Its true I haven't been everywhere yet, but its on my list! So to start with, I began with the city that I reside in - Mumbai !
As my favourite thing is to go where I have never been, Mumbai never disappoints me on this. You just cannot get enough of all the things that the beguiling city offers. I had been doing a lot of Art work throughout the year from the various places I travelled to, but when it came to showcasing some of it, I selected the ones from "Sketchlogs - Mumbai" collection.
A composition of 12 Sketches displayed in 20 different frame sizes, with each of them having a story to tell , were displayed under the theme- "Known and the lesser known"
"Known and the lesser Known" corresponds to some of those places, buildings and associated stories and facts from the Island city of Mumbai- some renowned and some lesser known, but which essentially form a part of our heritage. The theme spans across all scales and time periods, from early dwellings, to a settlement, to some prominent Public buildings and Public spaces, to even an individual bungalow. Each of them have their own importance, and were carefully selected to be displayed. Hope you enjoy the Sketchy Hi-stories from Amchi-Mumbai!
1. Let me start with the 1st century BC. Did you know Bombay has one of the oldest cave formations of the country? The Buddhist Kanheri caves, which are also credited of having the largest number of cave excavations in a single hill.
A day well spent exploring the Kanheri caves , nestled inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The word Kanheri originates from the Sanskrit term 'Krishnagiri' (Krishna means black and giri is mountain), and is mostly named after its black basaltic stone. These are one of the most ancient rock caves and once served the purpose of Buddhist centres of education. Kanheri thrived for nearly a millennium owing to its proximity to the ancient port towns of Sopara (Nalasopara – known for its trading ties with Mesopotamia and Egypt, amongst others), Kalyan, Thane and Bassein (Vasai). Major part of its 109 caves are simple cells cut in basalt - viharas - cells for monks where they lived, studied, meditated. Few larger cells though are chaityas - halls for congregational worship. It also has an evolved water management system indicated by the presence of canals and water cisterns in almost every cave and huge water tanks.
Overall, it was a pleasant break sketching in one of the airiest places in the city!
2. But the first image, when you think of Mumbai is that of CST station! And did you know that it was the first colonial structure in Bombay that counted as a truly public space? This is also where the first passenger train service in India (and entire Asia for that matter) started!
As every city has an icon, CST Station- on the southern tip of the railways is Mumbai’s Statue of Liberty. It would be reason enough to pick Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) as the building most emblematic of Mumbai because more than three million of the city’s residents rush through its portals every day.
The site where the building now stands was once a storehouse for goods that arrived in or were shipped out from Mumbai. Bori, which is sack in Hindi and Bunder, which means port (or more poetically, haven) in Persian come together to give CST its original name, Bori Bunder — the place where sacks are stored. When built, it was a truly public space in the sense of its scale and its “ability to hold people inside and outside with generosity”. There were other colonial buildings as well like markets, clubs, colleges and churches, but none was open to all. With the construction of VT, there was a building shared between Europeans and Indians of all religions, castes and classes. This intermingling is clearly reflected in the architecture of this late-19th-century railway terminus, one of the finest examples representing an east-meets-west style that developed here. Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. Declared as the 'World Heritage Site' by UNESCO in 2004, it is perhaps one of the few UNESCO World Heritage Sites that is of actual use to the masses. Today, its structure is iconic to the point of cliché, when a Hindi film needs to establish a scene as happening in Mumbai, its CST that fills the screen, a stately edifice amid a swirl of traffic and people and those Kali- Peelis (Black-Yellow taxis) in the foreground, which just add to that very touch of Bombay.
3. After CST, the first national heritage building that was upgraded with the help of UNESCO, is the Bandra station building. And did you know this station was built in London originally, dismantled, and reassembled where it stands today?
Bandra Railway Station serves the Western and Harbour Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. The 19th century Victorian building is a Grade 1 heritage structure and a breathtaking example of a railway station building that masterfully blends colonial idioms with vernacular roof forms. The 150 year old structure was restored recently to give it the original look back again and to reinforce its status as a heritage landmark. The charm of this station is in its station building and canopy. Sloping Mangalore tiled roofing, spacious layout and Grecian facade add to the beauty.
