More food for thought...

Straight from the brochure of the CSE (Computer Science and Engineering) department at IIT Bombay, we have a quote by Henry Ford:

If money is your hope for independence,
you will never have it.
The only real security that a man will have in this world
is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.

This is in context to exhorting people to pursue Post Graduate studies. They claim in the same brochure:

"A post-graduate degree in Computer Science and Engineering is a must if you aspire to set yourself apart from the anonymous mass of "computer professionals" and to assume a leading role in transforming the industry, be it through research, advanced development, teaching, or entrepreneurship."

Hmmm.

"Wada Paav"

No matter where you go in Mumbai, you can always find the ubiquitous "Wada Paav". Outside Mantralaya (where all the assembly sessions are held), outside railway stations or roadside stalls, one can have "Wada Paav".

From some articles that I've read, it seems that the "Wada Paav" was "invented" especially for the mill workers. In the "mill-boom days" (1950s, 1960s, 1970s?), the mill workers came out of the mills during their lunch breaks and wanted some quick bite. (Maybe they had lesser duration breaks or maybe they wanted to use the break for doing things other than eating...gambling, fighting, general loitering). The "Wada" (Batata Wada) was sandwiched into the "Paav" and some chutney added for maximum effect.
It is quite easy to visualize how the setup would have looked like: In those days, cooking on the roadside or pavements was not allowed (neither is it now, but then...) and housewives of workers used to pre-cook the wadas at their homes and "assemble" the wada paav outside the mill gates. The trend caught on and since the cost was quite low (even now it is in the range of Rs. 3 to Rs. 5) and it was quite filling, "Wada Paav" became big business.

Now, we can see "Wada Paav" vendors everywhere. The difference being that the "Wadas" are cooked fresh on the spot. Whether this is hygenic or not is a different question; but it is definitely good business.

Consider this: I one happened to ask a "Wada Paav" vendor outside Andheri railway station about his daily sales. He said it was in the range of 7000 "Wada Paavs" per day. Multiply by the rate of Rs. 4 per "Wada Paav" and you get a daily turn-over of Rs. 28,000. Of course, depending on the location, one might have lesser or more sales.

"Wada Paav" has also been called the "Indian burger".

Some of the best "Wada Paavs" that I prefer are:

• Near Apna Bazar in Andheri (West), a stall sells one of the best "Wada Paavs".
• Outside Andheri railway station (East) where all the photocopier shops abound, there is "Sangam Wada Paav" (actually, there are multiple "Sangam Wada Paav" stalls).

Most others have failed to impress me. If you have some information about some of the other good ones, do let me know.

How about a car for commuting in Mumbai?

No, thanks.

I am one of "those people" that get paid by the company to buy a car and maintain it. However, I have chosen not to opt for the vehicle, commuting instead using the public transport. When people ask me why I do not take the car, my standard reply is that "I do not feel the need for it". Some guys are more curious and this simple answer does not satisfy their curiosity. I usually finish off by saying that "if I feel the need for it later, I will take it".

Other reasons why I have not opted for the car:

• Driving a car is a pain (no pun intended) in Mumbai; it can cause severe backaches. Since the spine is a very important set of bones in the body, it is advisable not to tax it too much. (The distinguishing feature of a vertebrate is the spinal cord).
  
• If I drive the car myself, I can't catch up on reading books. Well, there is the possibility of using a driver, but then that is extra RsRsRs ($$$)
  
• Having a car changes the way you tend to look at things and act. One has to find a place to park the car, and that requires quite an effort in Mumbai. The usual tendency for people is to go to places that have car parking. So, you no longer go where you wanted to go. Instead, you end up going where your car is safe.
• Additional headache in the form of maintenance and fear of theft.
• If you are stuck in a traffic jam, you can't leave the car and walk past the jam.
  

