Mumbai was on her mind
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It's the end of an era. Period. A rare honour for a historian, this. Tributes, obits and eulogies are still pouring in among sections of Mumbai's press for Sharada Dwivedi. Only to reiterate the vacuum that her passing away will have on the collective consciousness of a city starved for heritage conservationists and upholders of a unique, rich legacy.  Pic/ Atul Kamble The daughter of DS Joshi, ICS officer (1932 batch) and former Cabinet Secretary, Government of India, she wasn't just another academician of Maharashtrian stock. "In the 1960s, when Sharada and I would meet at the CCI (Cricket Club of India) or at the Bombay Gymkhana, she would regale us with her sharp understanding of all things Mumbai. Even then, her interest for each aspect of the city's history and landscape, be it dissecting the origins of a monument or sharing anecdotes about the area (Backbay Reclamation), was unparallel," recalls Deepak Rao, city historian and author of Mumbai Police, the most exhaustive chronicle on the city's police force.  City mattersVikas Dilawari, practising conservation architect and head of Conservation department at KRVIA (Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies) might have not known Dwivedi for as long as Rao but a common interest for the city ensured they interacted regularly. "She was always concerned and passionate about the heritage of the city."  Sharada Dwivedi (1942-2012) Sharada Dwivedi's home (Ram Mahal) in Churchgate was a treasure trove of archival material Dilawari's interactions with Dwivedi increased after he joined the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC). He remembers how she would get easily upset if the city's heritage was in danger of any sort; "I remember her being terribly disturbed when she noticed that Rajabai Tower was lit externally in different colours. She wanted to check whether the MHCC had given permissions for this exercise." On another occasion, she noticed a high fencing around the Indian Institute of Science. She actually went ahead and furnished an old archival map to prove her point about its origins and that it was planned with stone bollards and chains, he adds.  When Rajabai Tower was lit externally in different colours, Dwivedi wanted to check if the MHCC had given permissions for the exercise. Pic/Nimesh Dave Naresh Fernandes, Consulting Editor, TimeOut, author, and city chronicler had similar experiences while interviewing her on several occasions. "Her passion was her business. What struck me about Sharada was that like Mumbai, she had created a model and always found a way to make it work." Royal Alfred Sailors’ Home (1876) Junction of Apollo Bunder Road and Apollo Street (presently Maharashtra Police Headquarters, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Marg, Colaba, entry prohibited). The construction of the Sailors’ Home was a significant step towards containing and domesticating the population of seamen in the city, long considered drunk, disorderly and prone to recreate at taverns, boarding houses, grog shops and brothels.  Perhaps this intrinsic, deep-rooted love for the city stemmed from the fact that she lived in the heart of old Mumbai. Now called Ram Mahal, Bilkha House stands near the Rasna restaurant at the end of Dinshaw Vaccha Road in Churchgate, and was built in the 1940s by the ruling prince of Bilkha, on the plot that formed part of the Bombay Backbay Reclamation. The bottomless treasure troveDwivedi's collection of archival footage and information on the city's heritage was amazing too. Little wonder then researchers, conservationists, journalists, educationists, artists, and historians from the city, country and beyond pursued her. "Her book, Bombay: The Cities Within, which she co-wrote with architect Rahul Mehrotra was a watershed. It remains the greatest reference book on the city's history," recalls Rao. Dwivedi's passion for sourcing information didn't end with penning books; her publishing house Eminence Designs ensured this interest found the ideal platform to flourish. "She was the moving spirit for my book and would guide me from behind the scenes with valuable nuggets. She lent me several photos, and didn't charge a penny. She didn't even want a credit!" says Rao of her large-heartedness. Her recommendations were sacrosanct, her views, the Gospel truth. Conservationists would exchange notes with her on the feasibility of a project, citizens found a ready reference point in her whenever she spoke at forums or was part of panel discussions