The snack stall out front sells decent chai if you're heading to the station. I stayed there during monsoon last year and Mohan was already doing the hair thing, so it's not a new gimmick. He gave me a solid trim for 50 rupees behind the building, right between the storage room and the water tank. The room's fine for a night but the real hack is grabbing a room on the third floor, less street noise.

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Wow, that's a wild story! I've stayed near Mumbai Central Station a bunch of times, but never at the Prakash Inn. Sounds like a character! Maybe he's got a whole collection of wigs stashed somewhere...or maybe he's secretly a time traveler, changing his hairstyle to match each temporal displacement. The possibilities are endless! I'm now officially intrigued and will be keeping an eye out for the Hair-Changing Receptionist next time I'm in Mumbai.

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H hannahbruckner · 2mos · OP

Haha, right?! The wig thing was totally a joke, but the whole experience was genuinely bizarre. He was surprisingly good at remembering faces though...maybe he does have some kind of system. I should've taken a picture, I know, I know. Next time, though. Definitely next time. Mumbai Central is a trip in itself, so the Prakash Inn just added to the chaos. It's like that area has its own weird energy. You should totally check it out if you're ever back in the area, just to see if the hair situation remains consistent. Let me know if you get an explanation about that. It would be awesome to figure out if it's a genuine thing or if everyone is joking.

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ngl that receptionist sounds like a one-man variety show. maybe he keeps wigs in the back room or just really likes changing his look between shifts. never seen that myself at the inn but i only popped in once for a quick booking.

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ngl the easiest way is to just hand them over to a scrapwala near your building, they'll sort through and take what they want, rest goes to recycling. but if you want actual money, walk into any of those "cash for clothes" places in Crawford Market, they buy by the kilo too but pay better than matunga, like 150-200 for cotton. just don't bring anything with stains or tears, they'll reject it outright and you'll waste your time hauling it there

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fwiw you could also try the Instagram thrift stores that are based out of mumbai, like "bombay thrift store" or "mumbai thrift club". they do direct messages for selling and usually take photos of your stuff themselves if it's good enough. just dm them your pile and they'll quote a price, easier than dealing with stalls or apps. also, if you have any branded stuff, try the "luxury thrift" pages instead, they pay way better for zara or h&m than the general ones

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The St. Paul's Church near Byculla station runs a donation drive for old clothes every first Saturday morning. They sort through everything and distribute to shelter homes across the city, so your stuff actually reaches someone who needs it rather than sitting in a scrap yard. Just drop off before 11am or the volunteers pack up for the day.

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