"Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya." The song "I kept up with life and let my worries go up in smoke" is from the Bollywood movie "Hum Dono". Prince Thangjam, the pub's bar and restaurant manager, said that billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala identified with the line, and it was not uncommon to hear him humming the retro Hindi tune when he visited the pub.
For the better part of two decades, the Big Bull would frequently stop in at Geoffrey's, at Hotel Marine Plaza on Mumbai's Marine Drive, to relax.
"Aaj market raha, sir, the market was bad today," he would often say at the pub, as he dined at his preferred table to the right of the entrance. Jhunjhunwala would for most of the time oblige patrons who inflicted themselves upon him with his stock response. Time ke saath upar hi jana hain. The markets will only increase with time. He would change the topic to ask them more about their families.
The Hotel Marine Plaza is on Mumbai's Marine Drive.
Poems and music.
There was only one pub in the area that had an English feel to it. It was one of the reasons Jhunjhunwala stayed there, according to those who knew him.
The Big Bull used to listen to old English songs while at the watering hole, but he also used to play Hindi songs on his phone. The staff heard him recite English poetry. On his 60th birthday in 2020, Jhunjhunwala, as he is commonly referred to, said he wanted to develop a hobby that would keep him occupied in his sunset years, and mentioned singing as one of the things he hoped to learn.
For nearly five years, Thangam served Jhunjhunwala at the pub, and he said that his favourite dish was boiled egg with a customised masala. The chef was told to make the dish whenever he called the pub.
Jhunjhunwala was friendly with the staff who worked for him. The waiter asked the man why he wanted a cheaper drink when he called. The markets don't make money on a daily basis. Maybe he meant it was a bad day at the office.
He asked the waiter if he could go to the kitchen when he was presented with the bill. When the waiter asked him why, he said he wouldn't have enough money to pay the bill.
The Big Bull is also demanding. Jhunjhunwala was one of the customers who received discounts from the company. He would insist on getting the discount if he was presented a bill without one.
But equally, he was a generous tipper. Thangam did not disclose the percentage of his usual tip but said that “it was quite high by Indian standards”. He, however, did cite one example to underline Jhunjhunwala’s generosity. “One evening, he forgot to pay a bill and left. The following morning, without us having to remind him, he had the money sent across. It was a good 50 percent more than the actual bill, and even he would have been aware of that.”
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