on conserving the city's history and heritage. "Her passion to keep at a project and her time management skills were right up there," adds Fernandes, recalling her ability to transcend genres with remarkable ease. Her work wasn't confined to Mumbai -- she wrote about Indian aristocracy, fashion and lifestyle and even children's fiction. Her last completed work was on the Taj Mahal Hotel at Apollo Bunder, and took 30 years to put together. "Such was her attention to detail," lauds Fernandes. For the love of Mumbai Dr Mariam Dossal, fellow city historian, academician and author of several Mumbai-centric books shared a close rapport with Dwivedi. "I first came in contact with Sharada in the early 1990s and had the privilege of knowing her professionally and socially since then," she says. Like Rao and Dilawari, Dossal remembers the spirit with which she engaged with this band of city lovers. "As she and Rahul Mehrotra worked very closely, we saw ourselves as part of a community of historians, engaged along with other scholars, writers, artists, activists, in the exciting discovery and sharing of Bombay/Mumbai/ Bambai's rich history and heritage." With her passing away, the city has lost an archive. "It's too awful to contemplate. She was a living archive," sighs Fernandes. Perhaps, Dossal's words best sum up this loss, something that city lovers are still grappling with and will find hard to replace: "Sharada Dwivedi gave us a sense of civic pride and enobled us." Fiona Fernandez, Features Editor, MidDay is the author of Ten Heritage Walks of Mumbai, Rupa & Co.fiona.fernandez@mid-day.com Signage: Elphinstone Circle (1872)
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 Elphinstone Circle (1872) Fort (presently Horniman Circle). The Circle was named after Mountstuart Elphinstone, Governor of Bombay from 1819-1827. An initial proposal to name the Circle after Queen Victoria was turned down in favour of the Governor. The Baghdadi Jewish merchant prince David Sassoon, who had donated Rs 50,000 towards the initial proposal, withdrew his funding on the selection of Elphinstone’s name over Victoria’s; giving us a sense of how the politics of naming worked in colonial Bombay.   Façade: The Red Building The Red Building Parsi Bazaar Street, Elphinstone Circle, Fort, (presently S. A. Belvi Marg, Horniman Circle) The Red Building houses the offices of The Bombay Samachar (1822), Asia’s oldest newspaper. Formerly the premises were also used by the Bombay Chronicle (1913-1949); after whose editors, Benjamin Guy Horniman and Syed Abdullah Brelvi, the Circle and Street, have been renamed. Signage: The Arthur Crawford Municipal Market (1868) The Arthur Crawford Municipal Market (1868) Junction of Hornby Road and Carnac Road (presently Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai, M. Khana Road). Arthur Traverse Crawford (1835-1911) had a sociable and controversial tenure as a civil servant in various parts of Western India, including as the first Municipal Commissioner of Bombay. Notice the monogram ‘ATC’ on the clock tower. Balcony: The Esplanade Hotel (1871) The Esplanade Hotel (1871) Esplanade Road, Fort, (presently Esplanade Mansion, Mahatma Gandhi Road). In the early hotel trade in Bombay, leading proprietors’ names were synonymous with their hotels. The Esplanade Hotel was popularly called Watson’s Hotel, after John Watson, the English proprietor and merchant. Notice the monogram ‘W’ on the balcony railing. "Meher Cold Drink House"  Heres the pic of the sweet dahi (although the one served at Rustom's at Churchgate is better) Thats not milk in the glass but set sweet curd.  |
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Mumbai was on her mind By: Fiona Fernandez Date: 2012-02-12 Place MUM BAI
The different worlds in Aram Nagar
Sixteen acres of land in Versova served as military barracks during World War II and turned into transit camps during Partition. With the passage of time, Aram Nagar blossomed as a residential hub, away from the noise and hustle of Mumbai. Then, around a decade ago, a few advertising agencies, fitness centres and handicraft stores chanced upon this quaint little place. Today, Aram Nagar retains much of its old rustic charm while buzzing with activity, finds Phorum Dalal
April 21, 2013
Agencies
Phorum Dalal
The first
ray of sunlight awakens up the birds, and ushers in a brand new day. The
weather is cool, much cooler than the highway I have just left behind.
And the trees — mango, jamun, raspberry and chikoo — create a cocooned,
delectable nest, cutting out every trace of city life. In short, bliss.
