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| Manisha ji of Pradeep Gomantak with her daughter in 2017 |
‘I come here whenever I miss home food’ said a Goan and a food lover who worked at Fort at time when I worked out of Laxmi Building there. We had connected through Twitter. We walked into a tiny restaurant opposite Ideal Corner. Pradeep Gomantak. A Malvani fish place I thought. Later food writer Saee Koranne Khandekar told me that Gomantaks are Hindus from Goa. That there are subtle differences in their food from that of the Malvanis of Maharashtra. This story is not about that. It is about a lady who epitomised the spirit of self reliance, grit and warmth that defines the city of Mumbai to me.
The eatery, restaurant seems to big a word, was packed with 4 or 5 rows of tables. There was a queue at lunch time. You shared tables with strangers once you got a place. The menu consisted of thalis. Various fish thalis, mutton, chicken, innards, one veg and a few a la carte fish fries. Service was quick. The food cheap. The collars of the clientele ranging from blue to white. The food was rustic, delicious and filling. Despite seafood being its mainstay, the restaurant was clean and not smelly.
I became a regular at Pradeep Gomantak during my stint at Fort. I noticed a lady who would sit at the cash counter. She would interact primarily with the waiters. Occasionally some of the customers, who looked like the ‘oldest member’ of Drones if you know your Plum, would speak to her in Marathi on the way out. There was order in the chaos inside and the lady was clearly on top of things. We didn’t exchange a word during the period.
I moved out of my market research desk job a couple of years later to try my luck at being a food writer. That is when I started the #finelychoppedfoodwalks. ‘Petrol money,’ I’d wryly dub them. Not realised that I was building the foundation of my book through them and the subsequent magic carpet ride. Pradeep Gomantak became a regular stop in my walks. I finally spoke to the lady. Both of us conversing in Mumbaiyya Hindi.
I learnt that her name was Manisha. That her father had set up the restaurant. That she ran it now. My conversations with her briefer than with many of the other wonderful folks at Fort. The merry men of Ideal Corner, Yazdani, Apurva, Pancham Puriwaa, Moti Halwai, Jimmy Boy, for example. Language was a barrier in this case. Plus she was shy and preferred to be in the background. Once when I wanted to know what went into their vade dough, while shooting a video, she got one of the elderly waiters to do the needful.
She would always welcome me and my group of food walkers with a smile. Even on busy days. She’d ensure that we got a table by the door and knew my order, 2 or 3 bombil fry thalis which we’d share, with extra sol kadi. I once shot with Kunal Vijayakar for The Foodie there, often went with foreigners, sometimes Indians. She would treat everyone with the same warmth.
The last time I went there was in 2017. I was doing a walk for a group of German journalists as a part of the Indo Germany exchange programme. By then I had almost stopped doing food walks. Just on appointment and customised to your needs.
It was a Saturday. A little girl was there in a pink dress. Maybe 8 years old. Or less. ‘School is shut,’ explained Manishaji. ‘I brought her to work and told her to finish her school homework.’
A few days back I got a message from a reader on Facebook.
‘Hi , recently been to Pradeep Gomantak, Fort .. got to know the lady (owner) expired in covid . Hope you are aware??’
I was shocked. We had not exchanged many words over the years to be honest. Nor had I met her in a while. Yet the loss felt personal. As if a guardian angel had disappeared.
I reached out to a few people in Fort and got a confirmation from my friend Parvez, ‘Yes. Am told she ignored the symptoms for few days and when hospitalised gave in to COVID.’
My thoughts went immediately to her daughter. The little girl standing proudly beside her mum that day.
As I mulled over it over the next few days, it struck me that Manisha ji was the only woman I’d ever seen running a restaurant restaurant at Fort, ever since I first went to there in 1996. As a B school summer trainee from Kolkata who had come to present his summer project.
What a fabulous role model she must have been for her daughter. Something tells me that her legacy and spirit would guide the child in the years that come.
