[Reader-list] Interview with Ishwar Thadani

[zainab at xtdnet.nl]

Mr. Ishwar Thadani has been living at Marine Drive for the last 50 years
now. He has an office in Nariman Point. As he says, “Marine Drive is the
crown of Mumbai’s residential area while Nariman Point is the crown of
Mumbai’s commercial area”.

I stepped into Mr. Thadani’s office at 5:00 PM. The doors of his cabin are
closed. Inside the cabin, is a television camera which Thadani eyes
keenly, keeping a watch on the lady sitting at the reception desk. He
clearly asked me not to audio record the interview but to take notes. I
started:

Zainab: When did you first move in to Marine Drive?
Ishwar Thadani: In 1956. It has been almost 50 years now that I have been
living here.

Zainab: And what about your office? When did you acquire an office at
Nariman Point?
Ishwar Thadani: Earlier, office was located at Crawford Market. Then we
moved in here when we got this office space as a reasonably good price.
Now it is comfortable – I live at Marine Drive and work at Nariman Point.
It is a straight drive down.

Zainab: What are your first memories of the Nariman Point promenade?
Ishwar Thadani: It was all sea. Even Cuffe Parade was all sea. At Cuffe
Parade, there were mangroves and it was lovely. The only buildings at
Cuffe Parade at that time were the one in which Ambani lives right now and
the four Maker Towers. All this land was reclaimed before my eyes.

Zainab: Do you think the pace of life at Nariman Point is different than
in the rest of the city?
Ishwar Thadani: Pace of life is the same. You have to remember that a
Bombayite is a Bombayite – this is Bombay hava (meaning air, slang for
characteristic). The work culture in this city is very professional.
Bombay is like Manhattan. Nariman Point clearly symbolizes Manhattan.

Zainab: But there is no Central Park here as in Manhattan?
Ishwar Thadani: So what? Let me tell you that Nariman Point is the crown
of the commercial area in Bombay city while Marine Drive is the crown of
the residential area in Bombay.

Zainab: What kind of changes have you seen at Nariman Point / Marine Drive
in all these years?
Ishwar Thadani: Well, like I said before, this was all sea. Only in the
1970s did the commercial area come up. Where the Air India building is
standing today, it was previously all a maidan. I think in all these
years, Nariman Point has become better and better. It is thriving now.
Except that the hawkers have ruined the prominence of Nariman Point. Look
at what they have done to the roads here? They have completely taken over
the roads and it is dangerous to walk on the roads. You can fall into one
of the potholes and injure yourself. The footpaths have become smaller in
width and there is a parking space problem. When people come from outside,
they look at these hawkers and what an image it presents of this posh
area. Hawkers basically create a dirty image of a posh area of this city.
Now the hawkers have been moved from Nariman Point promenade. And it feels
better. In their place, we should have a Hawkers’ Plaza, like it is in
Singapore.
Also, there is a lot of tension among the office owners here owing to the
presence of hawkers. We feel worried.
It is true that hawkers provide a cheap source of food to the office goers
here, so what if the food is unhygienic?

Zainab: What kind of an image does Nariman Point present of Mumbai city?
Ishwar Thadani: It presents a very cosmopolitan image. Foreigners feel
very comfortable here. Also, this is an elitist area.
The beauty of the sea is eternal. Moreover, Nariman Point is historically
popular. Further, the media has popularized Nariman Point a lot.

Zainab: So, have you seen film shootings here at Nariman Point?
Ishwar Thadani (smiles): Yes, plenty of them. Remember, Johnny Walker
singing, “Yeh hai bambai meri jaan” – I have seen that also. Now of
course, the number of film shootings has come down a lot. There used to be
a lot of shooting where the Marine Drive flyover is. that’s a popular
place for the filmwallahs.

Zainab: Do you think the crowds that come to the promenade have increased
over the last few years?
Ishwar Thadani: Tremendously. There has been a tremendous increase in the
crowds at Nariman Point in the last few years.
Zainab: Would you also comment on the quality of the crowds that come
here? It is said that there must be ‘control’ on the ‘quality’ of the
crowds that frequent Nariman Point?
Ishwar Thadani: I don’t think it is correct to say this that we must
control the quality of crowds at Nariman Point. The crowd is a happy
mixture of the poorest of poor and the richest of rich who come to Nariman
Point.
Moreover, this is what I call a ‘date place’. Lots of dating happens here
at Nariman Point. Lovers come and sit with each other. It is free. And the
sea adds to the romance.

Zainab: Do you recollect the period of the riots in 1992-93 and April bomb
blasts? There was a blast right here at the Air India building and you
must have been in your office, here, at Nariman Point then? What are your
memories? How did it feel?
Ishwar Thadani: As for the riots, you know that nothing happened in South
Bombay. South Bombay is generally tolerant and peaceful. There are Muslims
living here as well and we have always been comfortable with each other.
During the bomb blasts, I was right here in my office. I saw the Bombay
Stock Exchange (BSE) building going up in smoke. (He points out the BSE
building from the window of his office.) I was not aware that a blast had
taken place. My friends called me up from all over to inquire about me and
inform me about the blasts. But then, things resumed back to normal in a
few days’ time.

