Where mirror walls whisper

The more you stare the less you see at times But rest the gaze closer on certain buildings and a veritable storm of stories flies into your face Bombay is strewn with ldquosister structuresrdquo either simply resembling or outright reflecting each otherTo begin with two evocatively christened buildings at the Churchgate corner where Madam Cama Road meets Maharshi Karve Road opposite the Oval Maidan Theatre actor Farid Currimrsquos family has lived in Moonlight ever since GB Mhatre designed this Deco jewel in 1938 having already completed Sunshine next door They were commissioned by Phirozshaw Mistry whose granddaughter Katie Engineer offers Currim and me coffee in her flatForced by the familyrsquos flagging fortunes to leave school Mistry studied by streetlight That sight much moved textile tycoon Morarji Gokuldas ldquoApprenticing with Morarji Phirozshaw ended up partnering his own brotherinlaw Nanabhoy Motabhoyrdquo Katie explains ldquoTheir company Phiroz N Motabhoy manufactured Sun and Moon brand machine bobbins with Japanese technology Deciding his buildings would be Moonlight and Sunshine he indulgently laid them with fine Italian marblerdquoTwin blocks of the PM Kaka Buildings on Firdausi Road Dadar Parsi ColonyWe are joined by Engineerrsquos cousin A privilege indeed to encounter the countryrsquos pioneer karate exponent Sensei Pervez Mistry Qualifying in Kyoto from where he returned in 1969 as Indiarsquos first Black Belt instructor he taught and graded Karatedo under the auspices of the Seibukan Academy of Japan Like all the best teachers he fondly remembers an early pupil after 50 yearsmdashmy brother who hopped aboard buses and trains from Bandra to follow his guru with keen regularity Coincidentally a little girl cousin of the Currims who spent her first eight years in Moonlight shifted to another one of two rather intriguing buildings on Gamadia Road near Haji Ali Silver Foil and Gold Cornet rose as the absolute joy of her grandfather Vali Mohammad Sonavala and his brother Ghulam Hussein SonavalaSilver Foilrsquos projecting balconies and continuous chhajjas exemplify the appeal of reinforced concrete a rampantly explored material in the 1930s ldquoMy grandfather was the President of the Gold Association He had an office in Zaveri Bazar where deals were struck in silver and gold Hence the name must have come to his mindmdashSilver Foil or varak silver leafrdquo says education consultant Mariam Shaikh from Dubai ldquoSilver Foil has Burma teak columns and very unusual tiling which wersquove maintained for almost a hundred years The buildings were constructed with immense love and dedication for the Sonavala families to traditionally stay there Gold Cornet could also relate to the gold traderdquoJuvekar House at Chembur CourtesyArt Deco MumbaiShaikhrsquos guess about Silver Foilrsquos soul structure 1935dated Gold Cornetmdashcemented with striking ldquoeyebrowsrdquo lightningbolt ziggurats and horizontal bandsmdashis validated by Ghulam Husseinrsquos granddaughter Prithy Gandevia from Singapore writes ldquoBeing in the gold refining business for the Government of India my greatgrandfather Haji Alarakhia and grandfather wanted one of the buildings to be Gold Cornet This was a cottage converted into a doublestorey by my father Mohammed Ali who finally made it fourstoreyed Haji Alarakhia is believed to have introduced platinum in India A local lagdi coin used to buy gold had his name imprinted on itrdquoIt is hardly just Deco deserving a second dekko On the shaded lanes off Colaba Causeway architecture infuses enough French elements to transport tourists to a sense of New Orleans The 1902constructed Sargent House on Allana Road reflects Jenkins House on parallel Henry Road They touch backtoback trimmed by a thinning lace of copper pod gulmohar sitafal and badam trees together forming an impressively scenic section of their respective streetscapes Sturdy red brick walls are adorned with architrave bands floorlevel cornice bands and features like friezes projecting verandahs supported on decorative wooden brackets elegant railings and balustersSargent House acknowledges a municipal councillor by that name Jenkins House exudes a permanent poise lofty arches lauding the luminary it honoursmdashmost likely Sir Lawrence Hugh Jenkins Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court if not Port Trust engineer Jenkins They are among six properties in the vicinity acquired by the Indian Institute of Science Jamsetji Tata intended that the rent they fetched contributed to the institutersquos development The Tata group founder strategically marketed these properties to prominent colonialsRonald Jeffreis outside