Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Down memory lane

This Saturday I had the chance of visiting Fort after many months.
I had to visit the main Branch of HDFC to subscribe for the Tata Steel rights issue. It was Saturday so the usual office crowd was missing.
I reached very early and had to stand in the queue for about 10 minutes. Once the bank counters opened it was really a breeze. Kudos to HDFC bank for managing all this very well.
Now work done I had some time in my hand to roam.
Fort area in Mumbai is the downtown(in US speak) where all major corporate offices exist or use to exist. With the advent of the BPO and IT industry much of the action has shifted to suburbs. But due to the stock market in this area major banks and other old corporates like Tata's still have there corporate HQ's in Fort.
I started roaming the once familiar streets where my dad or my grand dad had worked.
These streets were familiar with old stucco buildings which had never changed since the last 50 years. I had worked here during my articled clerk days eating at the roadside stalls and sometimes in hotels.
Roaming those familiar streets I was struck with awe that little had really changed.
Some of the shops had vanished and these spaces were occupied by plush Tata Indicom and Reliance outlets. The stock exchange has been converted in to a Asian NASDAQ with a giant screen and a stock ticker.
I began searching for the usual eateries which me and my friends frequented.
Military Cafe(for Kheema pav and Beer)--I was a teetotaler and a veggie then
Dwarka (for usual lunch)
Coffee House(for its bitter coffee- which I did not like much back then and i use to ask for the sweetened one),Coffee house still exists as is (I use to work here in 1993-1996).It was a rule during the article ship days to take turns to foot the bill for everyone in office(normally not more than 10)after lunch for a simple coffee.
It was like i had fallen in a whirlpool of memories.
The book seller at the Fountain bus stop still lives with his ever burgeoning business.
This is where I had discovered books from Human Anatomy to Swahili Grammar.
Where else could you find a book on Swahili at dirt cheap prices.
I wound my way back from the narrow gullies passing by Pancham Puriwalla.
I had to get back home and attend to household chores and I returned happy yet vowing to spend at least half day to loiter on these streets like a vagabond again some day.

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