Shastri Hall

             "Shastri Hall" (aamchi aavadti wadi) is a colony located on J.D. Road near Nana Chowk, Mumbai. This is the place where I was born and brought up.Most of the times when I mention the name "Shastri Hall" to people, they seem to have some connection with it. It comprises of 6 chawls(they no longer have the traditional chawl look) & a 10 storey new building. There is a "Shanti Maidan" (It used to be a maidan but now it is used as car parking). It is here that we used to play cricket and now play Volleyball under lights every weekend.
            Nowadays, the Flat/Block system is prevalent all over India. People have their doors closed and have no idea as to whether their neighbors(I'm not practicing American spellings here, just used Auto-correct...) are in town or not. But here almost everyone's door is always open and one can visit them anytime. This doesn't mean that one does not privacy here but it strikes a perfect balance between the chawl culture and Flat system.
            Almost everyone has a nickname here.(You guys know my nickname) And there are a couple of guys who are great at this. (wonder from where they think of these names). If Nicknaming was a profession they would have a Phd by now. Nicknames vary from Animals(Zebra, Bakri.If those guys read this, they are gonna kill me), Films (Paa, Fantatic Four... But there's no Jessica Alba amongst them.:)), Name-Surname combo(That's how I get my nickname :P), Fruits, Vegetables  etc.

           Ganeshotsav is celebrated with a lot of fervor here. The "Mandal" (Organising committee) is setup well in advance to manage everything.(Hats off to those who take leave from work and offer their services for these 10 days & manage everything). We get the "Mandav"(In the era of outsourcing, we still build it ourselves) ready almost 2-3 weeks prior to the 10 day festival. We have competitions for all people from all ages. But I must say the enthusiasm about these competition has slowly diminished. On Ganesh Chaturthi, we have a the "Miravnuk" in a very traditional way with "Leghim" etc. (Shreenche aagman  Palkitun hote).
Then we have programs like Kirtans, plays, Orchestra, Films throughout those 10 days. On the last night of the festival, everyone is up  all night(Playing leghim etc) and only go home at 6 am in the morning after the Aarti.  At around 3 pm that day, we gather to say adieu to our favourite deity Lord Ganesh.

           I have lived in 3 cities till date but with all due respect to all societies, I have not found any colony which has this amazing culture and atmosphere. The people here are fantastic & welcome you with open arms(Some are nuts but i guess, every colony needs these characters too). Many of my neighbors know almost all of my relatives and vice versa. This is how close the relations are between people and the thought of "Privacy" being infringed doesn't even cross our mind.  I'm glad to have had the opportunity to be back in "Shastri Hall"(as I work in Mumbai) and relive those childhood memories once again.
          I firmly believe in the idiom "Company maketh the man". Thank you to all my friends & fellow Shastri Hall residents for instilling all the good values (and a few bad ones too.... but then no one is perfect :P)  in me. Though highly unlikely, I wish "Shastri Hall" stays the same way as it is and is not replaced by some towering towers for years to come.

PS: You have to stay here in Shastri Hall to experience it all. It's very difficult to express it in words.
The film "Shikshanchya Aaicha Gho" has been shot in Shastri Hall.