'Cafe Samovar is where I met my wife, its closing is Mumbai's loss'

More than half a century since it opened its doors and went on to become one of the favourite haunts of artists celebrities and the ordinary Mumbaikar alike Cafe Samovar downed its shutters for the last time yesterday but not before getting a farewell befitting an iconVeteran theatre artiste Dolly Thakore tries to squeeze into her seat beside Nana Chudasama PicsBipin Kokate and Suresh KKThe last few days saw a string of people including Jaya Bachchan who reportedly frequented Samovar with the Big B during their dating phase stopping by to not just get a last taste of the cafersquos famous pudina chai and keema paratha but also to soak in its history and reminisce about the times they had thereYesterday saw even longer queues with young people scrawling messages taking selfies and reaffirming the cafersquos status as ldquoan oasis for several generations of youthrdquo as filmmaker Shyam Benegal had memorably called itYoungsters leave messages on a wall of the cafe and take selfiesPersonalities like Nana Chudasama and veteran theatre artiste Dolly Thakore also made it a point to be at the cafe for one last time before the city could begin mourning its lossA waiter walks out with the last order coming out of Samovars kitchen mutton masala paratha and guava juiceTearing upRavindra Mardia said there was no way he was going to miss being at Samovar on its last day for that is where he had met his wife Bina ldquoI have been coming to Samovar since 1970 and its closing is the cityrsquos lossrdquo said Mardia who remained at the cafe with his friends till the shutters came down Tears rolled down the Prabhadevi residentrsquos eyes as he recalled how the cafe had become an integral part of part of lifeGenerational bondHussain Qureshi the cafersquos mutton supplier said his family had been catering to the cafe for generations ldquoMy grandfather used to supply mutton here then my father did and I was carrying on the tradition till today My family has been attached to the cafe for 51 years and it is very difficult to see it get shutrdquolsquoHard to swallowrsquoPrashant Zaveri who first visited the cafe in 1978 and went at least once a week said ldquoI have seen this place growing in both size and popularity I could never stay away from it I came here at least once every week and it is hard to digest that it wonrsquot be there from tomorrowrdquoA pot of tea for her late fatherDr Gowri Bharadwaj left a resident of Colaba said ldquoMy father had told me about Samovar and said that nobody makes pot tea like the folks at this cafe and I couldnrsquot help but agree after I tasted it It is sad that they are downing shutters but at the same time I am happy that I could come here one last time for my late fatherrdquoFounding familyDevieka Bhojwani left theatre personality and daughter of the cafersquos owner Usha Khanna right said ldquoIt is indeed sad that the cafe has to be shut even though we tried our level best to work out another way It is time to say goodbye and today is a celebration of the years we at Samovar have cherishedrdquoHome away from homeMinoo Daryanani who hails from Kolkata and lives in Colaba now said she had visited the cafe for the first time in 2000 ldquoI wasnrsquot from Mumbai and this place made me feel like home I had to be here to say goodbye to itrdquoShutting shop one last timeManager Mohanan Nambiar shuts the door of the cafe for good He had been working there since 1982Rustling up delicacies since 1991Chef Arjun Singh left who has been working in Samovarrsquos kitchen since 1991 said ldquoServing people and seeing happiness on their faces here had become a habitA bond had developed with many of the customers who had become our friends The management and the staff was also like family and we supported each other not just professionally but also in our personal livesrdquoSingh was the oldest chef in the cafe and was known for dishes like paper mutton chops butter chilly fry special chips with tartar sauce and many more The cafersquos staff will unite one more time on April 10 to collect their salaries