August is celebrated as Romance Awareness Month the world over. City folk spanning generations share their go-to places and what PDA means to them
Pravina and Jamal Mecklai. Pic/Ashish Raje
From the restaurant seats
"I once asked my old accountant how he met his wife. He told me that when he was 17, his uncle came over with a proposal. Hesitant, he asked his uncle if she was the right person. The uncle then gave him two light slaps and said, 'She has two hands, two feet, and two eyes. Would I not choose the right person?' They went on to be married for around sixty years. Isn't that romantic?" For Jamal Mecklai, 68, everyone in the city is chasing romance.
The story of Mecklai, who heads a risk management consultancy and his wife, Pravina, a gallerist has revolved around the many shuttered restuarants in the city. From the Taj Mahal Palace's Sea Lounge to Café Naaz at Malabar Hill. The three-storeyed Naaz was a place where the rich and the poor were welcome. "There were delicious mutton samosas, orange lollies, and a splendid view of Marine Drive," Pravina reminisces. She would often head out to a disco during her college days. Slip Disc at Colaba, where Led Zeppelin gave an impromptu performance, and Taj's Blow Up were favourites.
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The Supper Club at Oberoi and Rendevous at the Taj were also great places to get pampered. "There were pink napkins on your lap and candles. You felt like a princess," she recalls. Jamal met Pravina 25 years ago — or like he puts it, "Life begins at 40." Romance, for them, is about the person, not the place. Pravina explains, "It is different with the younger generation, but it always has been. When I wanted to go to the disco, my dad would question, 'Why can't you just go to a tea dance?' and I'd retort back, 'Who goes to a tea dance!' You see, romance will never be done."
Run-away love
Kainaz Messman and Nihal Harchandrai
Kainaz Messman, 38, tells us with a certain trepidation, "I'm sorry we're actually quite boring." She and husband Nihal Harchandani, 41, first met at Breach Candy Club and bonded over their shared love for food and running. "There's something about Marine Drive at 6 am, and the city during the monsoon. The lawns at the Cricket Club of India are a great option then. For the founder of Theobroma, food has always been important, but the eating-out culture wasn't big back then until Barista came in. "As college students, we were broke. So, dates were just chaat and dosa by the streets," she reminisces. Evenings are now made romantic with a bottle of wine, and frequent visits to Kala Ghoda Café and Theobroma, Fort. "I'm not one to ask to hold hands or kiss in public. For me, it's to do with a phase of life."
Youth speak
Aranya Johar
For 19-year-old poet Aranya Johar, a safe space often comes at a cost — a luxury not many youngsters have. "You have to take care of budgets and indoor spaces tend to be more expensive. I personally do not engage in PDA because of the reaction I will get. There is always a fear of the outdoors, and it arises especially during Valentine's Day when you hear of cases of moral policing," she says. Although Johar recommends places like Cat Café Studio, Leaping Windows, Gostana, and Suzette's for dates, she introduced her friends to the idea of going out to museums.
The Nehru Planetarium is a favourite. And like she humorously puts it, "It's beautiful because you get the idea that none of this matters and we're all going to die anyway." These spaces also encourage youngsters to give space to more discourse on dates. "You want to talk to resonate with your partner politically and intellectually," she says.
Nothing like home
Daribha Lyndem and Adhiraj Singh
"We decide on a place and we're all set to go out. Then comes the traffic. By the time we get there, we're so tired that we just want to go back home." That, is precisely what set deputy commissioner with the Indian Revenue Services, Daribha Lyndem on an aesthetic expedition. Her Powai home, a government flat, is a blend of the modern and vintage, and is the most romantic place. Shillong girl Lyndem and Singh based in Mumbai began a long-distance relationship that transitioned into a live-in one, but a slew of problems followed.
"We found a place here but when we decided to get married we were asked to hand in a certificate from our building society, which was ridiculous. It's funny – I've never faced any challenge with romance except when I'm here trying to get married," she says. Marriage really gives a sense of legitimacy, Lyndem says. "I don't worry about judgement. But, I often joke that now I can grab his a** in public and flash my marriage certificate."
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