It was about just ten years that the railways had arrived in India and two railway companies--- The Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR, now called CR) and the Bombay Baroda and Central India (BB&CI, now called WR) ---had begun operating in Bombay, fiercely competing with each other to vie passengers’ attention. It was amid this competition that Bandra station -- then called Bandora (Portuguese) from 'Vandra' (Port in Marathi)--was established in 1864. The station had to look attractive and officers of the BB&CI Railway worked overnight to prepare plans of the station building. "In fact the design and structure of the Bandra station building were finalised in London and to get precision the entire decorative roof and its arches were built there. Once ready, they were dismantled, put in a steamer ship and brought here. The station waited for its roof for more than four years. At Bandra, the structure was assembled again and put over the station around 1869. Even the Manglorean tiles over the station’s roof were specially manufactured for the station. The outer building, however, was built in 1888," city railway historian GD Patwardhan writes in one of his railway chronicles. With the setting sun, it felt great to sketch the most picturesque of Mumbai’s railway stations.
4. Now all know that CST was built to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. But did you know that Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum – the oldest museum in Mumbai – was the first public institution built to honour Queen Victoria? Lying in a derelict condition it recently underwent restoration and re-opened.
Mumbai’s oldest museum and the third oldest in the country- The Dr. Bhau Daji Lad, Mumbai City Museum opened to the public at its present site in Byculla in 1872 as the erstwhile Victoria & Albert Museum, Bombay. The Museum building was conceived to dazzle the citizens. During the efforts to raise funds by public subscription, it was presented as a ‘Hall of Wonder’, as most of the citizens had never seen a museum. The building is one of the most important historical sites of the city as it was the first colonial building to be built for the specific purpose of housing a museum. Bombay, then the richest mercantile town in India, was considered the Gateway to the East or Urbs Prima in India, the first city of India, and had the honour of exhibiting to the world the country’s rich cultural traditions.
Built in 1855, it is one of the rare British-era buildings in India to combine Palladian and High Victorian architecture. The Grand Renaissance Revival style, chosen for the building was considered the most suitable to showcase the Empire’s might. A little more than a hundred years later, on November 1, 1975, the Museum was renamed the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in honour of the man whose vision and dedication enabled its establishment.
The Museum, once in a derelict condition, underwent a comprehensive five-year restoration and re-opened. The Collection today includes industrial arts from late 18th to early 20th century. It also hosts an extensive exhibitions programme which interested me and I took the opportunity to visit and sketch this piece of fabulously maintained Heritage, which stands proud with its restored façade and old-world shutter windows. I've always thought the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, although not an easy name to remember is an underrated gem of our city. A thoroughly fascinating place to visit and a piece of significant heritage is not so well known or may we call it the "lesser known".
5. The sense of heritage is slowly seeping in ! , after the first Museum to be restored it’s the city’s first Mall- The Crawford Market! And did you know it was the first building in India which was lit up by electricity in the year 1882 ?
'Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Market' commonly known as the Crawford Market was designed by architect William Emerson. The Gothic market was named after the first municipal commissioner of Bombay – Arthur Crawford. Standing at the intersection of DN Road and LT Road, it was built in the fashion of Victorian markets back in Britain, but keeping in mind the warmer Mumbai weather. The elegant looking heritage structure is a mix of Norman and Flemish architectural styles. The watch tower rising up from the structure is the most unique feature of the building that ornaments the skyline of the precinct. The construction of the market building was completed in 1869 and businesses commenced in 1871. At the time, the British would often send their domestic help to buy the freshest produce from the market. The British were the first to start selling hordes of important foods in one single place. And the idea of Mumbai’s first mall emerged from there. During British era and till year 1996, this market used to be the main wholesale market supplying variety of objects and wares across the city. The building is also significant historically as Mumbai saw the electric lighting demonstration for the first time in 1882 at Crawford Market after which the Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways Company (BEST) set up a generating station in 1905 to provide electricity for the tramway.
And today meanwhile the “Mall culture” has hit Mumbai, huge & glittery malls act as landmarks in the suburban North & Central areas and lure Mumbaikars on weekends. This is not the case with South Bombay, firstly, because of the space crunch, and secondly buildings are in clusters which negates the possibility of huge complex for a mall. In such a setup Crawford Market is certainly the Mall for South Mumbai. It may not have the glamour and glitter of the other suburban malls but it certainly stands out from the rest due to its heritage value and of possessing a unique raw charm that it provides for the act of ‘down to earth’ shopping!
Shedding its old grimy coat, the heritage block of the 147-year-old market has returned to its former glory, marking the conclusion of phase one of its restoration that kicked off in September 2014. It was most satisfying to sketch the restored balconies that overlook the DN Road side in their authentic timber design.
