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Amid the hustle and bustle of Bandra Fair and the stalls along the steps of Mount Mary Church, it is hard to miss the voice of Thelma Poojary calling out, “Choris Pao, Choris Pao, come get Choris Pao”. Competing with the likes of another shopkeeper screaming “Chana le lo”, Thelma, who is a Chimbai local, does a pretty good job attracting all the East Indians, Goans, and Mangaloreans, among other communities, along with people who love pork and other meat specials, visiting Bandra Fair, this year, after it started on September 8 and is set to conclude on September 15 this Sunday.
Interestingly, the 56-year-old says setting up a stall at Bandra Fair has always been something that she wanted to do as many devotees come to visit Mount Mary Church. The Bandra local explains, “‘It was really my dream to put an East Indian food stall at Bandra Fair. The East Indian Association says it is an East Indian Bandra Fair but there is not one stall from the start to the end that has a stall of the community. So, I said, why should I not have one?’ I put up the stall to continue the tradition of the East Indians, I said I will do it. So, when I came and met Father Michael, he asked me, what stall are you putting up? I said, ‘Food’.” Thelma says there is one other stall at September Garden, which is held on the Mount Carmel Church property. However, her stall happens to be the only East Indian one at the fair in Mount Mary Church.
She adds, “There are so many East Indians who are so good at cooking. I have only just started but they have so many good tips from so many years of experience.” Being an East Indian Koli, Thelma loves to celebrate her heritage with food, and this year is no different. When she is not cooking, Thelma is hosting heritage walks in the neighbourhood to tell more people about the culture of Bandra.
East Indian food stall at Bandra Fair
Earlier, the Mumbaikar, who has been putting up the stall for many years now, had her stall at the top of the steps at the entry, and on the right side near the washroom area. However, it was often difficult to get people to try out the food because the stall was not visible. “We had to literally stand outside near the steps and call people inside to try out the food. However, this year, I am happy I have got my stall here.” Even though the sun is beating down on them during the day, the Bandra resident is happy because she is able to feed people her food, something that she loves doing. It was something she started doing more seriously after the Covid-19 pandemic, along with the help of her husband Suresh, and their neighbour, friend and business partner Augustine Almeida.
Ever since then, she has been making a wide variety of dishes, including Choris (pork sausages) Pao (Rs 100), Sorpotel Pao (Rs 100 for two pieces), Beef Kheema Pao (Rs 100 for two pieces), Chicken Kheema Pao (Rs 100 for two pieces) and more. Interestingly, such has been the demand, that the Bandra local has to keep refilling her stock. She shares, “I have been coming every day at 5 am to set up the stall after making 3 kg of choris, and then I go back to make two more kilos. I approximately cook 7 kg every day.” Juggling between her cooking sprees when she met this writer earlier in the week, Thelma says she hopes to make good sales this year.
Across eight days, she has made at least 60 kg of choris among all other dishes that she cooks for the Bandra Fair. While she has sold 10 kg on one of the days in past years, the Mumbaikar had to often take back excess, and that she calls, ‘neither profit nor losses’, as the food can be stored and enjoyed later. Amid the issues about the stall allocations and everything that happened this year, she is content to get a stall. “This stall has been good for me because it is out in the open. We have been getting the crowd that wants to eat and everything we are making has been getting over,” concludes Thelma, as she greets locals from her Chimbai village who come to buy their fill of choris pao, and other family friends from Gorai village, chatting with them, but not before offering coffee and food.
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