Welcome to Aram Nagar, 2013. Spread across 16 acres with 357 row houses,
this township bustles with activity — be it elderly women hanging
clothes on the line, pumping water from the borewell pump, or the priest
ringing the first bell at the Ganesh temple. Side by side there are
giant buildings housing ad agencies, television production houses, gyms
and even furniture stores. Amid cycles and rickety Fiats that have not
been used in years, fancy cars too dot the area. Today and yesterday
live in harmony here, almost.
Hariharan is one of the oldest residents of Aram Nagar
How it all began
“When we moved here in 1949 from Karachi, things were different,” remembers Haresh Butalia (name changed on request), who is one of the oldest living tenants in Aram Nagar, which was formed as military barrack during World War II. “After the Partition in 1947, it was turned into a transit camp for Hindus who came from across the border from Karachi and Sindh. Aram Nagar I and II were then called Machimar and Kakuri camps,” says Butalia, who lives with his two sisters, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Around 1950s, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) redid the row houses — asbestos roofs, kadappa stone floors, bathrooms were attached but toilets were outside. Water connection was common outside. Nostalgia drenches Nitin Desai, 65-year-old resident, who says Aram Nagar used to be a fisherman’s village, with no lights. “The sea was farther away and it was shallow enough for us to go swimming. The two-room houses had wooden beams and brick walls. Everyone used to know everyone. Now, it is not the same. For almost 16 years, we continued to live in the barrack-style home, facing many hardships.” The Mumbai Nagar Palika bus routes started for the first time in 1953, after which BEST came in. We lived in simple times. There was only one person in the colony who owned a radio. During winter, we would spread our beds in the verandah and sleep under the stars, straining our ears to listen to the radio playing in the nearby house. Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor used to come here to shoot,” recalls Desai, adding that whenever someone died, the entire community used to extend support to the family. “We knew each other by name. We used to screen 16mm-print films in the maidan. 1965 to 1980 were times good for us,” he concludes.
This resident has been living in Aram Nagar since the 1950s. Pics/Suresh KK
Controversies galore
The past 10 years have seen Aram Nagar undergo another transformation as secondary and tertiary residents have come to reside here, bringing with them the charms and luxuries of city life and peppering the vicinity with stylish homes. While Aram Nagar, which is divided into part one and two, has been mired in development controversies, the views of residents are also divided for and against turning this heritage area into another skyscraper project.
Eighty-five-year-old Hariharan says, “I am against the demolition, which will steal Aram Nagar of its heritage value. Can you get such area anywhere? Here, we are the masters of our home.” On the other hand, Desai is waiting for the day the redevelopment will begin for real. “The houses are in a bad state,” he says. A fine balance While the reports of the controversy are not unknown, it is interesting to see how the last 10 years have seen commercial offices and set ups making their presence felt in Aram Nagar.
From 1974 to 1984, 57-year-old Sukumar Hattiangadi was secretary of the football and volleyball tournaments that were held in the maidans. He says the incessant honking around Aram Nagar disturbs the peace
For Nihar Mehta, who set up Tribal Route in 2006, the idea was to
find a store that would reflect his home-crafted products. “I wanted
something earthy, grounded. A glass store with shelves was the last
thing on my mind. That’s when I tumbled upon this area, where greenery
was intact.
This area has interwoven the heritage of Aram Nagar with urban eccentricities. It’s a good mix, I’d say, as change is inevitable,” says Mehta, who also tells us about an 85-year-old woman who recently passed away. “She used to narrate tales from the early days. Over a cup of chai, she once spoke about the smuggling activities that used to take place at the Versova beach. On days, they would be told not to venture out into the sea, as a ‘landing’ was in process.”
Amardeep Galsin’s office in Aram Nagar has a quirky design. She often steps out for a walk in the area to ideate
The newcomers
Eleven years ago, Dr Sunita Patel moved into flat no 178 in Aram Nagar I with her husband and two children — a son aged 20 and daughter aged 23. “From living in Four Bungalows, which is in the middle of a major traffic junction, this new home was bliss. The ground here is natural without any concretisation, we have gardens at both entrances, there are trees all around and the sea is close by. It’s perfect,” smiles Patel, as her face exudes a happy glow. During the 2005 deluge, Patel recalls that theirs was the only area that wasn’t flooded. “When a neighbour reached home from Juhu and told us that there were waist-deep waters, we didn’t believe me. As there was no electricity, we only saw the deluge news the next day. We consider ourselves lucky,” recalls Patel, adding that excess water had seeped into the ground, as there was no concrete layer to clog it.