6. But will restoring individual heritage buildings boost the preservation of all that is a part of the rich heritage of Mumbai? It’s sad to see what is happening just “Behind the Bazaar”! And Did you know that, Bhendi Bazaar – the name comes not from the vegetable but is a corruption of ‘Behind the Bazaar’, the latter referring to Crawford Market?
Bhendi Bazaar developed in the 'Chawl' or dormitory fashion – is full of low rise structures which had been built there earlier as tenements for workers employed in the nearby docks. They were designed to house single men who had moved to the city for earning a livelihood. Slowly entire families moved into these Chawls. Forced closeness resulted in a distinct community culture that has organically developed over morning queues outside the toilets and shared evening tea. It is the only area where a distinct Gharana of Indian Classical Music developed in the late 1890's. Businessmen from various communities like Dawoodi Bohra, Memons, Gujaratis, Sindhis, Parsis, Katchis, etc, moved here seeing an opportunity owing to its strategic location, they sold things as diverse as hardware and foam, to clothing and antique items. Its most famous stretch is Mutton Street, or Chor Bazaar as it is widely known, which is the best place for treasure hunting to pick up antiques and score precious items.
This very integral part of Mumbai is going to disappear soon! Work is going on at breakneck speed, Century-old buildings are being demolished and Bhendi Bazaar now resonates with the sound of pile drivers and jackhammers. Individual residents want to move to a modern flat with all the amenities. But the project will affect businesses as currently, all the shops are at street level and there are organic networks built over years of customers, dealers, even handcart pushers. That will disappear when these shops move to higher floors, as the area will have no relationship with the street, unlike now. Can you imagine the Chor Bazaar, where people will like to stroll, in a mall? Bhendi Bazaar has grown organically over decades-many buildings have architectural vignettes and styles that collectively lend a charm to the area. These areas have a vibrant urbanity! Is it fair to wipe out this fabric and create a completely new one? The modern towers could be generic buildings that can be seen anywhere in the world. Is there no solution other than demolition and high-rise?
7. Well, its not just Bhendi Bazaar undergoing such kind of insensitive redevelopment there are many more! It is a threat which the people from Kothachiwadi are facing each day! And did you know this is a hamlet where rentals for the oldest inhabitants have stayed steady only at INR 1,000?
Between the heart of South Mumbai’s famous Bazaars are some age old lanes called Gulli in local language, surrounded by small gaonthans referred as ‘Wadis’. Some of the famous ones which still can be seen here are Fanas wadi (jackfruit garden), Amba Wadi (mango garden), Kandewadi (onion garden), etc. These were built to sustain the residential community in Girgaum and provided for the agrarian society in Khotachiwadi (Gaothan area)’. Gavthan, meaning a self-sustaining village. Bombay was built on 189 gavthans with Khotachiwadi being the southernmost and the one closest to the beach that we now know as Girgaum Chowpatty. It was pushed further inland only when the local train lines were laid in the late 1850s. The history of this quaint village traces back nearly two centuries. In the 1850s, Dadoba Waman Khot — a Bramhin who owned land in Girgaum — helped develop a settlement, that comprised of the local fishermen, Portuguese migrants from Goa, and East India Company’s immigrants. This became one of the earliest settlements in earstwhile Bombay, and the term Khotachiwadi, which translates into ‘the garden of Khot’, was officially adapted by the community in 1880 in Khot’s honour.
I had been here to see an exhibition "Khotachiwadi imaginaries" and sitting down at a bench grabbed a chance to sketch one of the houses from the quaint old bungalows with their trellised balconies and latticed windows.
The village is known for its old wooden houses that have a distinctive character. A series of colorful, old, Portuguese-style houses strewn across narrow lanes will keep you wondering of having been transported to Goa. The village is in essence a capsule of the transition from Bombay to Mumbai. Khotachiwadi has lots of reasons for having itself listed under heritage. It has seen nearly 200 years of change in the city and has managed to retain a few elements of originality and resilience. Many of its houses have verandas, intricate column designs arched doorways, an open front porch, a back courtyard and an external staircase to access the floor above. The hamlet is recognized as a heritage area but the buildings have already come down from the original 65 to just 27 now. It feels an anomaly standing as it does in the middle of high rises. Builders have been eyeing the area for years now, but protests from local residents have managed to keep this remnant of Mumbai’s past alive. Of all the families who originally settled in the wadi, 20 to 25 families continue living in their ancestral homes. All of these families have been residing harmoniously, despite belonging to various religious backgrounds. Down to just a few houses, one hopes this curious neighbourhood survives the assault of vertical development. As in the process, there are social ties, community bonding and everything is hampered.
