WorldWar2: Old Bombay

A Blog begun years ago as a stroll on the Funny Side of Serious Street, highlighting India's problems. Revived by adding memories of old Bombay, including excerpts from Dreams of One Country.

World War II in Old Bombay

For me, as a child, watching the street below from the common balcony on the third floor of the 5-storey tenements on Dadar Main Road was fun. The Krishna Vishranti Graha hotel right in front and the two Irani restaurants at the corner would compete in blaring out film music on their radios. The local goondah's men would play crazy pranks on the road. But when they did things like knocking off a lame beggar's walking stick and then stood around laughing at the man's misery, I would fume at their meanness.

Those were the days of World War II. The Japanese army was racing north after knocking the British out of Singapore. Every now and then the air raid siren would start its winding music - sounding like the world's biggest saxophone. WAACs of the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (British, some Indians - mostly Anglo-Indians, all smart in jacket-and-skirt uniforms) and members of the air raid patrol wearing ARP armbands would shoo away people. Streets would empty. If it was nighttime all the street gaslights were put off and dark curtains were drawn across windows. I was thrilled to watch searchlights crisscrossing the skies and the Divali-like flares, explosions and showers of light as antiaircraft guns opened up on some suspicious object. Possibly groups of birds! The Japanese never tried to bomb Bombay.
In the evenings I would hang hang around the balcony to see my father returning from work. Some days he was late, and the longer I had to wait the more I worried. Then the boys ran by shouting 'Clojingggdalaay!' ('Closing Daily!') and sold slips of paper giving the last digit of the American cotton selling price for the day. (The last digits of the opening ('Opaaandalaay!'yelled the boys) and closing prices of American cotton were used for organized gambling across the city those days.) That meant it was past nine, and I would run to my mother for some kind of assurance. What a moment of relief (of joy) it was when my father finally appeared at the street corner!

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Tail Lights:
1. India Cinemascopic
My novel Dreams of One Country - for download on I-phone, pad or computer from Amazon.com - is a moving panorama of young dreams and ideas inspiring India's people to come together as Ek Desh (One Country) and build a truly modern nation.
2. A Happy Marriage
Everyone wants to be happily married...not married-and-harried! The most important ingredient for a happy marriage is love.The most important ingredient for love is for the partners to be the very best of friends.
The most important ingredient to be the best of friends is to accept each other as equals or equal partners - for neither to try to belittle, dominate or walk over the other or the other's family.

Needless to say, the reverse ideas are the perfect formula for an unhappy marriage!

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