Old World Charm Meets Contemporary Fashion

CityInfo, Mumbai Cover Story

Old World Charm Meets Contemporary Fashion
Fabindia. The Jeero building which houses the store, is more than a 100 years old.

If you ask the locals where to buy some trendy cotton or silk clothing, they would answer you in unison, Fabindia at Kala Ghoda. If you ask them where you can see a bit of old world Mumbai, they will say Jeero building. Jeero building houses Fabindia.
Fabindia, Mumbai has built itself a twin reputation. Not only has the shop been associated with fabric that will make your stay comfortable in Mumbai, but also with being one of the few stores to take antiquity into modernity so seamlessly.
The Jeero building is more than 100 years old. Situated in Kala Ghoda, the store is located in that part of Mumbai which is full of history. The building which now houses the store was a horse stable many years ago, which was subsequently turned into a restaurant called Albela by the actor Raj Kapoor. Years later, Bank of India came to be housed in the building. The bank occupied the building for 40 years. The beauty of Jeero building deteriorated over time and it became a forgotten structure like many others in the city. Until Fabindia came along and recognized the building for what it is – a beautiful structure. Jeero building was given a makeover.
With generous assistance from noted heritage restorer Abhama Lamba, the unfeigned beauty of this architectural structure came to light. Meanwhile, Shimul Khatri, who groomed the interiors, made sure the sanctity and old world charm of the place remained untouched. “The ceilings are 19 feet high! We have stripped off the POP which was concealing the edifice underneath. It had the original wooden ceilings well-preserved beneath,” said Poonam, store manager. Some repairs to plug the leaking roof, the teak rafters were scraped down and re-polished till they shone, cement tiles were laid and walls were disrobed of their plaster; and suddenly the building and its interiors began to shine, like it did all those years ago.
Fabindia is a hotbed of hand-woven and hand block-printed furnishings and made ups. Your house as also your family can be “furnished” at the shop. Ethnic kurtas, kurtis, shirts, skirts, parallels, salwar kameez and dupattas meet here. Dhurries, linen, upholstery, ready-made curtains and towels complete the store. The fabric used is mostly cotton, though there is a bit of silk too (kurtas and dupattas).
Fabindia is always promoting the season and the local artists. From UP to Andhra to Madhya Pradesh, interior Tamil Nadu and even across the shores from Vietnam. In keeping with the season, Fabindia has culled together a new prêt line – their silk and celebration collection. The collection features a whole new range of furniture for bedroom and living rooms. Said Poonam,”Until now we had bed linens, dhurries, pillow cases, curtains; but they were not a complete selection. Our new collection has everything matching, so Fabindia is just a one-stop-shop for all home furnishings.”

Fabindia
Jeero Building
137 MG Road
Ph – 2262-6539/40

Relive 468 Years Within 4 Hours

CityInfo, Bangalore Cover Story

Relive 468 Years Within 4 Hours
Experience Victorian Bangalore with Bangalore Walks: The City’s Latest Tourism Stop

A chilly Bangalore morning, unsure of the walk I was about to undertake, I tugged myself lazily out of bed. Quite sure that no one would turn up this early, I was astonished to see an enthusiastic bunch of people geared up to learn more about the Bangalore they have all known.
Bangalore is now what we call India’s Silicon Valley and the country’s pub capital. But very few actually know much about the history of this pleasant and beautiful city. Legend has it that in the 11th century, an old woman shared her meal of boiled beans with a king who was lost. He later named the place ‘Benda Kalooru’ or town of boiled beans. The name changed as time went on and what we are presently left with is a corrupted version of the original, Bangalore.
The Bangalore Walk however, is far from a guided tour of the city. The walk covers MG Road – yes, I stop short there. Just MG Road. Every person who has ever stepped into Bangalore recognises this buzzing road, which is just over 2 kms, as the main artery of this business city.
The roads of Bangalore come alive earlier than I had ever known. While Arun Pai, who is the brain behind Bangalore Walks, asks you to close your and go back in time where troops are marching into Bangalore. It’s not hard to imagine MG Road bereft of the traffic. Led by Lord Cornwallis, the army trooped down to the city market where they captured Tipu’s Fort. This was the foothold of the East India Company, which helped them gain control of South India.
From then on the city has grown in magnitude, emerging into what you see it and know it. The city has slowly found a place in the country’s history and on the world map too.
There is an eclectic mix of people – right from inquisitive school kids to well travelled tourists and housewives. Even veteran Bangaloreans who have lived here all their lives were surprised at the facts which were brought to light by Arun during the walk.
This is the best bet for someone who is new to Bangalore and wants to learn about the rich culture and historical significance. As had been the British policy, Bangalore was clearly divided into Old City and the Cantonment area. Bangalore grew from a mere military station to a flourishing administrative center, which set it apart from other cantonments. It was separated from the Old City, which had the fort as it nucleus. For over a 100 years Bangalore has been a tale of two cities existing side by side!
Part of the charm of the walk is that much of what happens is kept as a surprise. Do take a look at www.bangalorewalks.com for more info and testimonials.

Do you know?
- What is Tom Hanks’ connection with Bangalore?
He used the Bangalorean Torpedo in Saving Private Ryan
- Which country does Bangalore export wine to?
Bangalore wine is exported to France!
Mayo House is named after…? Lord Mayo, who was the only Viceroy to be assassinated in office
- What was MG Road formerly known as?
South Parade Road

Life After Dark

Café Beat – for Café Coffee Day

Life After Dark
Midnight drives, all-night parties, gate crashing, call centre execs will do anything for fun as long as there’s no sun.