Bought "Computer Networks" by Andrew S. Tanenbaum

As stated earlier, I need to prepare myself for admission to the M. Tech. course. This may involve giving a written test with the syllabus including Computer Networks. Among the recommended books of study is the classic "Computer Networks" by Andrew S. Tanenbaum.

We also had this book as a reference for the Bachelor of Engineering course and it seemed to me that I could use the same book (which I had bought about 13 years ago). That was the second edition of the book.

I was at Matunga today and happened to pass by the place where there are a lot of book stores that sell text-books for all sorts of courses ("Shanti Book Depot", "Vimal Book Center", "Madhu Book Depot", etc.). I decided to check out the new edition of the book. To my surprise, the fourth edition of the book covered a host of different topics than we had in the second edition. This is also stated in the "Introduction" by Tanenbaum. There is a lot of coverage of "modern-day" topics like WLL, wireless networks, 2G and 3G, ADSL, Internet on Cable, etc.

I bought the book hoping that I could use it to prepare for the written test.

Welcome Wafers and Farsan

It is one of the least places in Mumbai where you would expect to get good and crispy potato chips (aka "wafers" in India). Off Govandi Station Road in the East (in the West, there is the Deonar abbatoir), opp. Satyam Industrial Estate, surrounded on all sides by noisy industrial "galas", there is a factory that prepares potato chips and other "farsan". The name is "Welcome Wafers and Farsan". They claim to be the first "automatic line snack plant" in Mumbai, but whatever that is, the "wafers" are not only good, they are also cheaper (almost wholesale rate).

The difference in prices between buying from this factory as opposed to buying from a retailer could be as high as Rs. 40 / kg. If you factor in the freshness of the stuff, it is worth the trip to Govandi and back.

There are a lot of other products (variations of the common chips and farsan). The original factory happened to be in Mahim (West) until a few years ago after which it got shifted to Govandi.

Incidentally, the "wafers" have an importance of their own in the Mumbai/Indian diet. It is considered to be good to snack. Also, any birthday party or kiddie celebration will definitely have "wafers" on the menu.

So, if you are planning to have a party, you now know where to head.

New blog for Mumbai

A new blog for Mumbai just got created. See the "Mee Mumbaikar" blog..

The better samosas in Mumbai

I had the opportunity to eat at "Laxmi Dairy Farm" opposite IIT Powai. It seems that the only snacks they serve are samosas. These were supposed to be good (quite a few recommendations) and when I tasted the samosas myself, they were definitely among the better ones in Mumbai.

There are other places I know of that serve good samosas:

• Sind Hindu Hotel - outside Kurla station (West) in a lane where the theatre is located
• Sri Krishna - at Dadar (Western Railway west) on Chabildas Road (They are supposed to be popular for their "Batata Wadas", but I would prefer their Punjabi Samosas anytime).

On a related note, Panshikar under the flyover outside Dadar station (Western Railway west) has the best "Farali Misal" (a "mixture of sabudana kichdi, gravy and potato crisps (salli)), whereas the best "Kothimbir Wadi" award should go to "Sapre Brothers" near Goregaon station (west).

The best low-cost coffee comes at Rs. 8 at "Cafe Mysore". I visit this one quite frequently for the rasam and the coffee. Also, their lunch is not heavy and is priced econmoically at Rs. 30.

Note: None of these "eateries" have any kind of ambience that white-collared people would want; these are places where you would go for a "quick bite" and not to sit and enjoy an evening.

Stuck in a suburban local train

Yesterday, I had a first-hand taste of being stuck in a suburban local train between Ghatkopar and Vikhroli stations on the Central Railway "slow line". It seems that there was a problem with "motor bush" and the train refused to move.

After waiting in the local for about 20 minutes, I clambered down and walked till I came across an opening in the boundary wall (courtesy of some slums) and then took an autorickshaw to my destination. A few trains had to line up behind the stalled train and there was a lot of confusion. However, when I went back from Kanjurmarg to Kurla in the late afternoon, there did not seem to be any problem (delays, etc.). So, I guess they might have fixed up the problem very soon.