Dr. Paramita Mukherjee Mullick writes three poems on Mumbai. He writes on its once-iconic cotton mills, popular street food vada pav, and on the 100 years of the Marine Drive.
The Cotton Mills
The cotton mills of Bombay,
In ruins, dilapidated and lost.
Uncontrolled shrub all around.
The dividing walls covered with dense flora
Looks like a maze from afar.
The grimy, filthy, dark walls
Dry weeds and climbers clinging on.
The roofs no longer there,
Instead the plaited Banyan roots.
The rickety skeletons of the mills stare at you.
So many have worked here,
So many dreams have been fulfilled.
So many dreams shattered and destroyed,
After the cotton mills shut down.
The crumbling ruins remain
Reminding us of the glorious past.
The daily chores of a Mumbai busy road,
Going on beside the lost mills.
The roaring cotton industry of the 19th century,
Now just turned into dirty ruins.
Vada Pav
Vada pav, the love of Mumbai.
The hot round potato pattice,
In the middle of a square bread, the pav.
A lip-smacking savoury.
With the green chutney
And oh so thika* red garlic chutney.
The aroma wafting from the roadside stalls.
The old newspaper wrapped delicacy.
Bite into the vada pav and voila!
The spices seep into your senses,
The flavour reaches your nostrils.
The play of the soft bread bun and the potato dumpling
Around your tongue and tingling your taste buds.
A food for the rich and the poor alike.
A food for the aristocrats and the commoners.
Lovingly called the ‘Bombay burger’ at times.
Ashok Vaidya of Dadar, started this culinary delight.
The king of Mumbai street foods.
So the sweet Dabeli* or Ragda pattice*;
The Misal pav* or Poha* of Mumbai,
All fail in taste when compared with Vada pav.
*Thika—very hot and spicy
*Dabeli, Ragda pattice,Misal pav, Poha — different street foods of Mumbai
The Queen’s Necklace
A thousand lights aglow, all lining the shore.
A promenade, a landmark of Mumbai.
Like a string of pearls, happiness unfurls.
A C-shaped coastal road beside a natural bay.
The Marine Drive proclaims, 100 years of fame.
The palm tree flanked road.
The Queen’s Necklace, Mumbai’s unique face,
Has witnessed so much history.
So many highs and lows; so many wonderful shows.
Pearls reflecting the wisdom and wealth of Mumbai.
A 3 km stretch, which beauty to the city has fetch.
Constructed by Pallonji Mistry in December 1922.
On the northern end, is the Chowpatty Beach at the bend.
The art décor style Parsi buildings all in a row.
The Queen’s Necklace dazzles, a 100 years of mystery unravels.
And still remains the undisputed Queen of Mumbai.
Dr. Paramita Mukherjee Mullick lives in Mumbai, India. A scientist, a poet, an organiser and an editor, Dr Mullick pursues painting and photography as passions. With nine published books and blessed with quite a few awards, Dr Mullick heads two forums — President and Initiator of the Mumbai Chapter of the Intercultural Poetry and Performance Library (IPPL) and the Cultural Convenor and Literary Coordinator (West India) of the International Society for Intercultural Studies and Research (ISISAR).
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