8. Let aside buildings or settlements even open spaces which form a significant part of Bombay's heritage are not spared by such an assault! What the Metro would do in Fort at Oval Maidan is devastating! Well did you know that Oval Maidan was declared as a Grade I heritage site?
The Oval Maidan is a large recreational ground situated in South Mumbai, named because of its oval shape. It is one of Mumbai's prettiest open spaces with a row of stunning art-deco residential buildings on its one side and on the other side the beautiful Venetian Gothic University Building as its backdrop along with the Raja-bhai clock tower and the more stately High Court building. These buildings once nestled against the waterfront when the Oval maidan was sea. This 22-acre maidan on reclaimed land is fringed by coconut palms, and today is popular with both cricket and football enthusiasts. The vast expanses of land of the Oval Maidan, Azad Maidan, Cooperage Ground and Cross Maidan until the early 20th century formed the area known as Esplanade. After the Britisher’s left, this ground was possessed by anti-social elements and it was very poorly kept by the concerned officials of Maharashtra Government. But after 1997, Oval Cooperage Residents Association (OCRA), a charitable trust organized by the nearby residents, took the initiative to develop this ground, who finally got the ownership.
But the most picturesque cricket Maidan in the city, and perhaps the country, will never be the same again. Government earmarks 42,000 sq.ft. on the northern end of the ground to carry out digging work for Colaba-Seepz Metro (a 33-km line). Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, says Oval Maidan was the only open space available for the project. But sporting activities on ground will take a big hit after the project begins. Some full-grown trees, a few statues and a section of the wrought-iron fence around the Maidan will have to be sacrificed too. A few residents of the area are criticising the government for damaging a heritage precinct and calling it to be disastrous for the city. Amid protests over the city's scarce open spaces likely to be lost to the infrastructural developments is an age old Maidan. The fact that the Maidan was declared a Grade I heritage site in 1995, Can we just rip open an area that has been part of the century-old Esplanade?
9. Talking about infrastructural developments, the Flamingo's at Sewri which migrate every year, would be gone away soon due to the proposed Nhava Sheva link. Speaking of which, did you know, having a history of being surrounded by Mills, today Sewri's mudflats are feeding grounds to thousands of Flamingos and other rare bird species which migrate from Siberia via the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat?
Sewri is a locality along the eastern edge of South Mumbai. Pronounced as Shivdi (shiv-ling) it was a small hamlet on the eastern shore of the Parel, one of the original seven islands of Bombay. It has one of the stations on the Mumbai Harbour line and with large areas belonging to the Bombay Port Trust, is characterised by its' dock, a harbour lined by huge container ships, cranes, and black smokes of huge industrial units are the norm of the day. Overall it is not a very handsome locality but, a 15-minute walk from the railway station atop a quarried hill is the Sewri fort overlooking the Mumbai harbour. It was built by the British in 1680 to serve as a watchtower. On A Sunday Morning when the sun was just starting to warm up the fort walls, I set myself to sketch this interesting piece of history. But I was disappointed after reaching the top, only to see that it has been very badly restored and unmanaged. So Instead, I climbed up to one of the viewpoints to look at the harbour. The tide was retreating; beneath were the mangroves; and amidst the retreating water, there were flamingoes feeding. Flamingos are algae and microbe eating birds that wade through dirt and marsh to get their stomachs filled. An adult pink flamingo in flight is poetry in motion.
There are several vantage points to enjoy this sight of pink, pink, pink! The Sewri Jetty is one of the better places and fairly convenient to get to, near the docs it opens to the sea, then there are mud flats lining the shores and every winter, a flock of these FLAMINGOS are spotted in the Sewri mud flats. It is one of the few places in India to be if you want to see flamingo's in the thousands! I went down to the jetty and got some close up sightings of the birds and thoroughly enjoyed seeing them in packs - far, close, sitting, flying. I joined the Bird watching group session conducted by B.N.H.S(Bombay Natural History Society) and got to know about the delicate ecosystem that exists at the Sewri jetty. This ecosystem does not only support wading birds, but also a large area of mangroves - air breathing root plants that also form the bio-flora around here. In 1996, the mangrove swamps of Sewri were declared a protected ecology. Lesser flamingo's from other parts of India come to these mangroves to breed. The sighting was really fantastic with at least two or three thousand flamingo's and a good variety of other avifauna. Apart from the thousands of pink flamingos, I also spotted other birds like the Greater Spotted Eagle, seagull Sandpiper, Heron and Black Bellied Tern, and so many other birds.
