This Vile Parle resident's new biography documents the area's rich history

In popular discourse Vile Parle is just another Bombay suburb sandwiched or rather lost between its two famous friends Bandra and Andheri This despite enjoying the rare distinction of having an eponymous biscuit cake and confectionary brand make the neighbourhood its home putting Parle the name on the global food map For most Mumbaikars this is Vile Parlersquos only claim to fame and of course the nostalgic whiff of baked biscuits once hanging over its air a memory glued into the cityrsquos consciousness But what elsePL Deshpande during an event organised by the Vile Parle Music Circle at Tilak Mandir where he was felicitated for becoming president of the Nanded Natya Sanmelan Pic CourtesyJayant DeshpandeIndologist and art historian Sandeep Dahisarkar who has been a Vile Parle resident for the last 30 years remembers being curious about the neighbourhood since his student years ldquoAround 2010 while I was in college I started writing about the arearsquos historyrdquo he says Two years later one of his essays on the temples of Vile Parle was published in a book Conducting heritage walks in the neighbourhood was a concomitant response to his work ldquoBut all through this time I had been wanting to come up with something which was wellresearched and connected the dots of the forgotten past of Vile ParlerdquoA 1947 Trimurti oil painting of Lokmanya Tilak Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Ramdas Swami by Shripad Shamrao Jayakar Pic CourtesyKishor JayakarDahisarkarrsquos new 200page biography Parle DnyatAdnyat Sahit Prakashan Goa released this week in Marathi offers a wholesome portrait of how Vile Parle came into its own in the early 20th century Apart from exhaustive personal research the book dips into family and institutional archives as well as Mumbai Archives of the Directorate of Archives to publish rare and previously unpublished documents maps and photographs The creation of Parle like most suburbs of Bombay was spurred by the plague epidemic of 1896 which necessitated the decluttering of the island city In a span of hundred years the entire landscape of the region was transformed and urbanised he says The Parle gaothan that today abuts the Vile Parle East station and which was known as Pakhadi was the erstwhile nerve centre of the agrarian village ldquoThis was where the original settlers came to live The residents were predominantly East Indian Christians But city historian Teddie Rodrigues in his book on the community mentions that the original inhabitants of the village were actually Pachkalashis or Pathare Kshatriya Hindus the warrior group thatrsquos said to have travelled with Prince Mahi Bimba son of Raja Pratap Bimba to this region as early as 1138 CE in one of the earliest known migrations hererdquo They were perhaps converted after the Portuguese takeover of Salsette or Sashti Island he says The gaothan then was surrounded by vast tracts of land where locals grew everything from rice cucumbers ladyfingers pumpkin to chibud a popular fruit in the areaGovardhandas TejpalItrsquos during the British rule that these rice fields slowly began to be sold to nonChristians and thatrsquos how a large Marathispeaking Hindu population came to inhabit the area the move was bolstered by the epidemic that had swept through the island city forcing people to move out of crammed neighbourhoods The illustrious Gujarati Tejpal family had a crucial role to play in its urban transformation ldquoThe Tejpals wanted to build a house of their status in Vile Parle but there was no railway station in the area to allow for ease of delivery of construction materials Govardhandas Tejpal presentday GT Hospital is named after his father Gokuldas Tejpal donated a section of their land to the railways to build a station The station came up in 1907 and the construction of their home Mor Bungalow was completed by 1908rdquo The bungalow inspired by Gothic and Neoclassical styles was the brainchild of Parsi architect Nusserwanji Sanjana and was built at the cost of Rs 17821019 ldquoIt boasted a huge dome marble statues and stainedglass windows and included a stable a guest house well fountain and a gardenrdquo The lavish structure continued to remain a jewel in Vile Parlersquos crown until it was demolished in 1957 Today the building has made way for the Deenanath Mangeshkar Natyagriha Agarwal Market and Municipal Market in Vile Parle East