A dummies guide on surviving Bambai’s clone culture!

By Priya Sheth

There is something about Bandra that enchants me - The winding lanes, ubiquitous houses, the sea-side hangouts, the Bollywood connection and of course the numerous eateries. It was a Friday evening. The crowd was a mix of hep youngsters, wallet-conscious thirty-something’s and handfuls of fun-loving middle-aged crowd.  

Deepti and I walked down the road leading to the hub of street shopping and street food. Even though it was half past six, the air was heavy with humidity and even a thin white Kurta was too much to wear. The uneven footpath did not allow the two of us to walk on the same level at one time. To add to that, obstacles on the street were slowly increasing - with men hawking their wares on the narrow footpath.

Mumbai's street shopping

  And it’s not the usual chest-prints that were on display- this time around Bandra’s Hill road was filled with animal prints and Neon’s. Flowy Leopard print tops met tiger print clutches. The hawking inventory was full of bright pink shirts, neon tops and fluorescent orange ballerinas. We were mostly pushed aside as we tried peeking into one or two of these roadside arrangements. More than the clothes, it was the cheap bargains and marketing gimmicks that drew the crowd to the stalls.

I think I heard someone wise say somewhere, “If you really want to survive in Bambai, learn the tricks of the trade.” And that’s what these hawkers excelled at. Hand-written boards screamed ‘Anything for Rs 250’ or ‘Buy 3, Get 3.’ A smart hawking gimmick read ‘For those who are just running out of money.’    

And in the middle of this chaos, the pungent aroma of tangy chutneys drew Deepti’s attention. Before I could argue, she grabbed a plate of Sev Puri, Mumbai’s street favourite. I was eyeing a fluorescent yellow top in one of the street-side stalls as she tucked into the spicy chaat. It was difficult to get past the onslaught of haggling teenagers.  

The honks of the passing BEST buses and the screeching brakes of the rickshaws grew louder as the evening progressed and the street got busier. With hawkers mirroring each other’s wares, we decided to check-out the lovely looking yellow top on the other side of the street. It took effort to dodge hawking disturbances and jump over the yellow-black road divider.

Clone culture!

And first-hand experience in Mumbai teaches you to get away when things get too much to handle. We did just that. We hailed an auto before we could get over to the other side.

My eyes followed the yellow top as we drove past the shop. On the next signal I saw two girls wearing the same yellow top. I thanked my stars. And a little further, I saw many more neon clones. I had forgotten that street-shopping in Mumbai was clone culture in the making.