In the 80 s I worked at Seven Bungalows as a fashion consultant at a Design Store catering to Bollywood and stayed at Danpada fishing village off Khar Danda .
Than came the riots 93 94 and life turned upside down, I got a friends place to stay in at Andheri Link road for a short while , we had already shifted two safe houses one at Chand Society Juhu and the net 11 road Juhu Scheme next to Mr Danny Dengzongpas house .. this third house too was given to me by my ex boss ..
The guys who helped me move in here from Juhu were Koli lads I had met at a Versova bar , one of them was Prakash Koli .. he stayed with his family near the Versova jetty and though Hindus helped me a lot ,,,a friendship that has lasted till this day.
Prakash would bring me fresh catch that he got , he fished himself ,,he had a boat and caught fresh fish bombils , etc.. but I would politely refuse as my wife those days would eat only Promfret Surmai Rawas or prawns ,, no other fish.
During dry days I would go to Prakashs house as booze was easily available at Versova Gaon..and along with our beers we had fried mandli, fried prawns and great Koli food .
Prakash would tell me to shift to Versova gaon.., but than instead we moved to Bandra Bazar Road .. I stopped drinking completely , my visits to Prakashs house became less .
But whenever I need to go for a shoot to Madh Islands and before I take the jetty I make sure to go to Prakash Kolis house his son Mithun and his wife meet me like old times .
I also would go to Andheri West Fish market where rakashs wife sold fish.. or sometimes I would go to buy fish with Prakash at Versova Gaon pier ...
Fish has been part of our cuisine though everyone eats chicken or mutton we dont eat beef..,.
I was at the Bandra Bazar Fish market a few minutes back just before closing time I bought 4 smalls surmais at Rs 200 and mandli for Rs 30.. I gave half of it to my maid and asked her to cook the other half for me for lunch tomorrow .
For lunch today it was bombil curry with no oil just red masala in white vinegar and brun pieces .
And all this fish has come into my bloodstream as I stayed at Wodehouse road close to Sasson Dock and my mothers best friend was a Koli fisherwoman .. they got along like fish and chips , she loved biryani that my mother cooked for her and the Koli bai would bring the best promfrets for us .
And all our childhood Marathi was the second language as our Maid was Marathi and old lady we called Aiee ,, mother .
My brother Zahir was her favorite and could never do without her , so these are nostalgic tidbits of my past ,,
And yes I have 11 Flower-horns Kamfas that are now part of the Shakir family ,, I have no space so I have not bred them but they are house in two four feet tanks .. totally human compatible are my fishes but ferocious too at the same time.
