Why Mumbai's Slums are Villages

While browsing through the web and the URBZ webpages : http://urbz.net/ , i came across this really interesting article on Mumbai's development on the Village and the Slum front. The essay in the article very interestingly points out the growth of these urban formats through the times of the Portuguese and then the British. The Author takes the example of Khotachiwadi as a village that was termed as a slum, by the British Authorities so that it can fulfill its dream of larger urban development in the ares. Khotachiwadi and such other Hamlets in Bandra like Ranwar (the one i am studying), Vasai, Thane etc., speak of a distinct history and is a subject of study for a lot of Urban Planners, Designers etc. These Hamlets constituted a format of living and have a very distinct texture to themselves.
read on for more on the article


Why Mumbai's Slums are Villages:
Mumbai’s history reflects two distinct phases. One is the south-oriented story that starts with the development of the docks by the British in the seventeenth century. The other is an older, northern-bound story that starts with the Portuguese conquest and domination of the regions around Vasai village in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The essay argues that the point of intersection of these histories is one that can potentially explain the overwhelming presence of poor, infrastructure deprived habitats – often referred to as slums – that dominate the landscape of the city.
more on : http://www.airoots.org/why-mumbai’s-slums-are-villages/comment-page-1/#comment-3921

Ranwar Square in Detail

This is the Ranwar Square in Detail, an amazing space with an age old cross in the centre and some amazing cottages in the periphery. What is to note is the details of the grill patters, balustrades, staircases, facades details and door and window patters. This is something very common as a visual language amongst the houses that belonged to the paddy cultivators even before the British stepped in India. Its a very common feature all along the Konkan line and even the other suburbs in Mumbai like Vasai, Malad, Andheri along with a few others left in Bandra. The space formation and the urban texture is found to be similar, this was a conclusion after visiting several other villages in Bandra, one set being the Shierly Rajan village near Carter road. 

All the visual elements along with the Architecture style is noted to be on a similar patterns.

now can we visualize ugly high rise constructions instead of these quaint cottages? 

These squares in olden times used to be used largely as community spaces for weddings and other religious ceremonies. It was also a hangout spot for the old and young to just sit around play street games and chit and chat. The extensions vertically were made later with additions in the family, it used to be a loft earlier to store paddy harvests. The square was also used to store the harvest. 

These cottages which age 100 years approx. are now in quite a dilapidated state, maybe waiting for its current owner to pass away and make way for a builder to tap and construct a building. Well, i am not against this, but the issues remains the style in which these builds are constructed. They steal away the pedestrian experience of scale and peace. The vehicular circulation has already done that to a great extent. 

As a solution what is thought is to have basic guidelines for the builders/architects to build on, that would maintain the scale, proportion and style of the place. Also it is for the residents as a tool to maintain their own residences. Recreating the space for the same community activities is also something that is to be looked at.

more street views coming soon! 

South Facade view of Waroda road, Bandra

South Facade view of Waroda road, which is the entrance to Ranwar from Hill road.
all the houses, shops in this series of photographs are in Ranwar.
Have fun playing with the synth.

will upload screen shots and the maps soon.

North Facade view of Waroda Road, Bandra

North Facade view of Waroda road, which is the entrance to Ranwar from Hill road.
all the houses, shops in this series of photographs are in Ranwar.
Have fun playing with the synth.

will upload screen shots and the maps soon.

Masala seasoning

Every summer its the masala smell that rules all our houses. Thats one typical feature of an Indian household of the old times. The ladies of the big fat joint family would get together to grind some lip smacking masalas, which would rule all our stomachs for the rest of the year, till the next season of masala making comes into motion.
But all the Ramdev and MDH masala companies have pretty much stolen this job from our mothers and grand mothers today. It seems quite a village like talk or a talk of the past when a lady mentions that she is going to make masalas, it sounds rather strange. In this times of the dying tradition, some households in Ranwar still indulge in the masala making process.

Thanks to Fr. Larry, Parish Priest at the Mount Carmels Church, who invited me  to his 170 year old house in Ranwar (popularly known as Trellis) to have a look at the masalas being made in process. As soon as i walked in the house, the backyard was smelling fresh of the spices being ground and roasted to be mixed in an age old secret recipe. Yes thats the catch, the recipe is secret and is very special of the East Indian Catholic Community, that resides in these houses here. But yes the smell was too tempting and the colors were just outstanding. Some images:

the spices left out to dry

the spicy Kashmiri chillies

the spices being mixed after roasting

being grounded in an age old scooped out jambun tree bark

the ladies who grind the spices to make them into amazing masalas 

come from Thane, they are specialized in this job, anyone who wants to contact them

need to be around. thats the amazing bit, all the women from various household 

come around and call them to their place to grind the spices to make masalas.

This initiates a lot of conversations (a very good example of interpersonal relationships that

are shared in these villages)

the spices being ground into very fine powder, the masala

the not so fine powder yet is being strained in big strainers, to separate the already 

fine powder.

these are then mixed well and very very tightly packed in dark 

bottles (mostly wine/beer bottles)  so that sunlight does not change the color. they are then left to mature fora while and then used for cooking some of the finest East Indian Cuisine.

These Masalas are then used to make some of the most amazing East Indian Dishes like curries, Sorpotel, etc. What was very interesting to see how women from various households came around giving their bottles as they could not make these masalas in their houses anymore. Lack of space is the main reason. most of these houses have some open areas mostly in the back (Backyards), which are not seen anymore due encroachment of sorts. It is very interesting to know how these spaces are so important for community living, and how they initiate various nodes of conversations.

When the Masala was almost ready (not matured yet though), i was allowed to taste it with some raw mango that i got to borrow from some kids moving around distributing them after plucking them of their own mango trees, to the poor kids. I was luck to have one from them , coz they refused to give me one coz a) i was not a kid, and b)i was not looking poor by any chance. Well these kids were just 10-12 years old and were imbibed with great sense of responsibility and generosity.

I will definitely be waiting to taste some curry made out of this masala as promised by Aunty Blance, who with a lot of patience explained me the entire process.

Keep licking your fingers now!

a small video of the process:

the Zig and Zag roads

Mr. Arup Sarabadhikary shared some interesting insights on the reason of Zig Zag pattern for roads/pathways in Bandra Village.

anyone can easily miss it, thinking it just gives character to the urban texture and the aesthetic of Ranwar, but it does more than that.

This was intentionally done while the buiding layout was being done at site. The neighbors used to get together and decide how to place the houses, retaining privacy, at the same time keeping visibility from the verandahs/ balconies for a friendly chat. One can notice that scooters and small cars can still be parked in these niches, without hampering traffic.

The development plan 1981-2001 made by the MCGM, received from David Cardoz, highlighting the Bandra Village Precinct. 

In this one i have highlighted the roads/pathways/streets in the Bandra Village Precinct, we indeed see the point!

Its really interesting how these small but details while town planning makes such an impact. I have seen this is Ranwar (refer to the photographs above), but would really want to see it in the other villages too!

Thanks Mr. Arup for sharing this information. 

Arup Sarbadhikary is a structural engineer by profession and a former member of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee.  He is one of the founder members and Trustee of the Bandra Bandstand Residents Trust.