Monday, November 22nd, 2004
Where the old money lives
In South Mumbai, money doesn’t talk. It whispers. Very, very softly.
As you drive up the Walkeshwar waterfront, you pass the imposing gates of the Shapoorji Pallonji mansion but you never hear of the man or see pictures of him splashed across the media. Honestly, now. Does anyone really know what the magnate even looks like? That’s precisely the way he likes it, thank you very much.
In North Mumbai, a music baron recently made a lot of noise about buying two Ferraris. That’s loose change for Pranlal Bhogilal, who can drive a different vintage car daily from his home at Malabar Hill to his office at Fort, and not repeat cars for over a month.
South Mumbai is home to most old money. The Tatas, the Birlas, the Mahindras. Young Kumar Mangalam is shifting from an apartment in the quiet confines off Little Gibbs Road to a house on the even quieter Carmichael Road but remains ensconced in South Mumbai. Speaking of Carmichael Road, is there a quieter, leafier, more stately stretch in the city? Don’t say Juhu Scheme, please.