The Hill Station's Main Street
One stroll down the winding streets of Matheran and you will return with a suitcaseful of goodies and brick-a-bracks to last you a lifetime... UpperCrust goes on a shopping trail through this little hill station.

The heart of Matheran is its main street. As you arrive at the sleepy little station by the toy train from Neral, chugging at walking pace there is a host of strangers waiting to welcome you to your temporary abode. These are generally visitors to the hill station who after hectic shopping at the M.G. Market rest their weary feet and enjoy with childlike enthusiasm the sight of a tooting train entering the station to the sound of the ancient bell which stands in one corner of the platform announcing its arrival.

Right outside the station is the M.G. Road market stretch, a visual odyssey with shoe shops, chikki (Indian toffee) marts, handicraft and trinket shops, carts overladen with fresh vegetables and fruits and a few Udipi restaurants serving up steaming filter coffees with idlis and dosas. A veritable Oxford Street right out here in Matheran!

Walking down and around the market can be a bit of a nuisance as the monkeys try and grab your shopping bags hoping to get at some goodies and the stray cattle have right of way so one has to perch precariously at the edge of the road while they amble along and then again, there are the horses that trot past leaving in their wake, a haze of unsettled red mud of Matheran.

As you walk down the slope past the Royal Hotel, you come across a string of shops selling footwear and the trademark tiny toy sandals. There is Rajan Footwear, Tip-Top and Modern Leather Art. The eye catchers are Dyaneshwar for the traditional Kolhapuri chappals designed in contemporary designs with the popular natural leather finish that comes from Kolhapur. The New Prabhat Footwear run by Vishnu Kale and his English speaking son Shyam, had a modest start to their business by door to door marketing at the hotels in Matheran.

The quality of their footwear gained fame and popularity and soon they established themselves as rural India�s answer to the famed Jimmy Choo! They have recently established a workshop in Pune and employ artisans from Matheran to deliver handmade wonders. The shoe collection comprises moccasins, riding boots, jute sandals for men and women in combinations of leather, cloth and suede. Among his international clientele are the Sri Lanka cricket team, some Irish jockeys and the young Nawab Saif Ali Khan Pataudi the heart throb of Bollywood. The father-son duo now look to greener pastures and plan to take their craft to the U.K.

Further down the road there are quaint little bungalows and eateries serving a variety of cuisines.

As you turn up the road you come across beautiful jute wall hangings, bags and other artefacts which are probably brought in by Assamese and Bengali traders who have set up shop here. The true blue Matheran paintings are showcased at Kushal Arts where you find delicate cane work on rural oil paintings quite unique! A walk along this road is not complete till you meet Sher Khan who hails from Mumbai and sells his wares in the heart of the market. He sells everything from trinkets, incense boxes, pen holders, puppets and hold your breath, wooden acupressure instruments! His business flourishes during the summer vacations, which is May and June.

Situated right in the middle of the market is the famous Nariman Chikki Mart famous for its jaggery, sugar and nut confections. They have two smaller shops within the market area. It is said the shop is named after Khurshed Nariman the famous freedom fighter. This family enterprise was established by Shyamlal Gupta who came to Matheran from Chinchwad in Pune and what started as a miniscule stall selling gram and peanut chikkis is now synonymous with Matheran.

One of the oldest inhabitants of Matheran, a Parsi gentleman by the name of Bomanjee Saklatwala, graciously donated his house to the Guptas to run their business. There is a workshop right behind the counter where almost 50 artisans work in eight hour shifts to churn out crackling chikkis, gooey fudge (try the fig one), sugar and cholesterol free confections, and even chivda made of rice flakes besides fresh honey supplied by the Adivasis in the region. The intoxicating aromas of the jaggery and boiling sugar make your mouth water as you step in to try the lip smacking Iranian badam chikki, the popular ginger variety and the sugar free date rolls for weight watchers.

It is interesting to note that they source their nuts from Crawford Market in Bombay, dates from the Middle East, the jaggery comes from Kolhapur and the cashews from Goa. There is no compromise on quality and the affable couple take pride in talking about their products and were gracious enough to share some of their recipes with the UpperCrust team as also their delectable products.

As we move on, we come across the Highstreet Caf� and indulge in clean wholesome vegetarian food which is an interesting blend of traditional Gujarati and South Indian dishes served up with fresh juices and milkshakes all economically priced for the budget conscious traveller.

This cafe is the brainchild of Shivaji Shantaram Shinde whose father runs the Kapadia Vegetable Market in a compound behind. After obtaining twelve years restaurant experience in Bombay, this young entrepreneur set up this eatery in Matheran with a variety of fresh juices and popular fast food items. Started only in January this year, it has had a successful run the more popular items being the lip smacking ice-bhel and healthy cocktails of Amla-Ginger and Carrot-Beetroot. For the foodies there is a piquant concoction of Cheese and Paneer Pav Bhaji served on butter soaked pavs! Equally tempting is the Aamras Puri and chaats available in the late afternoons.

The Garden View Cafe near the Public Garden has lodging and boarding facilities and here, evenings are spent in sheesha revelry and catching up on the Matheran social scene.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR