3 idiots @ mumbai

This autorickshaw driver has a sense of humour ... The caption reads " capacity - 3 idiots ".

Would be some marketing stunt for the upcoming release of 3 idiots if amir khan could get this done on all autos in mumbai ...

Pictures on the wall

Attempt at "home improvement" ... put up a few pictures and paintings on the walls. On the left is a wood inlay handicraft piece we picked up from an art exhibition last month and on the right is a collage of Deep's pictures ...

Kandivali Durga Puja - Thakur Village Bangiya Pratisthan

By far the best of the 3 Durga Pujas we checked out @ Kandivali ... This one is in Thakur Village on the right side of the Western Express highway as you approach Kandivali from Andheri.

Chandrabindu one of the more well known bengali rock bands was the attraction for the evening and we stayed on for a few numbers and also gorged on some neat egg-chicken rolls from the snack stalls.

However the rockstar of the evening was one of the committee members who was the stand-in master of ceremonies, though a stand-up comedian would be a more accurate description. Check out what he had to say while announcing the winners of the children's painting context which probably had been organized earlier in the day, "Abhi hum us bacchon ka naam bulayega jo bade hokar bada bada artist aur painter banega. Yeh bachcha sab humara bada dada se upohar lega. Hum aap logo ko anurodh karta hai ki jaise jaise mai bachcha ka naam bolega aap sab jor jor se taali dekar us bachcha ko protsahit karega !!! **" Needless to say the audience was in splits by then ...

**Loose translation for folks who dont know bong+hindi ( we need to have a name for this lingo ... just like "hinglish" is the unique combo of hindi+english ) ... unfortunately the humour is always lost in translation, "Now I will announce the names of the kids who will grow up to become famous artists and painters. The kids will collect their awards from our big brother ( refering to the president of the committee ). When I announce the names I request you to clap loudly to encourage the kids".

Powai Durga Puja 2009

The Pandal near Hiranandani @ Powai is a replica of Konark Temple. Its a few hundred meters from our home so this is where we're offering pushpanjali and having the all important bhog.

Lots of options ( on the food front ) in the evenings ... in fact Bijoligrill, a well known Kolkata based caterer ( mom says they'd done the catering for her wedding ) has set up a counter here. Tried out the fish-fry the other night, priced at 100 bucks the price seemed a bit steep but it was really scrumptious ... planning to try out the biryani tonight. One of my rants has aways been the lack of authentic biryani in Mumbai ... lets see if Bijoligrill lives up to its reputation :-)

Chakala crossing choked

With the mumbai metro WIP there's a perpetual traffic snarl at the chakala crossing ... Painful ...