Mumbai, Wednesday, 19th April, 2017:
Have you ever as a child harbored the dream to see the city from the top of a large ship parked somewhere in the sea? Well, one little girl did when she used to spend her childhood holidays in Mumbai at her grandmother’s house. He wanted to see the Mumbai city from a ship parked in the Arabian Sea. And as they say, the sea gives back everything that it takes. Here it took the dreams of that little girl and gave her back the reality. Her name is Shripriya Dalmia Thirani, a 37 years old lady from Delhi. She has won the much touted bid to have a floating restaurant close to Mumbai’s world famous Chowpatty beach. This is surely a landmark incident and a dream come true for Shripriya and millions living in Mumbai.
Thirani said “I am thrilled that the Mumbai Port Trust has decided to open up iconic water areas off Girgaum Chowpatty, Gateway of India and Ferry Wharf for setting up floating restaurants. It was needed and will now place Mumbai alongside places like the French Riviera or Monte Carlo where people eat on restaurants over the water and experience unparalleled views of the city. Indians will not have to travel outside anymore for such an incredible experience. I have won the rights to operate between Chowpatty and Nariman Point and hope to roll out the ship with the restaurants by the end of 2017 or early 2018”.
Mumbai is surely a city of dreams and this project in itself is extremely exquisite and somewhat transports you to a dreamland. It would be thrilling enough to enjoy this unparalleled dining session coupled with a cruise that would allow people to see the city from the water. The tender allows Thirani to run as many restaurants she wants on the ship and host events on board. This tender will allow this ship to sail from Chowpatty to Nariman Point. Interestingly, the restaurants that Thirani is now working on, will be on-board a large vessel which will be docked a few miles into the sea off Chowpatty. The diners would be picked up from pre-decided points along the coastline and would be taken on board. She also said “the tender is clear that people won’t be allowed to stay on board overnight and also does not give us permission to run a casino. The ship will docked in Chowpatty – a few miles into the sea. Diners will be taken on small boats giving them a real feel of sailing on the sea. The vessel will have state of the art safety features to ensure highest level of security for our diners and will also be pollution free. I want to make one thing clear – this isn’t just for the rich and famous but also for Mumbai’s middle class families. The sea is theirs and so will be my ship”. And she added, “We propose new rules to experiential dining. An attractive multi-deck boat will host our themed restaurants. With different heights in the vessel, all the decks and tables can boast 360 degree views of the breath-taking Mumbai historical skyline and the Arabian Sea – spectacular in the day and just as magnificent in the night.”
The Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) has been keen to turn the city’s eastern coastline into a recreation spot. MbPT said in its tender document “The floating hotel may be operational for eight months a year”. The overall plan includes among other things, building a world-class cruise terminal, new waterways projects, a 500-room floating hotel to be anchored off the Raj Bhavan coast, 3-4 floating restaurants, a Ferris Wheel on the lines of London Eye and marinas and jetties to promote intra-city water transport in Mumbai.
I am sure this article was somewhat close to a fairytale, at least when I first heard this news I was kinda day dreaming since it’s hard to imagine yourself having an awesome laid back dinner while gazing lazily across the Arabian Sea, far from the maddening city crowd, deafening honks and the viscous circle of urban life and after-life!! So, hope you all are pretty excited now after reading this post, just wait for few more months dear readers till this dream gets materialized!
For any doubts or queries please do contact me, and keep following my blog for more such happening news and updates! I would like to thank First Idea PR for giving me this opportunity to share this wonderful update.
Cheers!
foodiedada 