Recently I had been to a joint named seven Beans in the neighboring town. Since a long time the joint has been in news and I wanted to see it myself personally. The interior looked different, rugged and artistic. The place has been designed in such a way that one can go there and immerse oneself couple of hours very comfortably in interaction with friends, without any disturbances. For me , the space seemed to have combined the characters of a club and a restaurant. It was spacious, artistic, and full of life with youngsters coming in and going out of the cafe constantly. I think the joint is mainly meant for the youngsters who can come and spend long hours without being disturbed. At the back space, there was a compartment with glass front, the interiors walls showcased some indigenous folk art forms painted on. Within this, a small library equipped with a good collection of books reflected a sense academic values infused with. On one side of the entrance was a billiard table - a sign of British culture and affluence. That atmosphere of the joint prompted me to think about the joints which have become quite famous because those have been the spaces where famous poets , dramatists, film directors and artist frequented often to recharge their batteries so as to get inspiration, and to come out with exceptional innovative master pieces.
When I was studying in art college, we friends used to spend more time in the restaurant which was exactly opposite our college . We used to spend long hours there ordering endless cups of tea,( some of the waiters thought we were mad) and in that particular space only ideas for our exhibitions, workshops and other innovative events used to generate. I certainly do not know the reasons but most of our innovative ideas used to take birth in that place. Cafe, tea , interaction and innovative ideas - work as a combination. Space and time matter most.
Indian Coffee House on M.G. road was quite famous for its coffee and its history as well . I had visited that joint many times with my family and friends. Whenever I visited, I used to see some intellectuals engrossed in serious conversation with friends over a cup of delicious coffee. The waiters dressed in white uniforms with Indian turbans used to serve fragrant coffee in white cups with saucers to keeps one's spirit high. Without fail, one must taste coffee here in the Indian Coffee House for which it is famous . When the Indian coffee House of M.G.Road was shifted to different lane, the artists , directors and actors felt very sad as if they were losing out their own house because it used to be a very convenient and cozy place where they used to meet every day since so many years unabated. More than that they had emotional attachment to that place. Indian Coffee House has a chain of restaurants across India and this chain has stood the test of time and has remained one of the most attractive and alluring restaurant for intellectuals. Its strong presence with historical ambience and strong coffee flavor, with waiters in white uniform and turban, induces intellectuals to spend their time here , more than they desire.
I used to visit Samovar which was an attached restaurant of the famous Jehangir Gallery, in Mumbai, whenever I was in Mumbai. The restaurant had some attraction for me since I had entered it in early 70's. I enjoyed its cool ambience , the look of the furniture, more over the people who visited it. It was a very narrow and slightly dark space, but it was a favorite haunt of many intellectuals and high profiled people. This joint was known for its pakodas and pudina chai which were relished by one and all who dropped in. During my visits to this place , I had chance to see many film stars and famous artists. This place had an attraction for the creative people and it was a convenient place for them to see the exhibitions at the gallery and spend some quality time with friends here. Some time back in 2015 , Jehangir Gallery management decided to have more exhibiting space as there was more pressure for the space from the artists across the country, the management decided to wind up the cafe and use that place for exhibition purpose. When the news of closing of the Samovar spread, the famous personalities of Mumbai missed their heart beats a couple of seconds. Recently I had a show in Jehangir art gallery, Samovar being shut down , the space was getting renovated for the exhibition but it seemed to have lost the charisma that the small cafe had built over years with its sincere efforts. The famous Samvour had played host to many creative people who used to spend their time in discussing and crystallizing their thoughts. On the last day of Samovar, many celebrities came to spend a few minutes and taste their favorite dishes and pudina tea, and say good bye to that place which has nostalgic memories for them. Samovar has published a coffee table book of its early period. Samovar grew as a part of Mumbai's culture and became famous joint for its location in the Jehangir art gallery premise and became a place of attraction for celebrities , intellectuals, artists and media persons over period of time.
During my visit to Paris, I came across many restaurants painted in dark red and black colors, and mainly cane furniture decorated the space, most of the furniture was spread outside the restaurant on to the footpath. Curiously and longingly, I surveyed those joints because during my student days I had read about those joints where artists like Van Gough and Paul Gauguin used to meet for drinks and interactions, and used to quarrel and disperse . Many times, when their paintings were rejected by the academy for exhibition, they used to display in the restaurants with the support of critics. In some of the Paris restaurants, authors' meets take place regularly to select the awardees of the year. Cafes , tea, coffee , beer......... and creativity.
