In the 1970s, when Mumbai was still Bombay, and the idea of a vertical city was yet to catch everyone’s imagination, architect Rahul Kadri, then a young boy, fancied a life in the forests of Malabar Hill. Trudging through the kacha pathways inside the green strip, he remembers being blown away by its beauty. The sounds of chirping birds and other elusive creatures, only added to its allure. “Over the years, it became neglected, and started being used by people to brew illicit liquor, earning a shady reputation. At some point, authorities posted guards out there, and later built a gate, in the hope that the illegal activities would stop,” says Kadri, about the patch of green that’s been locked up, and out of bounds for visitors for over a decade. 

During the pandemic-induced lockdown last year, while out on a regular stroll on Siri Road, Kadri managed to sneak inside. The forest was in ruins, but with some intervention, Kadri felt that the trail could be opened up to the public again. “Parts of it were unkempt, of course. There was a little landslide that had occurred, too. But, it was still lovely. I just hoped that it was attended to, and that more people could experience what I was seeing.”