Zainab: Can you describe the Nariman Point promenade at different times in
the day?
Ishwar Thadani: In the morning, starting from 4:00 AM, people come to walk
and jog along the promenade. This continues till about 9:00 AM. From 10:00
AM to 4:00 PM, this place is all empty. From 4 to 10 PM, life picks up
over here. But I am talking about the Marine Drive promenade. See,
basically, Nariman Point and Marine Drive are extensions of each other.

Zainab: Do you also walk and jog along at Nariman Point / Marine Drive?
Ishwar Thadani: Yes. In the mornings.
Zainab: Do you walk and jog in a group?
Ishwar Thadani: No, I go solo. I don’t like to walk in groups. When I am
walking, I like to be alone. Otherwise you find people with earphones
plugged in their ears or people talking to each other while walking.
Zainab: So, would you say walking/jogging is a fashion statement at
Nariman Point, a time when people network with each other?
Ishwar Thadani (sharply): What do you mean by networking?
Zainab: For instance, at the Bandra promenade, I am told by a young
resident that there are different times in the morning for different
people to do different things while walking and jogging. For instance, the
health conscious people there walk and jog early in the mornings between 5
AM and 7 AM. From 8 AM onwards, a younger crowd takes over and according
to this resident, the younger crowd walks and jogs to make connections in
the media industry. Would you say then that walking and jogging along
Nariman Point / Marine Drive is a social do?
Ishwar Thadani (thinks): No, I don’t think this is the case at Nariman
Point. Here people are genuinely interested in maintaining their health
and that is why they jog and walk.

Zainab: How would you describe Nariman Point as a public space?
Ishwar Thadani: It is an enjoyable public place. People come here, have
fun and go back. But the hijras (eunuchs) can be a big menace, especially
to the lovers. You know that they like to disturb lovers and extract money
from them.

Zainab: You live at Marine Drive and are quite close to Churchgate
Station. Can you recollect memories of Churchgate Station then?
Ishwar Thadani (laughs): Churchgate station at that time was a hut-like
building with a tin roof. It had just two platforms. The frequency of the
trains was also less then. And there was no subway for crossing the roads
then. Nearly half the city’s population now lands at Churchgate.
I also remember Azad Maidan. It was known as Llyod’s ground then and we
used go and play there. I remember my evening times when there was no Air
India building. In that place, there used to be children’s films’
screenings and we used to go there every evening.

Zainab: Must have been fun time then. You had open spaces all around.
Ishwar Thadani (fondly): Yes, it was a good time then.

Zainab: You must be aware the government is investing money to boost the
Nariman Point / Marine Drive promenade. What is your view on this?
Ishwar Thadani: I am happy to know that the government is finally taking
interest in this place. For a while, they were trying to do up the
Bandra-Kurla complex as an alternative to Nariman Point. But even with
those glass and steel buildings, Bandra-Kurla can never compete with
Nariman Point. This place will always be unique and have a charm of its
own.
The government’s move to spruce up this area will boost the area’s image.
But I am sure things will become expensive also in future over here.
Irrespective, I am quite certain that Nariman Point has a good future.

Zainab: Do you think that people who work in the offices here at Nariman
Point frequent the promenade?
Ishwar Thadani: I think the office people from this area stray at Nariman
Point promenade on Saturdays. On other days, there is always a scramble to
get back home. They don’t have the time to enjoy the promenade. They are
rushing back to get the train in time so as to reach home early. But you
know people who work in this area take pride in this fact and they tell
people, ‘I work in Nariman Point’.
Zainab: Yes, there is the popular ‘Nariman Point Executive Image’ that is
known in Mumbai 

Ishwar Thadani: That’s true. And the other thing is that as employees
continue to work in Nariman Point, the sophistication from the employers
rubs on to the employees gradually.

Zainab: Lastly, would you comment on the migration of people living in
this area to places like Bandra?
Ishwar Thadani: Well, what happens is that families grow, space becomes
less and then people want to buy bigger houses. So, people in this area
sell their flats and buy flats at cheaper prices in other areas of Mumbai.
Besides, a lot of the younger generation of South Mumbai has migrated
abroad and so, parents don’t feel like living here anymore.
Zainab: So, would you say that people living in this area are very old
residents – people living from the days of the yore?
Ishwar Thadani: Well, not really because if you see now, new residents
have moved in, in the last 10 years or so. So you cannot exactly say that
very old residents live in this area.


Thadani made brief mentions of the deteriorating infrastructure in Nariman
Point and Marine Drive. 24-hours water supply is no longer the case in
Nariman Point. He made inquiries about my work and my office whereabouts
and asked me how my office in Delhi knows that I am working dutifully in
Mumbai. During the interview, he was a bit edgy to talk about certain
issues and I realized that it might take time to creak the ice with him.

I walked out of his office and decided to head back home through the
promenade. As I made my way through the office areas, I noticed that in
one of the apartment buildings, a high gate was being adjusted to the
entrance and workers were working very hard to fit the gate. The scene was
very surreal. The feeling that crept in me as I walked out was one of
‘tension’, ‘tight security’ and ‘fear’. What is causing this fear among
residents and office owners in this area? What fear is this that leads to
the erecting of high gates and hiring of private security guards? When
exactly did this transformation come about at Nariman Point where
gated-ness became the norm?

I am still looking for answers 







Zainab Bawa
Bombay
www.xanga.com/CityBytes
http://crimsonfeet.recut.org/rubrique53.html