Gopalan, 82-year-old tenant, with his wife. He talks about the days when there was no electricity. There were around 200 residents at Aram Nagar then, and now, there are 2,000
Around last year, the
couple thought their kids needed a bigger space and wanted to give the
children separate rooms. “We even zeroed in on a three-BHK flat but at
the last minute my son backed out. He said he didn’t want to leave Aram
Nagar’s spacious ground and the bungalow-style home,” smiles Patel. And,
their home is a delightful abode — a cobbled path leads into the
garden, which is vibrant with periwinkles, hibiscus and red flowering
vines. They have retained the 18-feet high ceiling of the original
structure. “One entry is dedicated to my clinic,” says Patel.
In the past five years, Aram Nagar has transformed into an ‘ad-hub’ explains Amardeep Galsin, who set up the office of her television and film production company Blue Magic Films in 2010. “We looked at a lot of places, but this one stole my heart. The open space, chirping birds and the out-of-Mumbai feeling is awesome. We can just step out of the office, take a walk and ideate better. It’s a cosy nest surrounded by mango trees. We see the same faces every day and I have so many friends I wave at when out paths cross.”
Hariharan is one of the oldest residents of Aram Nagar
“When we moved here in 1949 from Karachi, things were different,” remembers Haresh Butalia (name changed on request), who is one of the oldest living tenants in Aram Nagar, which was formed as military barrack during World War II. “After the Partition in 1947, it was turned into a transit camp for Hindus who came from across the border from Karachi and Sindh. Aram Nagar I and II were then called Machimar and Kakuri camps,” says Butalia, who lives with his two sisters, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Around 1950s, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) redid the row houses — asbestos roofs, kadappa stone floors, bathrooms were attached but toilets were outside. Water connection was common outside. Nostalgia drenches Nitin Desai, 65-year-old resident, who says Aram Nagar used to be a fisherman’s village, with no lights. “The sea was farther away and it was shallow enough for us to go swimming. The two-room houses had wooden beams and brick walls. Everyone used to know everyone. Now, it is not the same. For almost 16 years, we continued to live in the barrack-style home, facing many hardships.” The Mumbai Nagar Palika bus routes started for the first time in 1953, after which BEST came in. We lived in simple times. There was only one person in the colony who owned a radio. During winter, we would spread our beds in the verandah and sleep under the stars, straining our ears to listen to the radio playing in the nearby house. Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor used to come here to shoot,” recalls Desai, adding that whenever someone died, the entire community used to extend support to the family. “We knew each other by name. We used to screen 16mm-print films in the maidan. 1965 to 1980 were times good for us,” he concludes.
This resident has been living in Aram Nagar since the 1950s. Pics/Suresh KK
The past 10 years have seen Aram Nagar undergo another transformation as secondary and tertiary residents have come to reside here, bringing with them the charms and luxuries of city life and peppering the vicinity with stylish homes. While Aram Nagar, which is divided into part one and two, has been mired in development controversies, the views of residents are also divided for and against turning this heritage area into another skyscraper project.
Eighty-five-year-old Hariharan says, “I am against the demolition, which will steal Aram Nagar of its heritage value. Can you get such area anywhere? Here, we are the masters of our home.” On the other hand, Desai is waiting for the day the redevelopment will begin for real. “The houses are in a bad state,” he says. A fine balance While the reports of the controversy are not unknown, it is interesting to see how the last 10 years have seen commercial offices and set ups making their presence felt in Aram Nagar.
From 1974 to 1984, 57-year-old Sukumar Hattiangadi was secretary of the football and volleyball tournaments that were held in the maidans. He says the incessant honking around Aram Nagar disturbs the peace
This area has interwoven the heritage of Aram Nagar with urban eccentricities. It’s a good mix, I’d say, as change is inevitable,” says Mehta, who also tells us about an 85-year-old woman who recently passed away. “She used to narrate tales from the early days. Over a cup of chai, she once spoke about the smuggling activities that used to take place at the Versova beach. On days, they would be told not to venture out into the sea, as a ‘landing’ was in process.”