‘Nightlife’ has acquired to a whole new meaning in the last five years. And no, we are not talking only about clubbing zones. We mean life begins at night for Gen X. Not too long ago, graduates fresh out of college would scrimp to be able to afford chai and buttered buns. Partying was out of the question for many, with pubs, bars and clubs seeming like exorbitant, inaccessible spaces. At the most, one could make a trip to one of these watering holes and restaurants at the beginning of each month when the pay cheque had been cashed.
Not anymore. Youngsters today earn as much as their parents did after slogging away for ten years or more. The BPO boom has created a new breed of young adults who are re-defining the concept of consumerism. Loaded with cash and confidence, equipped with the latest gizmos, wearing designer clothes; these liberal spenders believe in having a good time. Listen up to what they have to say.

What’s the story, morning glory?
Snehal, 22 works with Hutchison 3G, where her shift ends at 3.30am. Instead of waiting for her pick-up car that goes through many a detour-ridden street before dropping her off, her boyfriend picks her up. He works at e-Serve located in the same campus, Mindspace in Malad.
“We go for a long drive on empty roads on the early morning. Its great fun…the only other people on the roads are the milk-vans and newspaper vendors. We even get to catch up with our friends. So its just like college – attend classes and then bogey till sunrise.” Parents have had to do their share of adjusting. Snehal’s parents don’t object to her lifestyle “because they know my friends from college days and it’s the same lot,” she says.
Sleep is a luxury but these problem-solvers have learnt to deal with that, too. Snehal says that lack of sleep is easily manageable. “I barely used to sleep for five hours while I was studying during the final year of college. So I can handle it. Moreover, on days of comp-offs, I sleep all day and make up for that sleep-deprivation.

And now over to the boyfriend…
Rahul is 24 and has a back-end job, which means his hours are not too crazy. “It’s not really the graveyard shift. I finish work at 10.30 and then go our partying with my friends,” he says.
He doesn’t like hanging out with his colleagues. “They are big-time junkies. Once out of work, all they want to do is smoke up while guzzling down beers…that too in the office compound! Earlier, I found it exciting, but then found it was too risky. If we had got caught, all that hard work I put into climbing up the corporate ladder would have gone down the drain.”
He prefers to crash out at the closest beach resort or land up at a friend’s farmhouse. “We drive off on Friday night, and come home on Sunday morning. That’s the only day I actually meet my parents.”
His parents have got used to his way of life. “Before I started working at e-Serve, I used to party till the wee hours of the morning. So it’s nothing new for them,” Rahul says.

Cool? Uncool?
“Sometimes when I finish early (10 pm), we go to Slice of Lime to drink or Pop Tates. Otherwise nothing else except Café Coffee Day is open till that late. There is a table-tennis table and a music zone at 3G. So we mostly hang around the cafeteria, waiting for the pick-up car,” says Gautam, another Hutchison 3G employee.
He doesn’t find the time to go meet his friends because of his busy schedule and the Mumbai distances. Weekends are when he catches up with his buddies. On weekdays, he prefers to go home and sleep. “I know its kinda uncool to say this, but when you are working, its mighty tiring.” He speaks of the adverse effects of working at call-centres, “You need to be prompt in solutions and the mind needs to be alert for that. It’s not all that hunky-dory as most people think.”
Sometimes, he lets himself go, but with a pinch of regret. “There are days when I get tempted and go out partying on work days. It’s sheer hell, man! Endless cups of coffee and smoking are the only way to survive the nasty hangover and sleepiness. So, I generally avoid that.”

Changing Lanes
Fiona used to work with Jet Airways till she joined IBM in November last year. This 23-year old has shift changes very often which means every few weeks she has different hours and a new bunch of workmates. But that still hasn’t deterred her from partying. “In fact, I have made many more friends. We go to restaurants or coffee shops after work. On weekends too I prefer catching on movies and hanging out with this bunch of new friends from work.”

The Commuters
Then there are those who deal with long commutes, making their hours even longer. Like Sanjay, who works at HSBC and handles the lost-card complaints in the UK – a very routine and somewhat dull operational job. He must be doing something exciting after work to maintain the balance, right? But he says, “Far from it! I stay one hour away from office. If I don’t get the pick-up car, all hell breaks lose.” So he goes home and watches TV until he falls asleep. He doesn’t hang out that much with his colleagues, except “for the regular doses of coffee in the cafeteria.” He waits for the weekend to arrive to catch up with his friends.

Party Poop
Atul works with Transworks and doesn’t do much merry-making either. “My girl-friend doesn’t let me party.” Poor chap! “I finish work at 1 am but my girlfriend (who doesn’t work in a call-centre) doesn’t like my colleagues. They go out drinking every night.” Recently, one of his workmates got thrown out of the office. “He would come to work with a groggy hangover every morning. And as a trainer, that wasn’t making a very good impression.”
So does that mean he spends all his free time with his girlfriend? “No,” he is quick to retort. “I still go out with my colleagues. We have sleepover parties over the weekend. Our team leader/ manager regularly takes us out to resorts where my girlfriend can’t join us (phew!), so we guzzle all we want.”

Now isn’t it good to know that the 'work hard, party hard' motif isn’t confined to New Yorkers? Welcome to the global nightlife village.