The Rent Act could spell doom to these old Mumbai establishments

Theres a reason that the city sheds tears when a Rhythm House or a Samovar shuts down Or it rushes to get its last mawa cake when rumours of closure surround B Merwan While we may love our Starbucks spiced latte bun maska dipped in Irani chai enjoyed over a book bought from Strand is a comforting thought for both the body and soul What then will happen when this becomes another memory relegated to nostalgia sighed over during chatter at art exhibitionsHIRALAL KASHIDAS BHAJIA Gaurang Shah the secondgeneration owner says though his brother studied engineering and he did his BCom both chose running the eatery over other careers The Bhuleshwar landmark which stands at the corner of Patel Road turns 80 this year and is famous for its farsan and seasonal Gujarati undhiyu PicOnkar DevlekarWith the state government proposing an amendment to the Maharashtra Rent Control Act 1999 mdash aimed at residential and commercial tenants above 847 sq ft and 547 sq ft mdash rent across several Mumbai buildings controlled by the pagdi system will match market rates Entrepreneurs behind muchloved institutions say they might be facing the nooseND MOOLLA AND sons From stacks of sandalwood to metres of mulmul for sacred sudreh Noshir Mullarsquos Kalbadevi store houses religious article needed by Parsis Itrsquos a necessity store that could soon become a relic if the Rent Act is amended PicBipin KokateA builders ActIt should have been a day that Vimal Thakker didnt stop smiling Some works by his father JH Thakker have been up on display at Bycullas Bhau Daji Lad museum as part of the ongoing exhibition Silver Magic In fact he has just received a text from the museums director Tasneem Mehta about the positive response the show has gotDAVID AND CO The Dhobi Talao printer has since 1952 been a mecca for the Catholic community Even today the nearby St Xaviersrsquo College commissions all its printing orders to David Founder Felix Dias says he started the company after paying a pagdi of Rs 65000 and a rent of Rs 100 The rent is now Rs 2500 PicBipin KokateVimal is the secondgeneration owner of India Photo Studio an iconic institution that stands at Dadar TT Circle Founded by his father JH Thakker in 1948 the 68year old studio was once frequented by the stars ldquoDilip Kumar Meena Kumari and Nargis Dutt were regulars and my father would take up a lot of film publicity projectsrdquo Vimal tells usindia photo studio Founded by JH Thakker in 1948 this 68year old studio has shot Dilip Kumar Meena Kumari and Nargis Dutt says Thakkerrsquos son Vimal Itrsquos one of few studios in the area that still survives PicSwarali PpurohitBut the warmth of nostalgia is replaced by grimness ldquoIt the exhibition is a matter of pride but my mind is elsewhererdquo he says With the studio occupying around 1400 sq ft space in Bombay Garage Building a prime property in Dadar East he knows that a monthly rent of Rs 10000 is a sweet deal ldquoI understand that landlords feel they deserve more but 200 times People will file tooth and nail against itrdquo he addsAnand bhavan While Madras Cafeacute and Rama Nayak in Matunga are safe as the buildings are owned by the founders Anand Bhavan at Kingrsquos Circle has been seeing a drop in customers over the years Owner Haridas Nayak fears it wonrsquot survive the new rent act PicPhorum DalalHe voices the most common angst mdash that the move is meant to change the face of Mumbai replacing old buildings with highrisesSTRAND BOOK STALL Vidya Virkar owner of the iconic bookstore says her father TN Shanbaug knew that what worked in their favour was an affordable rent If a new rent system comes in place they would have to rework their financial modelldquoWith the number of people living and working out of pagdi spaces is it practical Even if the current tenants who cannot afford to pay get out who is going to rent these spaces at astronomical prices Obviously the old buildings will be razed downrdquoChemould frames Adil Gandhy says his grandfather once owned Princess Building which houses Chemould Frames However the rents made from the tenants wasnrsquot profitable and his grandfather sold it since he ldquocouldnrsquot keep addressing complaints from the tenants about water and electricityrdquo PicBipin KokateRemu Javeri owner of Touch of Joy parlour at Apollo Bunder agrees ldquoThe pagdi system is a tripartite agreement The governments job is to give us a roof over our heads not remove it Today it seems the builders lobby is in power and the simple tax payer has no rightsrdquo The parlour started by Javeris wife is 27 years old ldquoWe built it from scratch from fittings to chairs to equipment It is our baby While I would accept a gradual rent hike it is unfair to hike the rent to 200500 times overnight It will affect lakhs of people who are not privilegedrdquoNot for profitAnd not everyone who owns a commercial establishment in Mumbai is rich Even if it is an Udipi restaurant When we meet Haridas Nayak the 62yearold thirdgeneration owner of Anand Bhavan at Kings Circle he ensures we have a look at his menu board One plate idli for Rs 30 one plate masala dosa for R50 Onion uttapam priced at Rs 52 is the costliest item on the menuldquoDo you think I make a profit at such rates Five years ago I had customers who ate here three times a day mdash breakfast lunch and the evening snack Some would even parcel dinner for their family Today those very customers come twice a day and then to have a cutting chai The only reason I survive is because I serve home foodrdquo says Nayak who feels the new rent act proposal is a political ployldquoCongress did this a year ago and now BJP has picked it up again No one will be ready for this I pay R7000 in rent I cannot afford to pay in lakhs Today no student from UDCT University Department of Chemical Technology nearby frequents my restaurant They have a cheaper mess on campusrdquoLokesh Gopal Shetty who runs Janata on Pali Naka Bandra doesnt mince words ldquoWe will be finished if the rents are increasedrdquo he saysAlong with Yacht Restaurant amp Permit Room Janata is