Sewri Jetty is a place of history having its own heritage with view of the Modernised Mumbai & Old Mumbai. I had a great time sketching early morning at the jetty in the odd company of these pink visitors with the backdrop of shipwrecks and huge container ships, amidst oil refineries and industrial units. And truly these pink visitors are one of the most beautiful and elegant birds. Opening up of mill lands and the Mumbai Port Trust lands for development has resulted in a lot of construction activity in this area. And although there is no global threat to these elegant birds, they are definitely threatened at the Sewri jetty. The place where they come to breed and multiply every year is about to be converted into a landing site for the Sewri-Nhava Sheva trans-harbour link, planned by MMRDA, threatening the habitat of the migratory flamingo's.
10. And last but not the least one of the institutions that has made Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda a hub of art and culture, Rhythm House was the first and, often, the only name mentioned when it came to Mumbai’s music stores. And did you know the shop which stood at the same location for nearly seven decades has shut forever?
Located at the head of Rampart Row, a street of galleries, restaurants, boutiques, often referred to as the art district of Mumbai. The store became a Mumbai landmark soon after it opened owing to its placement in a historical setup and surrounded by several iconic heritage buildings and places like the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Jehangir Art Gallery, Max Mueller Bhavan, National Gallery of Modern Art, Institute of Science, Bombay Natural History Society, Elphinstone College, Esplande Mansion, and David Sassoon Library. After seven decades this music shop, holds a special page in the history of Mumbai as It was a place liked by several generations! When it first opened in 1948 by Suleman Nensey, Rhythm House catapulted music lovers into a different world with its plethora of Indian music, both filmy and non-filmy, classical, and modern and classical western music, in the country which had just attained independence. Over the next six-plus decades, Rhythm House brought music into people's homes and hearts by selling the large and small black-coloured 78 rpm lacquered discs, LP vinyl discs. Later the more manageable plastic cassettes followed by compact discs (CDs), and more recently, blu-ray discs (BRDs). For several generations of music lovers, no trip to Kala Ghoda was complete without browsing through the racks of Rhythm House. Over its lifetime, Rhythm House saw some of the top singers, music lovers, music collectors and commoners coming to the shop, its patrons including big names from the Indian film industry and a clientele worldwide. With such a robust retail heritage, the sentimental attachment that current and former Mumbai residents above a certain age harbour for Rhythm House has helped sustain its legend.
However, Rhythm House could not keep pace with the advent of modern technologies, availability on mobile phones making it easy, cheaper and convenient to enjoy music for all, and this mecca of music and entertainment has finally passed into the city's glorious history exactly 68 years after it first opened.
The door to Rhythm House, were opened by the guard for one last time with huge discounts, when I visited it on the 1st of March 2016. And out of gratitude I sketched its blue facade, with the name lettered across it, just for the attachment to a place that had selflessly added music to the otherwise-bland lives of those around it for almost seven decades. The store was already gearing up to say goodbye. I decided to say farewell after I finished-up my sketch. Or let's just say, it was Rhythm House's turn to bid us farewell.
And that’s pretty Much!
So this concludes, what I call- “known and the lesser known” , I hope you had a good read in getting to know the things lesser known about our heritage. In the urban landscape of erstwhile Bombay, these were not just important buildings or places but also iconic landmarks. The face of trade and commerce, Arrivals and departures, temples of learning and exchange of ideas, Intermingling of religions, spaces of recreational and Environmental heritage. Places that need to be conserved so as to preserve this image and face of our city!
"If you feel like there's something out there that you're supposed to be doing, if you have a passion for it, then stop wishing and just do it."Overall, the exhibitions went well . The atmosphere in the exhibitions has been very positive, people are interested in the theme and style of sketches and actual sales are also being made. I thank all the visitors, friends and family who continue to support me in taking this initiative ahead. I learned that art is very relationship oriented and is not about hiding away in your studio working. It means coming out amongst the people and taking risks; putting yourself and your heart out there for people to see, whether they like what you do or not.
Also As aligned last month SKETCHLOGS exhibition will be every alternate month with different themes, places and explorations. So will catch-up soon with my sketch-stories, till then watch this space. Checkout my website to spot some of my other creative shots or if you wish to feed yourselves with a lot more of sketchy-stuff also can follow me on Facebook and Instagram.