Bombay to Mumbai

8/9/2019 Bombay to Mumbai

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Bombay to Mumbai- A walk down the Bom Baia lane

Rediscovering Bombay, couldnt have been more exhilarating than today.

A photo walk to rediscover Bombay started today at 11.30am from Victoria Station and I finally departed

at Colaba Cuaseway.

A little history to Mumbai

The city of Bombay originally consisted of seven islands, namely Colaba, Mazagaon, Old Woman's Island,

Wadala, Mahim, Parel, and Matunga-Sion. This group of islands, which have since been joined together

by a series of reclamations, formed part of the kingdom of Ashoka, the famous Emperor of India.

After his death, these islands passed into the hands of various Hindu rulers until 1343. In that year, the

Mohammedans of Gujerat took possession and the Kings of that province of India ruled for the next two

centuries. The only vestige (mark) of their dominion over these islands that remains today is the mosqueat Mahim.

In 1534 the Portuguese, who already possessed many important trading centers on the western coast,

such as Panjim, Daman, and Diu, took Bombay by force of arms from the Mohammedans. This led to the

establishment of numerous churches which were constructed in areas where the majority of people

were Roman Catholics. There used to be two areas in Bombay called "Portuguese Church". However,

only one church with Portuguese-style facade still remains; it is the St. Andrew's church at Bandra. The

Portuguese also fortified their possession by building forts at Sion, Mahim, Bandra, and Bassien which,

although in disrepair, can still be seen. They named their new possession as "Bom Baia" which in

Portuguese means "Good Bay".

A hundred and twenty-eight years later the islands were given to the English King Charles II in dowry on

his marriage to Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza in 1662. In the year 1668 the islands were

acquired by the English East India Company on lease from the crown for an annual sum of 10 pounds in

gold; so little did the British value these islands at that time. The Company, which was operating from

Surat, was in search for another deeper water port so that larger vessels could dock, and found the

islands of Bombay suitable for development. The shifting of the East India Company's headquarters to

Bombay in 1687 led to the eclipse of Surat as a principal trading center. The British corrupted the

Portuguese name "Bom Baia" to "Bombay". The Kolis used to call the islands "Mumba" after

Mumbadevi, the Hindu deity to whom a temple is dedicated at Babulnath near Chowpatty's sandy

beaches.

The first Parsi to arrive in Bombay was Dorabji Nanabhoy Patel in 1640. The Parsis, originally from Iran,

migrated to India about 900 years ago. This they did to save their religion, Zoroastrianism, from invading

Arabs who proselytized Islam. However, in 1689-90, when a severe plague had struck down most of the

Europeans, the Siddi Chief of Janjira made several attempts to re-possess the islands by force, but the

son of the former, a trader named Rustomji Dorabji Patel (1667-1763), successfully warded off the

attacks on behalf of the British with the help of the 'Kolis', the original fisher-folk inhabitants of these

islands. The remnants of the Koli settlements can still be seen at Backbay reclamation, Mahim, Bandra,

Khar, Bassien and Madh island.


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Sir George Oxenden became the first British Governor of the islands, and was succeeded later by Mr.

Gerald Aungier who made Bombay more populous by attracting Gujerati traders, Parsi ship-builders,

and Muslim and Hindu manufacturers from the mainland. He fortified defenses by constructing the

Bombay Castle (the Fort, since then vanished except for a small portion of the wall) and provided

stability by constituting courts of law.

A little Trivia:-

Q:- What is Camp Maidan?

Answer: - As called today Azad Maidan where we often play cricket, during the days of Camp Maidan,

this was the place where cattle was grazed.

Q: Wondered why do we have funny names to stations and lanes in Mumbai, for example- Charni Road?

Answer: - In Mumbai each name has a story behind it and the reason for Charni Road is: -In 1838, the

British rulers introduced a 'grazing fee' which several cattle-owners could not afford. Therefore, Sir

Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy spent Rs. 20,000 from his own purse for purchasing some grasslands near the

seafront at Thakurdwar and saw that the starving cattle grazed without a fee in that area. In time the

area became to be known as "Charni" meaning grazing. When a railway station on the BB&CI railway

was constructed there it was called Charni Road.

