About 20 years ago, Craig Fonseca remembers playing football on Hill Road in Bandra. “Today, it’s so crowded, you cannot imagine doing that,” remarks Craig. The co-founder of Travel Master Gogo, a travel company that has organised Fast and Curious, an exploratory hunt across Bandra. After the first version got a favourable response from enthusiasts, they decided to bring the event back. Speaking on the idea of the event, Craig explains, “We tend to overlook a lot that the city has to offer. I have heard a lot of people say that Bandra has no culture. But the villages are dying, and nobody is trying to save the history that the city had. Our idea was to explore this part of the city, but in a fun way.”
In the three-and-a-half hour event, the pre-registered candidates will be given clues and they have to go around hunting the treasure or knowledge. Eventually one will get to know the city a little better. Craig promises that the treasure hunt will be much different from the usual city walks. Speaking on the interactive nature of the city exploration, Craig says, “We will leave the exploration to the participants. The more curious and adventurous they will be, the more they will learn about the city.”
Craig and his team at Travel Master Gogo had previously organised a history based knowledge hunt in South Mumbai. “We had organised an event on October 2. Since it was Gandhi Jayanti, we had themed the hunt around the Independent Movement. So we left clues and participants would get have to find out the little known fun facts related to the city. For example, the café (now replaced by Wayside Inn in Kala Ghoda) where Ambedkar would spend a lot of time while he wrote our Constitution.
“I think there will be a sense of accomplishment that the participants would get by the end of the event. They can go home saying: This is what I got to know about Mumbai after a whole day of running around.”
Speaking about the change that he’s witnessed in the city, the Bandra boy adds, “Change is inevitable and I understand that. The bungalows where we used to play lock and key and catch and crook, are today being broken down and they are being turned into newer buildings. The charm is slowly vanishing,” he concludes. Explore Bandra with Travel Master Gogo on November 27, To register log onto www.facebook.com/TravelMasterGogo/ Team registration: Rs 750.
Individual registration: Rs 400
