A bread seller ferrying his goods on a bicycle in front of D’Silva House, 24 Matharpacady, the house of Mr Trevor D’Silva, and his sister Joan Saint-Prix, grandnephew and grandniece to Joseph ‘Kaka’ Baptista (1864-1930), Indian freedom fighter and a prominent member of the East Indian community. Kaka Baptista was born in Matharpacady in 1864 in his ancestral house which has now been demolished and replaced by a high-rise building. Kaka Baptista was a barrister at the Bombay High Court and was closely associated with Bal Gangadhar Tilak. In 1925, he was elected as the mayor of the Bombay Municipal Corporation.
During Christmas, Matharpacady comes alive at night. Every house is given a fresh coat of paint and the Star of Bethlehem is hung from the balcony. The lanes are decorated with lights and illuminative symbols of reindeer, candy sticks, bells, stars, snowflakes, and fairies. Christmas is celebrated by the entire gaothan, irrespective of community and religion. Inside the homes, families come together to decorate Christmas trees and install miniature nativity scenes.
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum was designed by William Tracey in the Neo-Palladian style that originated in Italy. From 2003–08, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in collaboration with the Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation undertook extensive refurbishment of the building.
The northeast lane to Banganga Tank has a contemporary wall mural created by award-winning installation artist Shilo Shiv Suleman in 2021. Titled Pyaas, it draws attention to the origin myth of the Banganga Tank. The theme alludes to the role of women and the importance of water in the daily life and livelihoods of the local residents at Walkeshwar.
The Mahalaxmi Temple, marked by its framed torana (marble arch), is the newest temple in the precinct of Banganga Tank. It was built on the site of a shrine at the base of a peepal tree located in the northeast corner of the tank. It was built in 1973, by members of the Shrimali Brahmin community from Rajasthan. The temple has been refurbished in 2021.
The patron saint of the Holy Cross is St. Roch, who is especially invoked against plague, cholera, and epidemics. Traditionally, every year, the Managing Committee of the Holy Cross Oratory organizes the nine-day Novena Services, which are held in the late evening from April 22 to April 30. This is the stained glass portrait of Jesus Christ on the rose window of the chapel, illuminated during Christmas.
Reliance Retail is ranked second-fastest growing retailer in the world in Deloitte’s 2021 Global 250 list of World’s Largest Retailers. Reliance Retail expands its footprint by:
• Launching 7-Eleven® convenience stores in India
• Partnering with India’s leading designers Ritu Kumar, Manish Malhotra and Anamika Khanna
• Launching JioMart Digital, the new merchant business for Consumer Electronics
• Foraying into ultra-premium grocery segment in India with launch of Freshpik.
The proportion and variety of spices used in bottle masala are closely guarded secrets passed down within the family. The ingredients range from popular spices like lal mirch (red chilli), tejpatta (bay leaf), dalchini (cinnamon), elaichi (cardamom), and javitri (mace) to rare spices like mugwort, stoneflower, and Nagkesar (cobra saffron). On average, 25–30 spices are used in a masala, but it can range from as few as 20 to as many as 50.