Amardeep Galsin’s office in Aram Nagar has a quirky design. She often steps out for a walk in the area to ideate
Eleven years ago, Dr Sunita Patel moved into flat no 178 in Aram Nagar I with her husband and two children — a son aged 20 and daughter aged 23. “From living in Four Bungalows, which is in the middle of a major traffic junction, this new home was bliss. The ground here is natural without any concretisation, we have gardens at both entrances, there are trees all around and the sea is close by. It’s perfect,” smiles Patel, as her face exudes a happy glow. During the 2005 deluge, Patel recalls that theirs was the only area that wasn’t flooded. “When a neighbour reached home from Juhu and told us that there were waist-deep waters, we didn’t believe me. As there was no electricity, we only saw the deluge news the next day. We consider ourselves lucky,” recalls Patel, adding that excess water had seeped into the ground, as there was no concrete layer to clog it.
Gopalan, 82-year-old tenant, with his wife. He talks about the days when there was no electricity. There were around 200 residents at Aram Nagar then, and now, there are 2,000
In the past five years, Aram Nagar has transformed into an ‘ad-hub’ explains Amardeep Galsin, who set up the office of her television and film production company Blue Magic Films in 2010. “We looked at a lot of places, but this one stole my heart. The open space, chirping birds and the out-of-Mumbai feeling is awesome. We can just step out of the office, take a walk and ideate better. It’s a cosy nest surrounded by mango trees. We see the same faces every day and I have so many friends I wave at when out paths cross.”
German technique for Bokaro road
RELATED
BOKARO: Bokaro has become the first city in Jharkhand to employ German technique
for road construction. To ensure a smooth ride for residents of the
township, the Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) has taken up the construction of
superior quality of roads using microsurfacing technique, which is a
German technology that uses coal tar, stone dust and cement.
This method of road construction was first introduced in Delhi for the Commonwealth Games. Later, Uttar Pradesh and many other states of south India borrowed this technique, said an official. Sanjay Tiwari, chief of communication, BSL, said, "In the first phase, we are going to construct a 10 km road from Bokaro airport to Bokaro Niwas passing through the Pattarkatta Chowk. The construction started some days ago and should be completed soon." BSL has awarded the road construction contract to Lomesh Slurytech Private Limited (LSPL).TNN It has given a guarantee of five years for the durability of the road. The Bokaro township boasts of a 300 km road connecting different sector areas.
If all goes well, the management will construct other sections of roads, specially the main roads of the township using this technique. The construction of a 10 km road using microsurfacing costs about Rs 2 crore, which is more expensive than ordinary methods, said sources.
Rajbir Singh, the general manager of town and administration, who inaugurated the construction work, said, "The LSPL has assured that the road will not get damaged even during the rains. It is a modern technique and gives better result."
This method of road construction was first introduced in Delhi for the Commonwealth Games. Later, Uttar Pradesh and many other states of south India borrowed this technique, said an official. Sanjay Tiwari, chief of communication, BSL, said, "In the first phase, we are going to construct a 10 km road from Bokaro airport to Bokaro Niwas passing through the Pattarkatta Chowk. The construction started some days ago and should be completed soon." BSL has awarded the road construction contract to Lomesh Slurytech Private Limited (LSPL).TNN It has given a guarantee of five years for the durability of the road. The Bokaro township boasts of a 300 km road connecting different sector areas.
If all goes well, the management will construct other sections of roads, specially the main roads of the township using this technique. The construction of a 10 km road using microsurfacing costs about Rs 2 crore, which is more expensive than ordinary methods, said sources.
Rajbir Singh, the general manager of town and administration, who inaugurated the construction work, said, "The LSPL has assured that the road will not get damaged even during the rains. It is a modern technique and gives better result."
================================================== hope BMC MUMBAI WILL START USING THIS METHOD ;AND STOP THE CORRUPT CONTRACTORS
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