All you who will drink tonight

Some of my nicest memories of Bombay are related to bars I say this in full recognition of the fact that it makes me sound like an alcoholic but I refuse to be apologetic about that because it doesnt really change how I feel about them This is because the bars I refer to have nothing to do with the onesizefitsall drinking holes that have slowly but steadily been taking over the city You know the typeI suppose it began in the late 90s the gradual emphasis on swanky interiors to justify ridiculously priced beer the removal of free snacks with every drink as taxes rose the elimination of all watering holes that occupied the space between 5star pubs and dingy barsToday walking into a pub makes it hard to figure out where in the world one is Some point this out as a matter of pride as proof that Bombay has arrived I think of it as a tragedy that we should use pubs and restaurants to define whether or not we have arrived instead of barometers like infrastructure and public healthcare But thats another storyWhile in college I remember places like Sunlight and Kit Kat both unpretentious bars in Marine Lines a place that still crawls with unpretentious bars if youre adventurous enough to go looking Its interesting how these places thrive within a few kilometres of Colaba where the possibility of finding an unpretentious bar is lower than that of finding a decent politicianWhat made Sunlight and Kit Kat special was how they acted like equalisers allowing young college students like myself to sit together with folk from across the city thigh to thigh downing cheap glasses of Old Monk and coke with assorted rough characters who told tall stories and locals who could be found at the same tables on any day of the week It was for many of us an education on what life in Bombay was really like outside the relatively sheltered childhoods we had just emerged fromI remember Totos in Bandra because its hard to forget its raucous soundtrack that will probably play long after Bon Jovi Metallica and Def Leppard put away their battered drum kits Totos continues to be special because of how rude it can be how it refuses to think of the customer as always right and insists on treating everyone with the right amount of disdain In doing so it personifies Bombay in its own way putting all who walk through its doors in their place asking us all to forget about preferential treatmentNot far from Totos stands Sunraj a bar that sinks below ground level and offers patrons a staircase to a mildly claustrophobic airconditioned first floor Its where you can run into those who have long given up on hipster Janta and it is surprisingly popular with young entrepreneurs for reasons I have yet to fathom Another place sharing this distinction is Harish in Irla that sits alongside what was once the most notorious dance bar in the suburbs You can never tell who you will find here from television soap actors to filmmakers joint families to enterprising businessmen I have spent years at Harish watching how its interiors have evolved into the generic equivalent of a South Indian restaurant The food and drink cost a lot more than they did when I first began visiting but what hasnt gone away is that weird feeling of comfort that only a few places manage to retain in the face of relentless changeEvery suburb always has a bar that attracts people for generations from Oceans in Khar to Ratnagiri in Andheri Sagar in Malvani to Schumania in Borivali Some boast special dishes that never change others stick to decor that was already unfashionable in the 1960s For regulars they are the places where they can walk in and everybody knows their namesBombays bars have long been notorious for reasons that are good or bad depending upon who you happen to be For me they have been a source of comfort and endless amusement where I have found solace in the company of old friends and complete strangers They continue to offer a semblance of shelter for those brave enough to step outside comfort zones and move away from the spots that attract reviews from food critics When I think of Bombay and the idea of home they are and always have been the places that come most to mind When he isnt ranting about all things Mumbai Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet He tweets lindsaypereira Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individuals and dont represent those of the paperCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates