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Car Street will never be the same for typical Mangaloreans. Road widening work is in progress and many old landmarks have bitten the dust already. The ethnic architecture of the Twenties and the Thirties have been razed by the demolition squad, making the buildings look like “Shoorpanakhi” Ravana's sister whose nose and ears were sliced off by Lakshmana in Ramayana. The author visited Car Street morning and likes to share his experiences and take the readers on a trip down the memory lane.

It was almost 6. 30 a.m. I reached Hotel Usha Kiran near Srinivas Talkies and had idli thove and a cup of strong coffee. The taste of Idli Thove and coffee remained the same since late Eighties when I tasted them for the first time there.

Earlier, when Jaya Lakshmi Vilas was taken over by Nagesh Rao in the early Seventies, my late father Late Kudpi Vasudeva Shenoy who had his Prabhat Office opposite, used to either take me there for a cup of tea or just stand on the balcony of his office and make signal at Nagesh Rao to indicate how many cups of tea should be sent over! Nagesh Rao still remembers that my father used to sit at the single table next to him and have his tea those days. He feels sad that those golden days are over and his hotel will lose a part of the structure very soon.

Next to Usha Kiran is Navajeevan Cold Drinks, earlier known as magician Srinivas Rao's Navajeevan Soda Factory. One more shop annexe is Late Sanjeev Shenoy's Fruits Corner presently known as Vighnesh Fruits and Juice. We used to buy Mundappa mangoes and other fruits from this shop on a regular basis. Two other shops are vacant, one in the corner had PVS Beedi stall and the middle one was run by Nagesh Rao, selling general items before he took over Jaya Lakshmi Vilas. The one near the gate of Srinivas (Balaji) Talkies has Gurudarshan Music shop in it. Other side of the corner turning towards Bunder is the first ever Komal's sweet stall where Late Shivanna Shet used to sell his products when we were small kids. The entire row will be sliced off by the authorities within a few days.

I took a walk across the street and watched the man at Bharath Patrikalaya selling newspaper and magazines as usual. He didn't seem much bothered about the demolition as the building was almost in its last legs. It is the same building in which my father had started his office in 1935. Many writers have climbed the wooden steps of that premises to submit their articles. Most of them have succeeded as famous authors in the later years.

Below the staircase, there is a petty shop with triangular space where an old man known as Bhat used to repair umbrellas and make photo frames. After he passed away, his two sons took over but eventually the elder one passed away and the whereabouts of the younger one is not known since he moved from there in the early Nineties.

Round the corner, Swadeshi Stores, started by freedom fighter Late Mukunda Prabhu intended to sell Khadi. Above Swadeshi Stores Devadigar's Karnatic Music classes and on the other side, M Appu's Tailoring Hall used to exist. M Appu was one of the bespoke tailors of those days with six sewing machines and an interlock stitching machine. Next to Swadeshi Stores, a gateway led to Mahaveer Press of Late M Krishnagopal who was also a good drama artist and playwright. All these people remain in my memories forever, while the structures have been half demolished already!

Just across the road, behind Car Street Bus Stop is Government Women's Junior College which was Government Women's High School when I was young. The compound wall of this college as well as part of Mangalore Co - Operative Town Bank has been removed.

Overlooking Car Street Bus Stop is Adige Krishna Shenoy's grocery shop converted to Electronics Goods Store by Late Adige Pundalika Shenoy's son. Adige Raghavendra Shenoy's hardware shop and HML Nayak's Metal house which used to exist are not seen in this building now. The building is half broken as I see it today.

I am not sure, if Dharmaprakash Mills will lose the front portion that had been renovated just a few years ago. Srinivas Brothers, the stationery store annexe is going to be smaller for sure. Very next to that, Maharaja Soda Factory that had nice ice creams and juices when we were young. Kodial Teru and Sharada Festival never used to be complete without having a fruit salad with ice cream there. It was closed long ago and a new building had been built there. There was Adige Vittappa Shenoy's Flour Mill and shop till early Nineties. I don't remember when they closed that place. Ravi Industrial, the metal utensils shop is next to this and is going to lose the frontage as well.

Opposite to this row of shops, The House of Raghavendra Ranga Pai distributors for ITC products and reputed confectionaries and cosmetics companies had their office. In the late Eighties, it was demolished and a small shopping complex came up. Now this complex also has been demolished. Further up the road on the right hand side, Govardhan Metal House which has been moved to new premises opposite and another famous landmark existed, New Taj Mahal Restaurant which we used to call as “Middle Taj Mahal” that had self service system those days. The mirrors on the pillars were popular with the younger generation then, trying to do their hair styles like Dev Anand or Rajesh Khanna! It was closed sometime in the early Seventies. Many years have passed since its sliding gates have been closed. Today it exists. Tomorrow it will go to memory archives!

Around Flower Market (British used to call that “Webster Market”) there are interesting shops and other establishments. In the corner, Baliga's fruit stall and Gopinath maam's shop (Gopi's Shop) famous for plantains and bananas and MK Library up the stairs, that was closed long ago. Prabhu Bakery had good local sweets and savouries. Next is a shop that sells pooja items like agarbattis and sacred thread. Opposite is Panchmal Narasimha Kamath's grocery shop famous for pulses and grains and B Venkatesh Bhat's General store famous for dyes and insecticides, if not fire crackers during Deepavali and Tulsi Pooja.

Nearby, Gurudath Kamath's condiments stall where tender cashews were available almost round the year, Naveen's electrical goods shop and the famous New Taj Mahal Café which was moved to new premises last March. Opposite to Taj Mahal there used to be K B Shenoy's shop and B Damodar Baliga's book shop. K B Shenoy's shop was moved long ago. All these structures look like skeletons today. Some of the old structures were removed a few years ago and new commercial and residential complexes have been built. Significant ones are Aarathi Place and Pooja Palace. Very next to Taj Mahal, where Corporation Bank branch is situated, I remember having seen Jaya Medicals and Dr. M R Bhat's clinic.

M Ganapayya and Sons, the famous Ayurvedic medicals are as popular as Taj Mahal with regular visitors in Car Street round the year. Late Panduranga Kamath and his brother Late Sadashiva Kamath along with their children ran the show, now taken over by the third generation. Today, the original building has lost its beauty, but their business runs as usual says Dr. Balakrishna Kamath of Panduranga Ganapayya and Sons. People order their aristas, lehas, choornas, kashayas and maathres from places like Mumbai, Delhi and abroad.

Immediately next was Karnataka Snuff owned by the Acharyas who later took Dabur agency as well. Dr. Mohan Pai, renowned Cardiac Physician had his clinic cum home adjoining that shop. Dr. Mohan Pai is also famous for Konkani culture and for promoting Nalanda School within Srinivasa Pathashaala premises.

Sharada Press and Sowkar Baba Pai family house and Temple are significant places to remember. The road between these two landmarks led to Kaadubitthal School. Sharada Press will lose its front elevation while Baba Pai family Temple has already been under reconstruction. Opposite to these are City Painting works where Ganesha idols are made every year. I didn't fail to notice the aged person making an idol, ignoring all the hustle and bustle of demolition in progress!

Balli's podi shop has already been demolished. Balli doesn't seem to be worried. He says he will try and start his business in the same place with a smaller space where his clients have to stand outside and buy the stuff, unlike it used to be before, when he had provided benches inside the shop for his clients to sit and enjoy the podis. Right now, he sells podis in the evenings in front of Gokarn Mutt that sell like hot cakes as before!

Gokarn Mutt is well refurbished in the late Eighties and sufficient set back is marked.

Next to Gokarn Mutt there was the old School Book Company, Popular Gold Mart and M A Krishna Nayak & Co office. Mangala Commercial Complex came into existence and School Book Company moved to new premises near Venkatramana Temple. A part of M A Krishna Nayak & Co office has been demolished. Venkateshwara Xerox and DTP centre next to Baba Pai house has been stripped. Raj Steel Centre and Narasimha Bhat's herbal soda shop will be gutted today or tomorrow, says Mr. Bhat. We used to buy Kaat Peere (phagila), deevi gujje, tender cashews, sambrani, kottige cups and moode cylinders sold by local villagers on the verandah of that old building. There was one more place near New Taj Mahal where we used to get all the local goodies. We may need to hunt for them in the flower market henceforth.

A few very old pictures from the archives of P Gokuldas Bhandary, a resident of Car Street have been reproduced here to take the readers back in time.

Today's visit made me feels sad, looking at the half naked state of all those priceless structures within which many scholars and eminent persons have run their offices and business houses. The expression on the faces of many a trader was cloudy.

Car Street will never be the same again. The narrow street where annual Rathotsava is held will be a heaven for speeding buses cars and bikes that are bound to give shivers to the half naked old buildings as well as the aged residents who prefer to stay on retirement, close to Venkatramana Temple.

Red dust clouds started to obscure my vision as demolition squad started digging into the laterite stone walls of the old buildings and I decided to move away before that cloud obscured memories of the past as well.

Kudpi Rajanikanth Shenoy, Mangalore
e-mail: kudpiraj@yahoo.com

This article has also appeared in www.mangalorean.com

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