Who renamed my neighbourhood?

Representation pic

It had to take three entirely unrelated interactions within a week for this columnist to realise just how much the city and its suburbs had undergone changes from a geographic standpoint, and to what extent it had crept into our lexicon.

Residential townships created by big builders have become visible reminders of how this untamed beast has taken over locations, gullies and neighbourhoods that were otherwise known only by their original names.

The first instance was a chat with a colleague from a previous workplace. We were catching up after ages, and she, being originally an out-of-towner, chose to suggest the name of her massive ‘gated community' [an absolutely off-putting term that's quietly entered our vocabulary] in Wadala as the only part of her address. So that I could locate it better, she added another builder haven as the landmark.

It was getting worse to digest for this diehard Bombaywallah. I found my way with some help from Google Maps and by remembering a famous temple in the vicinity - a past recollection from the days where, as loitering collegians, we'd lose and eventually find our way in these back alleys and untouched neighbourhoods . Not any more, as I was to discover when I headed there a few days later. The streetscape had undergone a sea change, to put it mildly. Skyscrapers literally touched the sky; the sun didn't hit the ground, and I had to crane my neck outside the kaali-peeli to scan for remnants from my fond wanderings in these parts. Barring the odd old [read: 1980s vintage] building, all else seemed like a page from a hastily-planned, poorly-assembled gentrification of a once-charming locality.

Congested Bhandup

The second chat was with a Delhi-based author who was fixing her city itinerary and was keen to meet. This time, the location was Bhandup. The township she was to be staying in was planned by a big builder who was one of the earliest movers in the eastern suburbs. It is an oasis in the middle of a congested part of this suburb and is hardly the kind of ideal advertisement for broad roads or tree-lined roads by any stretch of the imagination, no matter what the glossy signage and swank entrance tries to paint. Step out of the massive enclave, and it's like any other predictably planned urban aberration. Forget about footpaths, gardens and ‘getaways'.

Many of Bhandup's original addresses and street names draw a blank with autowallahs; even local kirana shop owners seem clueless when you stop by for directions, as I have realised during my many trips to the suburb. The ground beneath its feet seems to be inching closer to a complete concrete makeover -sooty chimneys, crumbling factory galas and industrial estates are gradually being phased out to make room for these up-scale residential complexes. Oh, and never mind if it is gift-wrapped with the promise of a green landscape only to be greeted by a public loo when you step outside its posh environs. In fact, it's common to spot such signage by the builder lobby on BEST bus backs that ply in the area: Move [Bhand]Up in life.

Ghodbunder Rd transformed!

The final geographic revelation was at my other suburban neighbour - Thane. Big brother. One-time Land of the Lakes. We Mulund folk always looked at it in awe. And so naturally, many from Mulund also flocked there for better facilities, schools and opportunities of all kinds. Over the decades, the stretch that witnessed the biggest transformation has to be Ghodbunder Road. This busy road is lined with residential complexes that promise every type of residential dream, from budget apartments to Balinese villas. One of the big daddies in the mix has a huge township where a friend became a recent occupant. And so when I visited the space, it made for a jaw-dropping recap.

Nearly a decade ago, I had spotted it in its nascent stages, and to see this behemoth that it had become, meant only one thing. Like the rest of that stretch, every section is now known, either by the name of the builder or its celestial/fantastical-themed township; it had to have a prominent footprint, of course. Track this stretch on Google Maps and it reveals the extent to which this part of Thane has metamorphosed.

For the longest time, mention the word ‘Estate' and the autowallah would take you to just one place here - Wagle Estate. But today, it's anyone's guess. As I left the township, I spotted a popular bank using this township's name in its signboard address. That's saying something, no?

It remains to be seen how we can manage to retain these original spaces that are all small but equally intrinsic parts of Bombay's identity and its blueprint, that are now at the mercy of its new self-appointed urban ‘planners'.

mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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