Sayonara Crawford

I was pleasantly surprised to read the headline "Crawford crawls to a historical death" on Rediff this morning! Considering the fact that I have been on a Greek/Roman epic watching spree (Troy, 300, Gladiator), replete with some very beautiful women, I thought Cindy Crawford was doing a period-movie.

It was only when I read the article, that I found that the author was referring to Crawford Market, which occupies an important place in the architectural marvels of South Bombay. It's right next to the Bombay Police Commissioner's office and maybe a mile from the Victoria Terminus. And yes, like VT, it too has been renamed as the Mahatma Phule Market. To think that it is going to be replaced by another ubiquitous mall surely makes a lot of Bombay-wallahs like me sad.

Having been there many a time during my days in Bombay, I have fond memories of the place. It had an amazing fruit and vegetable collection - I can still remember how we used to buy figs and lychees for a family friend in Coimbatore before our annual summer trip down south. And while we walked around in the April heat, we drank in the aroma of the various mangoes in their straw-packed boxes, the King Alphonso ruling over all!

As a kid, every time we drove past Crawford Market, I always looked up at the wind-vane atop the market, just to see which way the wind was blowing. I don't know if I will see it again, but I do know which way it points - in the direction of the winds of change!