one of the few options in the suburbs where you can get valueformoney alcohol thanks to the customers it was meant to serve ldquoWhen my father built it 60 years ago Pali Hill was a forested area with nothing but a few bungalows We used to be the place for labourers to have a meal and drinkrdquo he reminisces While the relatively low pricepoints persist at the bar the clientele has changed These days you have to hustle with the hipsters and yuppies to gain entryThe formula for Janata he says lies in its frugality ldquoI dont believe in interiors I give my customers basic hygienic amenities but good food at reasonable ratesrdquoOne big familyFor Dilip Maheswari who runs an imitation jewellery business in Bhuleswar coming to Hiralal Kashidas Bhajia for his morning noon and evening snacks is a ritual inherited from his father ldquoMy father used to bring me here and for the past 30 years we have been savouring this foodrdquo he says comparing the present state government with the British ldquoThe British had the kala kayda black rules The present government is worse It has joined hands with the builder nexus These are iconic spots and the city is about to lose its charm and old familyrun businessesrdquo he says sitting in one of the chairs on the groundfloor establishment that stands at the corner of Patel RoadIn fact Jhaveri Mahajan the building that houses Hiralal Kashidas Bhajia has become a landmark ldquoThe shop will turn 80 this year This is our world While my brother studied to be an engineer and I did my BCom we got into the business to carry the legacy forward Is it fair that hawkers are allowed to take over footpaths and slum dwellers get homes and we are thrown outrdquo says 60yearold Gaurang Shah one of those who protested at Wednesdays rally at Azad MaidanGo NorthA customer overhearing our conversation suggests that Shah move shop to a mall ldquoYou will do phenomenally wellrdquo While Shah doesnt react it is not a thought thats escaped the owners of the citys landmark bookstore StrandStacked from floor to roof with books this Fort shop hardly looks like a 800 sq ft space The store as its owner Vidya Virkar puts it withstood ldquothe global phenomenon of the challenging book businessrdquo perhaps because although it remains a treasure chest of rare finds it was opened with a business plan ldquoMy father TN Shanbaug always emphasised that we were very fortunate to pay an affordable rent which resulted in the discounts we were able to pass on to customers The amendment to the Rent Act will hit where it hurts an entire arithmetic based on low rent will be upturnedrdquoIn the last few years Strand has resisted the northward migration of establishments to Lower Parel Bandra and Andheri ldquoWe never considered relocating in some mall in Andheri though proposals came often It is true those areas have a younger population which has both purchasing power and an interest in books But we would never be able to afford the rents proposed by a mallrdquo says Virkar ldquoWe will need time to rework our financial model which cannot be done overnightrdquoAnd what of other bookstores in the area Sterling Book House when we speak with them seem distressed ldquoAre you over 547 sq ftrdquo we ask them We hear an instant sigh of reliefldquoOn what basis has the 547 sq ft cutoff been decidedrdquo asks Adil Gandhy when we meet him at Chemould Frames the 69yearold Princess Street shop his late gallerist father Kekoo Gandhy set up The new Act will enforce the marketrate rentals on establishments that occupy an area of over 547 sq ftGandhy points out that few would be able to afford such a setup as his ldquoIn Colaba if you see framers are in little spaces by the roadsiderdquo says Gandhy sibling to gallerist Shireen Gandhy The space which has relocated from an earlier location in the neighbourhood hosted exhibitions by greats such as MF HusainIronically his family once owned Princess Building in which Chemould Frames now sits They switched status when rents they made from tenants stopped being profitable ldquoMy grandfather couldnt keep addressing the complaints from the tenants about water and electricity Fed up he sold it offrdquoCommunal lossBesides favourite cafeacutes and bookstores there are communities that have been built around the over547sqft establishments that could suddenly face closureClose to Kyani amp Co in Dhobi Talao stands David and Co which has for the last 63 years been the destination for most Catholics to get their cards printed for occasions right from baptisms to weddings Without blinking an eyelid one look at the long shelves stacked with brideandgroom cake toppers and invitation materials tells you that the Rent Act could spell trouble for this place run by the Dias family Felix Dias says he started the company in 1953 after paying a pagdi of Rs 65000 and a rent of Rs 100 The rent has now escalated to Rs 2500 ldquoThe rupee has lost its value and things have become expensive Imagine you have to pay a pagadi of that value today It would almost be Rs 2 crorerdquo says DiasAdjacent to Seth Hormarjee Bomanjee Wadia Atash Behram at the turning of Princess Street is Noshir Mullas store that houses religious articles needed for Parsi rituals From stacks of sandalwood to metres of sudreh ND Molla and Sons is a necessity that could soon become a relic if the Rent Act is amended Mulla whose surname is spelt differently thanks to a glitch in his birth certificate is concerned by the possible hike The shop is on land that belongs to the fire temples trust and Mulla shows carefully preserved rent receipts for two months dated 2014 The threefigured rent charged by the trust is countered by municipal taxes that are more than thrice the amount ldquoIf the legislators think that an increase in statutory rent is smart then can you imagine what will happen to the taxesrdquoWill he cope with change Mulla says he will pay his rent till he can and when he cant he shut shop Interrupted by the constant trickle of Parsi customers he says ldquoThere is a Gujarati saying There are only two things that cannot be predicted mdash the God of death and a customerrdquo