Sunkist cottage in Santa Cruz File picTo quote RM Lala in For the Love of India The Life and Times of Jamsetji Tata ldquoJamsetji was to fight some battles with the British On an individual level he remained a warm friend to scores of Englishmen including several judges of the city High Court It is not accidental that the buildings he had built behind the Tajmdashbefore the hotel came upmdashwere named after Englishmen Reay House Roosevelt House Sargent House Sandhurst House Jenkins House and Candy House It is significant too that it was Justice Candy of the Bombay High Court and not Jamsetji that led the delegation to Lord Curzon Viceroy of India on Jamsetjirsquos scheme to establish a research universityrdquoIncidentally from Jamsetjirsquos half a dozen investments in the area Reay House and Sandhurst House sport handsome resemblances though perhaps not as obviously as Sargent House and Jenkins House doOther apartments stand in conjunction without always appearing so for varied reasons Nudging the Apollo Bunder promenade the facades of Ionic and Corinthian erected by Vazifdar Builders in the mid1950s essentially wear similar elements except for being hung with differently shaped balconies The classic quartet girdling Dadar Eastrsquos former tram terminal at Khodadad Circlemdashclockwise as Tilak Bridge ends Empress Mahal Empire Mahal Imperial Mahal and Harganga Mahalmdashare fronted by humongous unchecked shop signage This tragically all but wipes out their striking IndoSaracenic chajjas and jaali windowsAs the leafy open enclave of Parsi Colony starts on Ashoka treelined Jame Jamshed Road the twin roofs of Family House teamed organically from the 1920s Till the second plot succumbed to redesign in recent decades Why mention buildings that arenrsquot a set anymore Because of an emotional tug Family House is my family housemdashhome to three generations of Dasturs My fatherrsquos childhood turf where I continue visiting aunts and cousins This is Family House denoted No 793 Bang beside it No 794 sports the changed avatar Further in the identical Swiss cottagecontours of PM Kaka Charity Fund Buildings on Firdausi Road are brushed by mahogany boughs Both structure and verdure boast almost a centuryrsquos vintage The pair is refreshingly well maintained a matter of evident pride for their oldest residents like 78yearold Noshir Anklesaria Within flights of beautiful wooden stairs connect floors the longer stretching over 13 steps and the shorter nine with a separating platform Rushing to school or for fun alone young Anklesaria would take a single flying leap from top to bottom of the nine steps From literal leaps to the figurativehellip Allowing myself a broadish bit of writerrsquos licence I confess to find fleeting resonances between Juvekar House at Chembur and quite distant Sunkist bungalow in Santa Cruz The latter belonging to the Jeffries has witnessed an episode of uncommon gallantryAhead of assigning homes evocative names of course came the task of locating them wisely Ronald Jeffriesrsquo West Indian grandfather Frank Thomas came from Ratlam silvermedalled for his distinguished services to the BBampCI Bombay Baroda amp Central India Railway at King George VIrsquos proclamation He constructed Sunkist in 1939 opposite the Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana when this club was a mere asbestosroofed shed Frank Thomasrsquo sonsmdashRonaldrsquos father and unclesmdashsteered prestigious inaugural runs of the Frontier Mail Flying Rani and Rajdhani Express ldquoA confirmed Railways man my grandfather chose this spot to be able to see Khar Station on one side Santa Cruz Station on the otherrdquoThe grills through which Frank Thomas gazed on his beloved engines are interesting The Art Deco design weaves the initials ldquoftjrdquo from within and ldquojefrdquo for ldquoJeffriesrdquo from out ldquoDad and his brothers would sit for meals on this eightseater dining tablerdquo says Ronald ldquoKnowing exactly which train passed when they jumped up with torches signalling the trains to slow and throw them mango baskets from BalsarrdquoCourtesy and civility not yet extinct Frank Thomas heeded a request from the lady living across in Kenville Could the gentleman possibly please position the porch of his dream home to not obstruct her view of the gymkhanaThe main door of Sunkist does lie fairly recessed from the road ldquoThere was such great understanding thenrdquo Ronald sighs ldquoWersquore the original settlers here It hurts that people brashly muscling into the neighbourhood regard us as strangers instead todayrdquoAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay You can reach her at mehermarfatiamiddaycomwwwmeher marfatiacom