Q

It all started from VT, where we met and started the photo walk, an ode to Frederick William Stevens ,

who designed the VT station, he was the consulting architect in 1887-1888 for this monument.

With time, there have been changes to the structure and a few things have perished, but what still

remains intact is the allure of the place in whose honor this station was created.


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Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus , formerly Victoria Terminus, and better known by its abbreviation CST or

Bombay VT, is a historic railway station in Mumbai which serves as the headquarters of the Central

Railways. It is one of the busiest railway stations in India, and serves Central Railway trains terminating

in Mumbai as well as the Mumbai Suburban Railway


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It took ten years to complete[3] and was named "Victoria Terminus" in honour of the Queen and

Empress Victoria; it was opened on the date of her Golden Jubilee in 1887.[3][4] This famous

architectural landmark in Gothic style was built as the headquarters of the Great Indian Peninsular

Railway. Since then, the station came to be known as Bombay VT.


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The next stop was the place which always bought near and dear ones close to heart. In the days of

email, snail mail may have lost its significance, yet a delivery of letter does not fail to touch ones heart.


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Q: What is so special about the GPO?

Answer: The general post office is modelled on the Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur, Karnataka. It was designed

by British architect John Begg, a consultant architect to the British government. Begg designed the


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structure in 1902, and construction began on 1 September 1904. It was completed on 13 March 1913 at

a cost of Rs. 1,809,000. Black basalt, with a dressing of yellow Kurla stone and white stones from

Dhrangdra are the predominant materials used.

The building has an area of 120,000 square feet (11,000 m) and replaced the current Central Telegraph

Office at Flora Fountain as the new GPO. The chief feature of the architecture of this building is anethereal central hall which rises up to the great dome.

So while we were on the roads, what didnt fail to capture my eye was the human life.

The local hair salon, the daily survival mechanism, gali cricket, the best energy drink, the fashion

laundry, power booster drink, the passion for reading and our local transport.


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What I couldnt miss harbinger of peace and their flight while passing by the Kabutar Khana


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For those who wondered where does Insurance originate, have a look at the Gresham Life building

which is the oldest name in safety standing tall protecting our Money tower.


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We move from safety to shores, and reach Ballard Pier.

Like every shore has a story, this port has one too.

Ballard Estate is an old European style business district situated in south Mumbai next to the 'Fort' area.

Located between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) and the 'Fort' area of South

Mumbai, it hosts the offices of shipping companies and the headquarters of the Mumbai Port Trust at

the Port House. It also has the Reliance Centre and many mid-priced hotels.

The Bombay Port Trust reclaimed 22 acres (89,000 m2) of land at Ballard Estate between 1914 and

1918, using material excavated from the Alexandra Docks for filling. Ballard Estate was named for

Colonel J. A. Ballard, a founder of Mumbai Port Trust, which constructed the port and Ballard Pier[1].

George Wittet designed the buildings for the business district, imposing a uniformity of style and designthrough the use of European Renaissance facades[2]. It has a "London feel" to it and is often referred to

as "London-like" by the locals.

This road towards Ballard pier is the one that mints money, it not only upholds the Reserve Bank of

India, and Money Minting factories but also harbors the new custom house.


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The roads of Bombay and its ancient architectural stand ups cannot be missed. And the below picture is

just one example.


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From Ballard pier we move towards Asiatic library and here we see not just what the books uphold for

us, but also we learn a new thing. The symbol of Sea level measurement. This is my learning for the day.


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From ocean of books to the real ocean, we witness the naval base.


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And while we walking, an exciting discovery by a few photographers, Mushrooms in Mumbai.


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Post the discovery and many photos of Mushrooms, which seems to suddenly gain a lot of attention, we

get to witness the bird watching sanctuary, and with all pun, here is where the birds are.


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Like any birds, they too need equal amount of protection, thus we have the Mumbai Police Station very

close by.


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And finally when Bombay became Mumbai and VT became CST.


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Bombay to Mumbai