Sunday, January 25, 2009

Virant Circle - Ghatkopar

Hi there been a little busy with work. Well to begin with it was nice walk the other day nearthe Ghatkopar Vikrant Circle, that is the area, the area was given the name coz of the huge building called Vikrant, its the junction coming leading
  • (West) to Ratna stores from 60 feet road
  • (North) leading to the 90 feet road from the Pancholi Hospital end
  • (South) leads to Tilak road towards Lions Garden and on to Acchija Pav Bhajji joint,
  • (East) end leading to Satyam Complex near Bala's Classes.

This area has changed over the years, Rajesh Cable has sponsored the garden maintainance and it looks nice to have such beautiful garden, for years this was barren and nothing there. The fountain is really nice to look in the night.

Ghatkoapr Vikrant circle had years gone by our most famous tailor Gents - Amin Tailor at the end corner shop of Lolly book store, his humble assistant Mr. Ravi started Aristo tailors it was then a rented shop next to Pushpa Vihar Hotel, he later on went on to buy and have his own shop which opposite PV, he still does fantastic work. The Vikrant circle (VC) had very little shops then, mostly grocery and medical store , then we had the Jolly book store, our good friend and class mate in school Dubey's father had a Dughdahlaya (milk Store, sweet meat) they used to make good Samosa and lassi now this is taken over, saw a plushly decorated eatry - All Vaishnav Cuisine hotel there.

The VC had Sundaram stores where most of the South Indian ordered their grocery, this again run by my school classmate Nathan Nadar father , a humble guy , always on his red color cycle, still travels the same way, with White Lungi or to say puttu .

Then there was this Mangalore store just behind now Paan Beedi Store , most of our friends in the building were Mangaloreans so we used to go buy Rotti for Kory Rotti- Chicken curry with this dry roti made of rice flour, this dish was a staple for all the Mangaloreans on Sunday or feast days, the rotti to be broken into pieces and the Chicken curry poured on it lots of it then wait for few minutes to let it be soaked in it and then the tasty soft rotti with chicken was such a joy to have.

The Khaddi (swamp) where now the slum dewellers have got a building complex and a plush high storey made, which has shops selling Mobile - 9Pea marketing, Salons , beauty parlour, ICICI ATM, and the most famous CAFE COFFEE DAY, opposite it the wine shop for years still the same, next to it the raddhiwala (Old paper mart), we used to read books coming back from college (Somaiya) for free, the sportstar magazines and the centre fold of Chris Evert, Sabbatini, Ivan Lendle , Stefan Edberg, and the famous brat John McEnroe, then behind the hidden shelf the posters of SAMANTHA FOX man they had a collection of her RED SWIM SUIT poster which was selling like hot cakes, and many many more.

The Crysta Barber shop, its owner started small way back in the 1970's in a shop which is now the road selling vegetables behind the deomlished ODEON talkies, remember him sharpning the (Oosstra - shaving blade ) on the black belt made of horse skin, nice guy , made his big bucks and then started Crystal, and finally Diamond hair salon in Sati kripa shopping centre, now this given way to a ladies parlour.

Walking the VC is now too crowded, car parking all over, people buzzing in and out, ot of noise and the traffic.

Lot of the guys & gals had a good time and still do from the Navrathri celebration which used to take place in the compound of Virant & Vasundhara building.

Take a walk for some shopping and eating the VC has a eatry which on the road selling sandwich and juices, dosa stall and all. but the real eatry is the famous ACCHIJA PAV BHAJJI on the tilak road cross road, more about it in the next post.

Photo will be inserted later.





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