After living in Mumbai for a significant part of my life, I
have understood one thing that I am not a person who is made for constant
commotion of the metropolitans. However, it is also true that I cannot escape
this life because I have to sustain a reasonable standard of life, which is
possible only in the urban cities. One place where I love going for a weekend
getaway is the Khotachi Wadi village in the city; it is a tiny settlement in
the Girgaum district of South Mumbai. People know this hamlet mainly because of
the Chowpatty beach, but I try to explore things beyond that whenever I go
there. I have a coincidental buddy who lives in the houses constructed in
Portuguese style. Most of the people here are the original inhabitants of
Mumbai, the East Indian Christians who came here more than a hundred years
ago.
The bright colors of the houses and their multi-storied
structures are quite rare in the central city where tall skyscrapers are a
familiar sight. The high ceilings of the enormous rooms behind the
long-standing verandahs are a sigh of relief when you come from the congested
apartments. I do not have any choice but to live in a tiny dwelling in the
city, which I do not like very much because I come from Punjab where I have
been brought up in huge Haveli style houses. The quiet ambiance of this place
at my friend, Mahesh's house lets me relax and spend a good time with his
family. I always go there early in the morning just to be able to smell the Goan
and Konkan cuisines, most of which are made of fish. I never had much of fish
during my childhood, but it was a fantastic experience to experiment with
various varieties of it and fall in love with it.
Mahesh's mother and wife, both are fantastic cooks, and they
prepare such mouth-watering cuisines that I cannot help but lick every bit of
food in my plate. They have even trained the male folk of the house to cook
brilliant dishes. So whenever, the females of the house are not in a mood to
toil in the kitchen; the men bring the kitchen to the verandah and cooking
becomes a household activity. My wife and I enjoy being with these people, who
are not indulged in the rat race of existence and triumph like us.
I work for Self-Drive Car Rental Mumbai, and it is easy for me to take a car and reach any corner
of the city. It was just by chance that I met Mahesh while walking on the
streets of Khotachi Wadi; I was asking for the directions to the chapel in the
village. He accompanied me to the place rather than just guiding me with the
instructions. I had loved his gesture of hospitality, which is rare in Mumbai.
While talking to him for a while on our way, he told me quite a few things
about the chapel and showed me the scenes depicting the birth time of Jesus. I
found the mural of Virgin Mary with baby Jesus particularly amazing because of
its simplicity. Mahesh told me that the villagers had constructed the chapel in
1899 to express gratitude to Jesus after they persisted the plague.
After a few years of friendship with Mahesh, I realize that
even Khotachi Wadi is gradually being converted into an urban town. The
springing of high rise buildings poses a threat to the austerity of this place.
Anyway, until we have time to enjoy the serenity of this little hamlet, I do
not want to waste a minute that I can spend here.
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