Skip to main content

Into the Den of the Dons

When you talk to a Mumbaikar about Mohammad Ali Road who some says is the toughest Competitor of Chandani Chowk (Delhi) in terms of foodies delight. People from all over the country come to Mohammad Ali road to treat their taste buds to deliciously unusual non-vegetarian delights. It has Crawford market on one end and famous Minara Masjid at other. It is surrounded by area called Bhendi Bazaar and Bohri Mohalla.

When you walk down the narrow lanes of the adjoining areas Bhendi bazaar or Bohri mohalla, there are these small shops selling most awesome Non-Vegetarian foods from the time of Britishers. Noor mohammadi and Sharvi are two most famous restaurants in the area. Bollywood film stars such as Sanjay Dutt or Salman are regular here. Even Sanjay Dutt has shared his recipe with Noor Mohammadi and they serve it with his name, Chicken Sanju baba. You can walk towards famous Chor Bazaar from Bhendi bazaar and if you are lucky you can find some antique and vintage items.

We arrived at Mohammad Ali road at 12 o,clock in night and the streets were crowded and bustling with people. You can’t miss the neon lights of the shops which attract your attention to bring you inside them. Irfan of Tawakkal sweets told that the crowd is very less as compared to a crowd in Ramadan. In Ramadan, there are hundreds of people filled in different shops and restaurants. People celebrate Ramadan nights till dawn and even if you come late night till 3 am, you can’t find a place to sit. Whether it’s a Muslim or a Hindu, they come here and enjoy Mumbai’s life.

Named after former Congress president Mohammad Ali Jouhar, this area don’t have a glorious past. Once upon a time, the area in and around Mohammad Ali road was the Den of Underworld dons. From Smugglers like Vadarajan Mudaliar to Gangster Dawood Ibrahim, the area has been ruled by these Don of Underworld. After Dawood fled from India and Mumbai police wiped out his Company. And it scarred certain characters for life. Arun Gawli, now elected to the state assembly, who describes himself as a former Mafia don, sees himself as a virtual prisoner in his own mansion, living behind a phalanx of armed guards, CCTV and four separate locked gates, out of fear of what he calls “police contract killings. But there is nothing to fear now. The area is more or less stable after that.

If you are in Mumbai and a Non-Vegetarian, you need to visit this place. It is a must for everyone. The best time to visit will be during Ramadan. So hop up guys, add it to your to do list.

Cheers !!

Comments

  1. Ohhhh that place looks magical! I'd love to go during Ramadan... must be so exciting! This is like the Mumbai of my imagination!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Allahabad - Exploring the Land of three Rivers

The land of Prayag or Allahabad where Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meets was always a special place for Hindus. They continue to come here from different parts of Globe to take a holy dip in Ganga and ask forgiveness for their Sins in life and free them from the cycle of rebirth. Once called the Oxford of the East, Allahabad has lost its glory in this Modern world. It was once the capital of United Province, now called Uttar Pradesh at the time of Britishers. From Asoka to Akbar, the City was a center of Statesmanship, art and culture. The time has gone and so is its glory, but it has protected its heritages and past to get vanished in current time. I visited Allahabad a few days back and found there are many places of my Interest. They can be a mythological place or a Modern architecture. The City has seen it all. I am listing out a few of my experiences and will welcome if you want to add anything in the list:-- 1)       Take a holy dip in Sangam The two great rive

Ultimate guide of Eating Out in Pune

I am born and brought up in North India but am living in Pune for last four years. This is the place I call home. I love eating out and on various occasions people keep asking me about my favorite eating places in Pune or where they can find Best Punjabi or best Biryani in town. So I thought let’s make a list of my favorite places to eat in Pune so that it can be a reference to someone searing for some good food options. Before starting my list, I am making few confessions to help you understand how I made the list. Let me clear you that it totally depends on my taste. People taste differs and it can happen that you don’t like a place where I love to eat. It’s also not correct to say that I have eaten at all places in Pune and then I am making a list out of that. I am not a fan in eating at those five star restaurants and only visit them when it is sponsored by someone else. I will not include any chain restaurants or places which I think is not Puneri. I am a teeto

The mysterious levitating stone of Shivapur

Front side of Dargah The quest for untold and unusual places had brought us to a small village near Pune. The village called Shivapur is known for an unusual Dargah of a 15 th century saint named Qamar ali darvesh. Someone from the twitter world had shared an image about the place and from there only I came to know about the story behind it. Till then, I was not aware about this fascinating story. So, Shivapur has a Dargah of a saint named Qamar ali darvesh and apart from that Dargah it has a large stone in its complex. The story goes like this that whenever eleven people will try to lift the stone by their index finger shouting the name of Qamar ali darvesh. They would be able to lift the stone above their head and if there are more or less people trying the same thing they won’t be able to lift it up. A man trying to lift it all alone I don’t believe in these kinds of stories and decided to check that out. We reached Shivapur and easily found the Dargah. The

The Souvenir of Hadi Rani

a Rajput warrior with his horse As a part of rural tourism in Rajasthan, I had visited few villages in Salumbar region of Udaipur. After travelling to few villages of Bheel community, I was waiting for Rajasthan State Road transport bus when it started to rain. Due to the heavy Rain, I was totally drenched and therefore decided to ask for shelter from one of the villagers. I reached the doorstep of the closest house and knocked the door. An elderly person, maybe in eighties opened the door and asked me to get comfortable. When I told him I am traveling all of Rajasthan and collecting stories about the rich culture of the state. He told me there is a story which not many know, but is an incredible part of the heritage of Rajasthan. It is one of the greatest stories of courage and duty. I urged him to tell me the story and he gently agreed. A kid had brought tea from inside and we took our cup and on the sip of tea, he started telling the story: This story is about a p

Going the Hippies Way

The sun had embraced the sky and their blend had turned it into red. The Water in the sea had increased its association with the shores at the time we reached Arambol,  a village which is a Hippies Haven in Goa. In Eighties, Anjuna was used to be most preferred location for the Hippies. This was the case when Goa had not turned into present Touristic and crowded Goa. People from all over the world used to come for an affordable and peaceful holiday. But as local crowd increased its presence, either the hippies from Anjuna moved to a different place or they made it their permanent home. I came to know about Arambol from a fellow traveler who had lived in goa for 6 months and advised me to must visit Arambol for authentic goan feel. At first sight, it seems a quiet and peaceful beach where not much crowd comes but as sun starts to go down the horizon, you realize why it is that the hippies have made it their new home. The ambience turned it into such an exciting and