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  Thank you for the music

Thank you for the music

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Nov 28, 2015, 6:40 am IST
Updated : Nov 28, 2015, 6:40 am IST

It may not have hosted a frenzied beeline of customers in the recent years, but the news of Rhythm House shutting down has people making a quick stop to the city’s oldest music store (opened in 1940)

The Rhythm House  (Photo: Debashish Dey)
 The Rhythm House (Photo: Debashish Dey)

It may not have hosted a frenzied beeline of customers in the recent years, but the news of Rhythm House shutting down has people making a quick stop to the city’s oldest music store (opened in 1940) to experience the rhythm one last time.

Earlier this year, Café Samovar had kheema paratha-loving folks flocking to it after word spread that the café would no longer continue to serve from a nestled corner of Jehangir Art Gallery. The fact that Mumbai’s first ever fine dine restaurant, The Zodiac Grill at the Taj Mahal Palace is serving its last few meals only adds to the diminishing sense of identity that Mumbai or the Southern most tip of it is going through.

Change is the only constant they say, but every time a change takes place, the city’s charm fades just a little bit before it redeems its lustre from a different quarter.

We spoke to a few true blue Mumbaiites to take us through the rapidly changing face of the city, while asking them about the iconic institutions that they’d never like to see leaving the city’s skyline.

Anil Dharker, Author I would never want Eros cinema and Regal to shut down. I do have a feeling that they will soon due to the multiplex culture. Single screens are disappearing. We should still have at least one single screen in each city. The ambience in a single screen is special, during premiere nights watching a movie in a single screen theatre was like an occasion in itself. Going to multiplexes is a common thing these days. I did not expect and didn’t want Rhythm House to shut down. I thought they were doing reasonable business and it’s sad to know that it will shut down soon and I’ll miss it dearly. I’ll make sure I visit it before it shuts down. Zodiac Grill and Samovar were my favourites too.

Alyque Padamsee, Ideator It makes me very sad that Rhythm House is closing down—tears roll down my cheeks to think of it. And I will try to frequent the place as much as I can before they shut and turn it into another discotheque. But it’s a good thing that the young people have taken over the country. These are the straws in the wind. There are so many old bungalows that are being knocked down. If you ask me, Rajabai Clocktower is something that I feel should never be brought down. It has a certain grandeur and is one of the symbols of ‘Bombay’, maybe not so much of Mumbai. And I love the word ‘Bombay’.

Fahad Samar, Film Critic and Author The Strand Book Stall is one landmark that I never really want to bid farewell to. I think it is the bastion of culture and enlightenment. Several generations of Mumbaikars have grown up as patrons this place and it was much before e-commerce or even chains of bookstores came into the market. There was a sense of belonging that engulfs you in this place. The late Mr. Shanbag often recommended a book for a reader based on his/her literary taste. You can spend hours browsing through the books or just indulge in a stimulating conversation with fellow readers on arts and culture. Samovar shut down this year and Rhythm House may too — these were two of my favourites, now I only hope that Strand doesn’t close too as that would be a real tragedy.

Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, Trustee and Honorary Director, Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum Irani cafes in Mumbai are simply disappearing. They are so integral to the post-independence character of Mumbai. We should do something to save them. When we were in college we did not have many restaurants but only these cafes where we used to spend a lot of time. I was very sad when Samovar shut down. Irani restaurants have opened in London and they are trying to maintain the same essence with the décor and the food. Whereas all we have to do in Mumbai is preserve these cafes as they are an essential part of our growing up years. Rhythm House held a very special place in our hearts and now that it's shutting down, it’ll leave behind a void.

Dolly Thakore, Theatre person It breaks my heart to think that iconic institutions such as Rhythm House are on their way out. It was part of one’s youth, one’s life. Although I didn’t frequent it in the recent years, it is a landmark. One of the first places among my favourites to go was The Victory Stall where one got the best Parsi food ever. Back in the day, in the 70s when I was in advertising, all of my colleagues would gather there for lunch. Samovar served the best kheema paratha and unfortunately it isn’t around either. The thing about these places was that they spoilt you a bit with their hospitality and made you a part of their lives as much as you made them a part of your life. You don’t realise how much these places mean until they’re gone. But among the ones still standing, I hope that Shivaji Mandir and the NCPA never leave the cityscape. They are so much a part of one’s city’s psyche.