05 December,2014 06:28 AM IST | | Contributed by: Dhara Vora; Vidya Heble
The city — sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Something fishy
On a recent sailing trip off the coast of Mumbai, this diarist had a great time reading the names of the boats docked at Apollo Bunder.
Sailing is also about word play
From ones such as âSheikin Not Stirred' to âWahe Guru', the word play left us amused. The one that took the (fish) cake though was âBlazing Surmai'. Must be a true blue Mumbaikar's idea.
Running or crawling?
Railway station announcements are often staccato, and sometimes inaudible. There are times we have to strain to hear what the announcer is saying, whereas some of the pre-recorded messages are as clear as a bell. But not always coherent, alas.
We were wondering what to make of the dichotomy in the announcements about trains which are running late. In Hindi we are told the train deri se chal rahi hai whereas in Marathi the announcement is, hilariously, ushiraane dhaavat aahe literally, running late.
It is a mental diversion of sorts to imagine the train breaking into a jog, which the Marathi words conjure up. The reality however is that with the frequent problems besetting the railways, the trains sometimes seem to be taking a leisurely stroll.
