Legendary Girgaum eatery may close

MUMBAI: Unprecedented migration has robbed Girgaum, the Mecca of Marathi culture, of some of its sterling landmarks over the last two decades. The latest casualty is Anantashram, the vintage eatery in Khotachi Wadi. The sparsely furnished fish restaurant has for decades titillated the tastebuds of Mumbaikars—not to speak of gourmets such as Asha Bhosle, Shobha De, Rashmi Uday Singh, Nana Patekar, litterateur Jaywant Dalvi, cricketer Dilip Sardesai and the legendary Busybee—with its fried pomfret, 'teesrya suke' and sol kadh'.However, the Saraswat joint is in the throes of an existential dilemma as the percentage of Marathis continues to register an alarming decline in Girgaum. "How can we keep this place going?" demands Dattaji Balkrishna of the Khadpe family which owns Anantashram. "Where is the Marathimanoos? Our clientele is fast depleting, and downing shutters is the only way out." Foodies, meanwhile, are appalled. "If Anantashram is really closing down, it's a shame," says writer-columnist Shobha De. "The eatery has become part of Mumbai's legend." The Khadpes, who are known for their financial prudence, spartan lifestyle (staffers wear pyjamas and half-sleeved banyans) and attitude (they threw out glamour photographer Pamela Bordes because she was armed with a camera) seem weighed down by the sheer pace of the socio-cultural and demographic changes that have swept Girgaum off its feet. First, it was the invasion of the vegetarians. The entire Dhobi Talao-Prarthana Samaj arterial stretch, which juts into lanes and bylanes on both sides, has over the last few years been swamped by traders and merchants. This mercantile class is deeply hostile to non-vegetarians, says Neelkanth Balkrishna, Dattaji's brother.