After my friend Roland Francis's nostalgic view of Goan Bombay of yester years, I will add here my two khote paise's worth.
Although I lived in Bombay (near Dabul(St Sebastian Goan High SChool or St. Anne's)/Cheera Bazzar) just for a year or two from 1970, just next to Bosco D'Mello's Building, I have some vivid and sweet memories of Bombay of that time. I used to love to frequent Dhobitalao (The Washerman's tank of centuries ago) every evening, although most of Goans from Dhobitalao are now in Washington(Why? Do they have tons of laundry in Washing?) Like everyone else I used to go to Dhobitalao's St. Francis Xavier's Restaurant for a nice dish of sorpatel/chourissam and even buch and unddo. Sometimes I used to go to Cavel, Pedru's restaurant. I loved to walk along Girgaum Road(What is it called now? (Shankar Shett something) crossing Princess Street and go to Parsi Dairy Farm for icecream, then follow along to Dhobitalao via Sonapur Lane.(Is it called Dr. Simon Lane now?) By the way I used to see Dr. Simon once a week when I used to write for Goa Times. The Sunday mass at Our Lady of Dolours was a treat. Nice Goenchim mana and manae and uncles and auntios, in a typical Goan millieu within a sea of crowded Bombay megacity. Then we used to take in some movies at Metro cinema after Kyani and Bastani's famous pudding, after watching the Tiatr sign board then go to Moidana Khuris where lovers used to light candles and others would come to pray. Tarvottis would pray for a clean medical check-up, other unemployed looking for jobs. Girls looking for boys and vice-versa. Further on we used to go to see who's come from Goa on buses, anyone that we knew who brought some fenni or sausages. Then we would see some amateur soccer. Later the young romantic hearts s would fill up the whole of Back-Bay and walk along Taraporewala Aqurium all the way to Chowpatti Beach sipping the cold coloured milk from Aarey Milk Colony or munching the massala corn on the cob or tasting the green coconuts. And later at night we would walk to Crawford Market's Maharaja's Cold drink house with Mango/oramge fresh juice? And I remember that night when Lorna and Chris Perry had that first open Air Konkani show at St Xavier's Rang Bhavan open air theatre with a complete 20 piece band live on stage with "NOURO MOZO DEVCHAR". Oh my God, How many Goans were walking along Girgaum Road after it was over? Oh those were the days. It was the "Talk of the Town" then. Later I went for a show in Shanmukhananda Hall in Matunga for a live show of "The Jetliners" with that lively compere "Usha Ayyer" And I used to go walking to Flora Fountain to drink refreshing sweet "Neera". And I can remember when I saw my first big time movie "The Graduate" at Fort's "Sterling Theatre(Tata's). I loved Dustin Hoffman falling in love with an older woman (I was a young graduate too) . Oh Bombay of that time, it was still dirty but I loved it! And at night I used to drink that hot hott milk with that thick "sai"(Well who knew of cholesterol then?). And how about those large peram (peru). And not forgetting big pamplittam (avoiss) with reichad massala or even machhi- ka kaddi with hot rice eating with hand. Oh what a taste without fork and spoon? Then biknam and chonnem. And of course the Tiatr with Prem Kumar , C. Alvares and M Boyer at Bhangwaddi. One day we went for Bandra feast. There was a small hill there. People went to auntie's room for the local booze brewed from battery churo?(yak).One day I went to Sewri cemetery, where most Goans lay buried. I remember someone taking me to Mazagaon Dock on board the ship. WoW! What food and drinks! Sapporo or Asahi beer and Barbecued chicken.That Bottler was very generous to us, the Goan cook prepared a buffet for us. I even went to Goregaon Seminary just for a visit, it was a huge structure. Oh yea, I can't forget the picnic to Mud Island, where I could see lots of wayside crosses of the East Indian Catholic community, where lots of Hindi films are shot with smugglers singing and dancing to the tunes like "Haum Saiba poltoddi oitam". And I always liked that spicy goat chop in a Muslim Restaurant with kotmir and other hot spices. Oh yes, that time I could only window-look at those 5 Star restaurants, with a Nepali guard standing next to the "Diners Club" sign on the door. Always wondered what "Diners Club" was. Arre it's only a credit card mure. If I knew then, I'd say "Charge it". I used to marvel at those Bombay rich people who entered such fancy restaurants(we used to call them hotels) along the classy Marine Lines. I guess rich Sindhis and Gujeratis and film producers lived in those rich apartments along Marine Lines. Oh what a life in a fast city. We were too poor to enjoy like them rich guys. Oh what a pity, I am sure it's not like it any more NOW, even if you have tons of money. Bombay is no more the old Bombay. It has become Mumbai of today! But I still love my GOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(And why the hell am I here?) Silviano Barbosa (Repeat) _________________________________________________________________