ldquoSeveral sabhas were organised within the premises of the bungalow including those spearheaded by Subhas Chandra Bose Acharya Kripalani Sane Guruji and Narhar Vishnu Kakasaheb Gadgilrdquo Tejpal says Dahisarkar appears to have indirectly supported the freedom movement He was also the president of the Parle Hindu Devalaya Mandal and Parle Residents Association the latter was founded in Mor Bungalow and liaised with the government to address issues of the residents and look into the town planning schemes His wife Monghibai Tejpal took over the reins after her husbandrsquos death selling plots of land in Vile Parle under the Tejpal Scheme Today all that remains of the Tejpal family is the Vitthal Rakhumai MandirAn archival image of Mor Bungalow owned by the Tejpal family circa early 20th century CE Pics CourtesyThe Tejpal Family CollectionVile Parlersquos greatest contribution was to the freedom struggle Several underground revolutionaries were galvanised by the Vile Parle Chhavani When the Salt Satyagraha took place in Dandi on April 6 1930 Gandhirsquos supporters also undertook the satyagraha in Juhu Vile Parle West Gandhian and industrialist Jamnanlal Bajaj chief of the Vile Parle Chhavani was arrested the following day shares DahisarkarAn archival image of Lokmanya Seva Sanghrsquos Tilak MandirThe Lokmanya Seva Sangh which is in its centenary year continues to be the beating heart of the neighbourhood It was started in 1923 to promote religious social and artistic movementsmdashGaneshotsav Shiv Jayanti and Tilakrsquos death anniversary were the three most significant events on its calendar A trimurti painting by the late Shripad Shyam Rao Jayakar of Lokmanya Tilak Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Ramdas Swamimdashthe torchbearers of Swarajyamdashis displayed at the organisationrsquos Tilak Mandir hall today The original version of the painting published in the book was created by Jayakarrsquos father Shyam Rao Jayakar the artist who painted Sai Baba ldquoThe Tilak Mandir had a library and gymnasium for students and educated people about Swarajya while also shaping public opinion through lectures and sessions It continues to be an important cultural centre even todayrdquo says Dahisarkar In May 1930 Babu Hule a volunteer of Vile Parle Chhavani died under a British Calvary officers horse His body was brought in procession to Tilak Mandir ldquoPL Deshpande who was born in Gamdevi but was raised in Vile Parle writes fondly about the institution in one of his books This is the same place that houses his awards and rare photographs in a small gallery todayrdquo Actress and educationist Dr Samira GujarJoshi has contributed the essay on Deshpande in the bookChildren practising lathi on Tilak Mandir ground Pics CourtesyLokmanya Seva Sangh ParleAnother important exercise undertaken by Dahisarkar was documenting the Art Deco buildings in Vile Parlemdash19 residential buildings and two temples of which only 16 remain He even commissioned detailed line drawings of the unique geometric and wavy patterns on the gates windows and facade all of which have been published in the bookThe history of the neighbourhood would be incomplete without the mention of the iconic ParleG factory started in 1929 by Narottam Mohanlal Chauhan A visit to the candy factories of Germany prompted Chauhan to start one in the neighbourhood which began by making boiled sweets and peppermint By 1939 the year the Second World War began the company started producing Parlersquos gluco biscuits later known as ParleG ldquoThe coming up of the factory meant that the village was slowly moving towards urbanisation It also provided employment opportunities to Parlekarsrdquo he says adding that the factory has now moved to KhopoliThis is the fourth book written on Vile Parle While the previous ones were penned by history enthusiasts this is the first by an academic scholar and thatrsquos what makes it different ldquoI want to make Parlekars and history readers understand that there is a way of reading and absorbing history It has to be done systematically thoroughly and with enough background and documentation My hope is that this book serves as a reference guide that not only celebrates Parle and its people but also helps us understand how this suburbrsquos past has shaped and influenced its presentrdquo1929Year the iconic Parle factory was launched by Narottam Mohanlal Chauhan after a visit to Germany where he learnt the production of candy