Wenden Avenue Railway Colony: A century-old Matunga enclave faces rapid change

Wenden Avenue Railway Colony in Matunga was once a place where time seemed to pause Its canopy of trees stone buildings and winding lanes kept it insulated from the cityrsquos chaos for more than a century Home to generations of railway families the colonyrsquos architectural charm and sense of community were its defining features Today the same streets are a maze of JCBs piling rigs and dumpersThe old Nissen huts of Wenden Avenue PicDr Shekhar KrishnanThe centuryold Matunga railway colony has been handed over for the Dharavi redevelopment project and demolition of its buildings is underway The colony housed employees of both Central and Western Railway While the WR section had relatively newer concrete blocks the CR side was lined with Nissen huts and beautifully crafted stone structuresOrigins of the nameA partially demolished building in the Matunga railway colony PicDr Shekhar KrishnanWenden Avenue was named after Henry Charles Edward Wenden Agent of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway now General Manager Wenden an accomplished railway engineer and avid ornithologist wrote for Allan OrsquoHumersquos journal Stray Feathers Records show he served as GIP Railwayrsquos Agent from 1901 and retired in 1906 Today the last stone buildings have been flattened and most Nissen huts have also been removed These iconic mushroomshaped structures once dotted the colonyrsquos central stretchHistorian remembersThe Wenden Avenue signboard at the entrance to the centuryold road PicSamson MathewDr Shekhar Krishnan historian and advisor to the BMC Heritage Conservation Cell recalls ldquoMy mother used to walk up and down this road to school every day from lsquoBB Matungarsquo to lsquoGIP Matungarsquo WR and CR In the fifties there were no bridges between the two Matungas The old Lady Hardinge Road ended in a level crossing and gates across the two lines were opened and closed at fixed times lit by gas lamps and their bearers in mornings and evenings Wenden Avenue was built as staff quarters for the GIP Railway Workshop on the other side of Lady Hardinge RoadFlattened section of the colony after demolition PicRajendra B AklekarIts iconic buildings were visible to the public who walked beneath the workshoprsquos massive walls on one side and their leafy stone bungalows and shady cottages opposite GIPRrsquos Mahim Loop linking Mahim to the Harbour Line by local train was the only way across the two Matungas until decades after Independence But soon after road and foot overbridges came up between WR and CR BB and GIP the level crossing was closed and Wenden Avenue began disappearing from view behind growing greenery roadside slums and greying stone facades Now itrsquos gone foreverrdquoFamilies share memoriesSamson Mathew and family at Wenden Avenue before demolition PicSamson MathewRetired Central Railway employee Samson Mathew who has lived there since 1975 said ldquoIt was once one of the most tranquil places in Mumbai A full canopy of trees monsoon charm and birds at dawn The English bungalows with their 24 by 24 foot bedrooms were a wonder These memories now exist only in the mind Time to move on but Wenden Avenue will always stay with usrdquoAuthor recalls his rly daysldquoWenden Avenue at Matunga also served as a probationersrsquo hostelrdquo recalls former railwayman turned author and businessman Sanjay Chandra who says his railway journey began there ldquoWe were impressed with the address of our hostel Wenden Avenue sounded so fancy We had no idea what surprise awaited usrdquo he saidBroken remains of the old colony structure PicsDr Shekhar KrishnanldquoAfter completing our joining formalities and without having met the General Manager yet we hailed a kali peeli taxi mdash there was no Ola or Uber in 1982 mdash dumped our luggage in and asked the driver to take us to Wenden Avenue Matunga Coming from small towns driving around Bombay was an exciting experience We reached Matunga in the evening Nobody in the neighbourhood had even heard of Wenden Avenue There was no GPS back then After asking around repeatedly we were finally directed to a notsoimpressive building tucked in a corner beyond a drain surrounded by overgrown bushesrdquo he writes in his book The Life amp Times of a Common ManOne of the last surviving examples of Wenden Avenuersquos old stone architectureSpeaking to midday Chandra added ldquoThe probationary officersrsquo hostel on the exotically named Wenden Avenue was our temporary home during our railway training in 1982 We returned to the city every two months for the next phase The building was small and couldnrsquot accommodate all 48 of us comfortably Many nights we slept on the floor But it was a minor inconvenience compared to the friendships we built and the lessons we learned walking to the nearby market and railway stationrdquoAll is lostldquoAll is lost It was a place of peace We lived under the shade of old trees and timeless architecture when we returned from work Sundays and holidays were days of community bonding In recent years its use had declined but we still visited for nostalgia and childhood memories Instead of demolishing such centuryold heritage the developers could have used it creatively incorporating those classy bungalowsrdquo said a longtime Central Railway employeeWhen buildings fall memories rise The soul of Wenden AvenueVenu P Nair General Secretary National Railway Mazdoor Union CR amp KR says Wenden Avenue was never just a cluster of railway quarters It was a living institution built on solidarity shared struggle and deep community ties Within its graceful stone buildings thousands of railway families lived in quiet fraternity Latenight conversations between workers staff and NRMU activists often shaped the unionrsquos most principled stands and resistance movementsVenu P NairThe colony thrived as a sociocultural hub Sports cultural events and union meetings merged into everyday life while children grew up running through treelined avenues under the shade of banyan jamun and mango trees Even today though they are scattered across the world their memories of Wenden remain intactEach home carried its own warmth mdash gardens kitchens filled with familiar aromas and the old consumersrsquo store where children learned trust and responsibility Presiding over it all was the iconic Wenden Avenue Hall always alive with activityAs these structures are razed what pains residents and railwaymen is not just the loss of buildings but the erasure of a way of life Wenden Avenue will endure in memory as a rare township where heritage dignity and social harmony once flourished together