Latest revision as of 10:10, 7 May 2024

[edit] Meher Cold Drink House, Mackawee Mansion on Gunbow Street in Bora Bazaar

[edit] 2024

Heena Khandelwal, May 5, 2024: The Indian Express

Meher Cold Drink House serves creamy sweet dahi in cutting chai glasses, lassi in tall glasses and hand-churned buttermilk in Rooh Afza bottles.

“But the business isn’t the same. Back then, we used to purchase 120 litres of milk, now 20 litres suffices,” shared Sunil Bhonsle, who joined the establishment 31 years ago during the tenure of Bomi’s son Dinshaw, who passed away in 2021. While his wife Vijaya Irani, and their pilot sons Dineil and Saineil, along with Saineil’s wife, Shervin, oversee the business, the day-to-day operations are handled by Bhonsle.

“At 9 am sharp, our doors would swing open, and we’d be bustling with customers until 5.30 pm when we would shut the shop. Even with all three doors wide open in the afternoons, it was still a challenge to accommodate everyone,” he reminisced. He gestured towards a blue sign, cautioning against smoking, spitting, and outside food consumption, while reminding patrons “to remember that others are waiting”. “We had to install this sign to encourage turnover. Sadly, it’s become obsolete now,” he lamented with a touch of disappointment.

The 85-year-old establishment is representative of a different era. “Back in the day when refrigerators weren’t a common household appliance, these quaint shops dotted the city, offering a variety of sharbats, carbonated drinks, and buttermilk. These cold drink houses were where one would run to when guests would come over,” recalled Bharat Gothoskar, founder of Khaki Tours, drawing from personal history as his maternal grandfather owned a similar establishment in Girgaum. “One popular concoction was Mara Mari, a delightful blend of ice cream soda with Surat’s Sosyo and Kashmiri masala,” he reminisced. Despite their heyday in the early 20th century through the 1970s and 80s, many of these establishments either closed down or evolved into ice cream parlours over the last few decades. Gothoskar’s grandfather’s cold drink house too transitioned to offering snacks like vada pav and tea over time.

When it comes to Meher, Saineil shared that the business saw a drop in the last decade and explains that there are a multitude of reasons behind it. “The construction of the Metro line coupled with offices moving to areas like BKC has led to a significant drop in footfalls in the area. There are multiple hawkers on the road selling lassi at the same price and even though it is substandard in quality, it is readily available. Then there is quality issue with the milk, it is no longer what it used to be and since we are struggling with sales at our current price point, we can’t afford to go for premium milk without a hike in prices,” shared Saineil, adding that over the years, his father and the whole family thought of various options, including selling sandwiches, Gujarati snacks like thepla and even muffins but nothing worked. “We even thought of going on apps like Swiggy and Zomato but it would mean selling in plastic glasses, which doesn’t work for us,” he added.

Saineil also shared that even though the months of April, May, June and October used to be their prime months, they now struggle to break even and the family has been paying the salaries out of their pockets for many years.

“It is an emotion for us, which is why we persisted, but there comes a time when practicality must prevail. We considered transforming it into a delivery kitchen, but given our existing commitments, it’s not feasible. We’ll be closing our doors for good by the end of June,” he disclosed.

While Meher’s closure is inevitable, it’s essential not to miss the opportunity to savour their delightful offerings, perfect for escaping Mumbai’s blistering heat while they’re still available.