road Watch Aunties shop at the fish market Stop to hear Joe Vessaokar sit playing his trumpet between fruit sellers Walk up to the Mount Sit by the sea Grab a beer at Yacht Slow down and embrace an easygoing BandraThe times they are achangingA beloved community newspaper is on its way out With the closure of Gloria and Clarence Gomesrsquo Bandra Times folds yet another part of the suburbrsquos history writes Shormistha MukherjeeThis is the heart of Bandra A tiny community paper propelled by two people who do it from the ground floor of their 150yearold house since 2011 because they know itrsquos the simple everyday stories that we carry with usItrsquos not just putting together articles recipes health tips and news features Itrsquos also how thoughtfully itrsquos packed and sent off Gloria and Clarence fold each and every paper twice over Then slip paper bands with address labels on them neatly typed by Gloria Stamps will be fished out from a glass bowl and stuck After which Gloria will bundle the papers streetwise and tie them together in bunches so the post office doesnrsquot have to do extra work A rickshaw will be called and she will head to Bandra Post Office with her four big bags full of Bandra Times Which will get distributed to subscribers all over the neighbourhood for freeGloria simply states ldquoWe like to do it Sometimes I might complain but somehow it gets done When people stop to tell us how much they loved an article or when we see the postman going into a building with our paper we feel so happy We have met many kind people who come forward to cover our costsrdquoClary talks about the love and respect they get How in todayrsquos busy world just the fact that people want to stop in front of their house and talk about the paper and Bandra and life is their biggest rewardButhellip the December issue of Bandra Times will be the last Claryrsquos health and rising expenses have made it difficult to continue Plus with all the redevelopment many papers come back to them That breaks their heart a little To see their jaunty little paper not find a homeGoodbye Bandra Times You remind us that our neighbourhood in spite of the gentrification and proliferation of coffee shops is still a village where people are kind Thank you for all the good news Gloria and ClaryPudding can be pre ordered till December 10 at a special price on wwwhousesofbandracom and will be available soon after on Amazon and at Kitab Khana Kahani Tree and Fluxus on Chapel Road BandraMemories of Pali RoadThree girls grew up in a house with a garden As the years passed everything around changed But they stayed An account from one of the sisters urban historian Mariam DossalIt is the flowers of Bandra that my memory returns to and brings with it the greatest sense of loss The brilliant and beautiful colours of childhood vividly etched in my mind by the flaming red flowers of the overabundant gulmohar tree and the delicate yellow of the laburnum flowers were connected by little bluebell flowers that covered much of the entire wall of St Josephrsquos Convent along Pali RoadMariam Dossalrsquos ancestral home Al Dossal on Pali Road PICTHE DOSSAL FAMILYThere were countless of them and they fell to the ground actually creating a carpet on the sidewalk so that very often when I strolled down to Hill Road I would stop frequently to pick up a number of these blue flowers And keep them in the palm of my hand only to select the closed buds one at a time hold one end firmly between the two fingers of my right hand and blow into the little bulb that formed at the other end and then try to split it on the back of my left hand so that every successful phut gave me immense joy I cannot count the innumerable walks I took to Hill Road to buy something small from Wahedna Stores or Cheap Jack for my mother or my school that involved this wonderful exercise of examining these beautiful blue flowers and the wonderful sound they madeThere were flowers in our garden which were tended to with great care by my father who loved gardening Our garden had two lawns one in front and one at the side The lawn was bedecked with borders of colourful phlox cannas bougainvillea zinnias marigold and the flowers that my father loved especially ixoras and rosesThe open spaces the many trees the quiet bungalows the excitement brought about by Sunday cricket matches and festivities centering around Mount Maryrsquos feast or Christmas all made it possible to draw comfort from the outside world Every child deserves this And yet it seems so incredibly preposterous and unfair even worse criminal the manner in which we have allowed this quiet graciousness in the pleasure in the open outdoors to be stolen from our childrenAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay You can reach her at mehermarfatiamiddaycomwwwmeher marfatiacom