A restaurant menu from 1935 is a reminder of how much Bombay has changed
During its heyday, the Light of Asia epitomised the cosmopolitanism of a growing city that was a magnet for international and up-country visitors.
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Sometimes, in the history of a city, one finds an artefact that is located at the crossroads of time and place. The one I am currently mulling over is a menu card from 1935. This richly detailed listing is from the Light of Asia restaurant, which, till 2018, was a familiar presence just across the General Post Office in Mumbai.
The name of this restaurant was possibly derived from Edwin Arnold’s well-known long poem, first published in 1879, about the life of the Buddha, and had an iconic image of the sun on its marquee that many older Bambaiwallahs may still remember. This graces the menu, as well. The Light of Asia restaurant was serendipitously located at the point where several forms of transportation converged.
Just outside the Victoria Terminus (now the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus), a stone’s throw away from Alexandra Dock and Ballard Pier, and connected to the tramlines on Hornby Road that led to the business districts of South Bombay, Ballard Estate, Phirozeshah Mehta Road, Flora Fountain and Colaba.
Whether you came by land or sea, by boat, tram or train, the Light of Asia beckoned. “Tourists, seamen, soldiers and civilians” were all cordially welcomed on the card that also promised catering to...
