Maasli Dhar.....Naakhwa

You must be surprised with the title of this post. "Maasli" means fish and "Naakhwa" means a fisherman. For the very first time Maharashtra State Govt. has organised a three day Matsya Mahotsay (Fish Festival) at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai from 26th Dec. to 28th Dec. 2010 and the timings are from 10AM to 10PM. The main reason to organise this festival is to bring all marine related organisations under one roof. You will find stalls of various organisations like Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Central Institute of Fisheries and Rural Development, Maharashtra Maritime Board, Maharashtra Fisheries Development Corp. etc. You will also find a stall of Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). You will also enjoy watching small home aquariums here with variety of fish. 

I know you must be getting bored reading the stall information but there is also something more mouth watering than this. Kolis from places like Versova, Vasai, Raigad etc. with smiling faces in their traditional dresses and ornaments have participated in this festival which comprises more than 50 stalls. These stalls have variety of fresh fish like Pomfret, Bombay Duck, Crab, Prawns, Lobster, Surmai and many many more. One can enjoy the fresh sea food with the live Koli songs. This festival is similar to the Versova Koli Sea Food Festival which I had visited in January 2010.

Nearest Landmark:- Diamond Market (BKC), ICICI Bank (BKC)

For Images, click here.

Thanks & Regards.

Koli Sea Food Festival, 2010

Just like other communities, Koli is also a famous community in Mumbai and most of the coastal areas. The moment I hear the word "Koli", I remember the image of a Koli woman with a sharp knife, basket full of variety fish and also the ornaments they wear during certain festivals like Naarli Pournima (Raksha Bandhan) and few other festivals. I have come across people where they are afraid of these Koli women who sometimes abuse customers in the fish market. But believe me they are very very friendly and down to earth in nature. If you are a regular visitor in the fish market, they might give you a huge discount and a good fresh catch too.

On 24th Jan. I visited the Koli Sea Food Festival at Versova, Mumbai. This festival is held every somewhere around Republic Day. This year it was from 23-25 Jan. Kolis from Versova wear their traditional dresses and ornaments for this festival which comprises of around 45-50 stalls. These stall have variety of fish like Pomfret, Bombay Duck, Crab, Prawns, Lobster, Surmai and many many more. one can enjoy the fresh sea food with the live Koli songs. I am sure you will not be able to control after watching the images, so do keep in mind about this festival next year and enjoy the images.

For Images, click here.

Thanks & Regards.