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Journalism of Courage
Big blue-and-white tents,overflowing mugs of beer,platters of a variety of sausages and a crowd of close to a thousand people both expats and Indians singing along in revelry. These vivid images from last years Mumbai Oktoberfest at Mahalaxmi Racecourse organised by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce are some of Sahil Bansals fondest memories. Ironically,it was only recently that he discovered that Oktoberfest has its roots in Germany. An investment consultant,the 32-year-old explains,I didnt even know what Oktoberfest is. The venue was close to my office so a bunch of us decided to drop by, laughs Bansal,who is now waiting for the second edition this year.
Like Bansal,many Mumbaikars and restaurateurs alike have adopted Oktoberfest and many other foreign festivities such as Thanksgiving,St Patricks Day,Halloween and,more recently,the Spanish Tomatina festival for the sake of fun. Media and Bollywood play a huge rule, admits Nevil Tambadia,a partner in Bandras Bonobo,which hosts special theme parties for St Patricks Day and Halloween. Mumbai has a large community of expats who feel at home with such celebrations, he adds.
This trend is rather new and the increase in the spending power of the Indian youth has hugely contributed to it. But Amit Jauli,the food and beverage manager at Trident,Nariman Point,says that the starting point was probably the influx of expats in the city. Hotels like ours have an international clientèle and it was important for us to acknowledge the larger international festivities. Four years ago,we decided to have annual Oktoberfest celebrations, he adds.
These foreign festivities-turned-desi have witnessed an encouraging response in Mumbai. Jauli admits that it has increased the footfall at Trident during the festivities by almost 25 per cent. Tambadia too expects similar results. However,the Tomatina festival hasnt been able to gain ground in India where the tomatoes the key ingredient in the festivities are rather expensive. People were ready to pay and attend for experience but the brouhaha made us pull back, says an organising committee member for the Tomatina Festival at Juhus Tulip Star Hotel last month. The guests finally had to make do with water.
Incidentally,it isnt the expat community that contributes to the success of these festivities. Most of our guests were Indians, recollects Ketaki Tarhalkar of the Mumbai Oktoberfest.Chef Zubin Dsouza of Svenska Design Hotels in Andheri,who plans to host a Halloween theme brunch and Oktoberfest this year,says,A theme party allows the organisers to think out-of-the-box and for chefs to experiment.
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