Thursday(8/4/2021) :- The ” COVID -19″ pandemic has created a fad in Cycling although Mumbai’s roads are least cycle friendly and dangerous during peak traffic hours..
As a regular hobby/ house errands cyclist since 1999 surprised that there are numerous ” Motorcycle repair” shops in every nook and corner of Mumbai but a total scarcity of ” Cycle repair shops “.In the entire Worli / Prabhadevi locality of my cycling range there are just 2 cycle repair shops and both closed.
My cycle required urgent brake shoe pads adjustment/ replacement and cycled all the way to Mahim’s Lowharchawl to discover ” Munna Cycle repair shop” in a bylane of Wanja Wadi.A young kid got my cycle serviced and back to brand new condition.Also realized that Mahim Loharchawl locality hasn’t modernised much although multi skyscraper buildings are under construction in the vicinity.If in need of servicing your cycle and living in the vicinity of Mahim then visit ” Munna Cycle repair shop” situated in Wanja Wadi of Loharchawl in Mahim.
MAKING MUMBAI A CYCLING CITY AND CYCLE FRIENDLY.
08 Thursday Apr 2021
Posted in Uncategorized
Wednesday(13/1/2021) A Tourist in Mumbai :- Bombay now Mumbai is a city once divided into various segments based on communities and DONGRI is one such locale in the heart of South Mumbai. 
⁸Believe it or not but in 52 years of my lifetime in Mumbai this was my first visit to “DONGRI LOCALITY” although i spent 7 years of my lifespan in nearby Byculla locality.”MAKAR SANKRANTI” is synonymous with kite flying all over India and DONGRI in Mumbai was World famous for producing the best kites and “Manja( Kite Thread)” in India.
Rode the short 8 Kms distance in heavy traffic from my residence on Old Prabhadevi road to J.J. Hospital and at the first left turn on reaching the hospital road end headed left onto the street leading to Dongri. Absolutely congested with traffic and people and thankfully got my bearings right in discovering the “KITE SHOPS OF DONGRI”.
The landmark ” MUGHAL MASJID(Masjid-E-Iranian)” built in the 1860’s situated on Imamwada road is the locale in which the kite shops are situated. 
Visited the “Dongri Kite Centre” ,first kite shop situated just next to the iconic masjid and was surprised to know that this was the oldest kite shop having been in business since 1942. 
Spoke to the owner Mr Mohammed. Malik. Ansari sitting at the main counter of this small unassuming shop. Different kites were on display inside the shop while a worker was busy producing ‘Kite Manja(Kite Thread )” on a “Phirki (Kite string bobpin roller)”. 
Memories of my childhood right upto 1975 rushed through my mind. As a kid i flew kites in Mombasa(Kenya) and later on migrating to Bombay continued my passion of kites during our residency in Byculla chawl culture . 
In 1975 we shifted to Old Prabhadevi road and that’s when my kite flying stopped as no one flew kites in the flat culture of our building. Is kite flying dying a slow death in Mumbai ? Yes. I personally feel so as even with binoculars i don’t see kites in the skies of the plush localities of Mumbai.
Even in the remaining chawls of Mumbai it seems flying kites is no more the seasonal passion in the era of smart phones and Internet games. 
Change is Permanent ? From “Dongri Kite Centre” shop walked a few meters ahead and came across “Indian Fighter Kites” established in 1972. Identical to “Dongri Kite Centre” but slightly bigger .A little ahead from “Indian Fighter Kites” was the last kite shop on “Imamwada Road” , a total of only three kite shops on this road which explains the decline in the kite flying business. 
After a visit to the “KITE SHOPS” rode leisurely along the narrow road of Dongri passing alongside “St Joseph’s School” and later stopping at “Dongri Market”. As usual ended my short tour of “DONGRI” with a visit to the fish market where a giant fish was in the process of dissection for purchasers. Ahoy !
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On Monday(4/1/2021) while on my normal cycling exercise around “Worli Seaface-Pochkhanawalla(Worli Hill)(Mt Everest Circuit !) ” road on my return home stopped at the “SLUICE GATE DRAWBRIDGE” situated next to the main entrance gate of Indian Coast Guard missile battery base “I.N.S Trata” . 18 storey “Harsiddhi Heights” towers above the “Worli-Koliwada’ fishing wharf, the tallest building in the vicinity. No tall buildings are allowed in the vicinity of “I.N.S TRATA” due to security reasons of the Indian Navy.
Got a wonderful view of the small fishing boats anchored in the tiny basin of the “Sluice Gate drawbridge”. Amazing and ironic that sadly thanks to the “Covid-19 Travel Lockdown” i am a tourist in my own city of Mumbai. 
“Covid-19 Travel Lockdown” has made me rediscover my own city and locality, a tourist rediscovering my own backyard . When “COVID-19 ” first struck Mumbai city it was “WORLI KOLIWADA” village that bore the brunt of this pandemic and was the first locality in entire Mumbai to be put under a “CURFEW LOCKDOWN”. 
Terrible tragedy followed with numerous deaths within this mass populated village and thankfully in 2021 the village has eradicated “Covid-19″ although still a pandemic in other localities of Mumbai.WORLI KOLIWADA FISHING WHARF” is situated in the small sheltered basin of the length of the “SLUICE GATE DRAWBRIDGE” of “Worli Gutter”.
“Harsiddhi Heights”, a 18 storey’s towering skyscraper building built right above the “Worli Gutter” channel route is the landmark building in the vicinity overlooking the wharf and Indian Navy battery base “I.N.S Trata”.
These small fishing boats catch small fish and occasionally lobsters which sell at Rs 1,100/Kg. The fisher folk of Worli Koliwada village have noticed a drastic drop in fish catch after the construction of the “Bandra-Worli Sea Link” and proof was in this pitiable catch of early morning fishing business where its difficult to recoup fuel cost let alone profit to the boat employee’s and owner. Could call this type of fishing business as subsistence fishing . Cycled back home with the cheapest fish for courtesy of my first visit. 
Have eaten numerous lobsters of this size during my 2 years (1999-2000) employment on “J.N.P.T Tugs(Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust)” at Nhava Sheva .
One of the Tug’s crew was an expert fisherman and when the tug was anchored off the port wharf he would use his “CRAB NET” to catch lobsters and crabs which he would later sell.
Once he caught the largest black crab i have seen in my life that weighed a few kilo’s and which he sold to a 5 star hotel.A real monster of a crab which i presume would never see in my life again. Ahoy !
Later at home got the fish cooked.After 45 years of living in Old Prabhadevi locality for the first time I was having seafood with fish purchased directly from Worli Koliwada Fish Jetty .
