For the Love of Matunga and its South Indian Connect

MATUNGA’S SOUTH INDIAN CONNECT

LALITHA BALASUBRAMANIAN

My association with Matunga began when I was just a year old, and such was the predominance of the South Indian community at that time, that this pretty central suburb was known as mini Madras.  I still reside here, having been witness to the migration of many of these families to far flung suburbs and the steady influx of Gujaratis and Jains in this area. Now, the essence of the South Indian crowd is seen in the temple cluster of South Indian origin, which include Asthika Samaj, Bhajan Samaj, Shankara Matam and Kanyaka Parameshwari temples.

 

 These temples do stand tall, bearing testimony to the community’s rich contribution to Matunga’s heritage, art and culture. All of them have beautiful gopurams with aesthetically carved sculptures of Hindu deities. 

The crowd in these temples never abate as the people who have migrated from here make it a point to visit from wherever they are. On festival days like Skanda Shashti, Ram Navami, Gokulashtami, Navrathri and Shivrathri, music, dance and religious discourses are held on a regular basis, and one can see them, be they from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh or Karnataka, blending together everywhere, making the entire area a colourful festive conglomeration.

It is said that where the South Indians are, flowers follow. 

The mesmerising smell of the pure white jasmines and roses wafts across the air, beckoning us to halt and savour the magical sight of a row of flower stalls displaying colourful garlands of all sizes.

 These shops take orders for garlands and loose flowers for temple deities, pujas, weddings and other occasions. Talking of weddings, there are typical South Indian sari shops like Nallis, New Mahalakshmi, Lakshmi and Solanki with their varied selections of the delightful Kanjivaram silk, Pochampalli and Mysore crepe silk saris along with the crisp Coimbatore, Madurai and Venkatagiri cotton weaves.

As for culture and art, would there be any Mumbaikar who has not heard of the Shanmukananda Sangeetha Vidyalaya or the Rajarajeshwari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir? These two iconic institutions continue their contribution to the preservation and spread of classical art forms like Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam dance. Both of them have existed for as long as I can remember. Their students generally graduate to becoming performing artists of high calibre.

And what’s more! The South Indian flavour does not end here. Popular eateries like Madras Cafe, Ramashray, Anand Bhavan, Amba Bhavan, Sharada Bhavan and Mysore Cafe dot the suburb with their varied temptations. 

  

The aroma of filter coffee is by itself an invitation to savour a cup of coffee or kapi as they call it, at any of these joints. This tempting aroma of freshly ground coffee powder can be felt even as we touch Maheshwari Udhyan from the generations old shop of Mysore Concerns.

 In fact the shop has become so famous, that they distribute their coffee powder to various suburbs of Mumbai by public demand.  The mouth watering and most popular South Indian meal served at the Udupi Rama Nayak, near Matunga station, is definitely worth a mention. Apart from the South Indians, the current predominant population of Gujaratis and Jains relish the idlis, dosas and medhu vadas with the generous helpings of sambhar and chutneys served at these joints. But even with so many famous eateries in the vicinity, it behoves me to ponder over the perennial crowds at the fast food stall near Milap and opposite Asthika Samaj. This stall has been there since decades, and many residents swear by the unique taste at this outlet. A year or two ago, a wayside stall by the name Ayyappa stall, close to Shankara Matam, had many cars halt outside to allow the passenger to get down and savour the food, while creating a traffic jam. The roads are not too wide and with vehicles parked on both sides this is not something to be wondered at. Fortunately for the car owners and pedestrians, this eatery has been shifted to another place.

While speaking of parking, there is another very unique thing about Matunga that sometimes drives a person like me insane. Drivers of taxis, cars and tempos park even in two or three parking lanes, with complete disregard for traffic sense, sometimes wilfully blocking the way of others to follow. So honking is so, so, inevitable. But, Matunga has so much going for it that one tends to overlook this obvious flipside to the coin.

The South Indians are a religious lot. To cater to this need of theirs, Giri Store has a whole lot of religious books, music CDs and other puja items. In fact anything that is necessary for a puja apart from the havan samagri can be availed of at Giri Store. They also have a collection of brass idols. During Navratri time, there is a virtual influx of ladies visiting the store to buy Golu dolls and haldi Kumkum items. The dolls are on display at least a month prior to the festival. Specialised Golu steps are also available with Giri Store on order.

The vegetable market too exhibits a distinct South Indian tinge, with the Maharashtrian vendors calling out in Tamil about the mangais (mangoes) and chakkais (jackfruit).

They are so conversant with the South Indian festivals that they display the special items needed for each festival with elan, be it koorkai during Thiruvadhirai or chakkai and kanikonnai during Vishu. 

Vazhai elai, thandu and vazhai poo, (banana leaf, stem and flower), so typical of South India, is available here throughout the year.

It is interesting to note that if any South Indian household has a function or a religious ceremony to be held, they flock to this market for all the essential items, serving a reminder that Matunga, the Mini-Madras of yesteryears, still retains its South Indian connection.
#Matunga  #SouthIndian #AsthikaSamaj #BhajanSamaj #ShankaraMatam

#MiniMadras #Eateries #Kapi #vegetablemarket #flowers