On the way to dinner in Lower Parel the other night, we took a short cut around the back of Lilavati Hospital, south of Hill Road and that is when I discovered Ranwar in Bandra. This bohemian enclave, with its colonial bungalows, narrow streets and artistically graffitied walls has an entirely different feel to it - one which really appealed to me (perhaps this is the closest I am going to get to South London right now?!) We came back today for a Sunday stroll to take a closer look and so that I could take some photos:
I have looked up some history on the area and apparently Ranwar is one of the
original 24 pakhadis (hamlets) that made up Bandra since the earliest documented
history in early 1700s. It has managed to retain its village character even
as present-day development has hemmed it in on all sides*.
A local tells me that the village now attracts 'French Hipsters'...perhaps because the area has a relaxed Goan feel to it and the pace of life seems much slower. Unfortunately Chapel Road has now also become a convenient thoroughfare (hence how we discovered it) so if you are at a loose end on a Sunday in Bandra, it is definitely worth taking a look when traffic is at a minimum. You will find most of the street art around Chapel Road and Waroda Road. I have to admit, I find the hamlet of Ranwar utterly charming.
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| Shame someone has grafittied the graffiti |
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| My favourite! |
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| Lastly, a typical Ranwar house |
*A detailed history of Ranwar can be found here: http://www.goldenbandra.com/RanwarCB.htm
Nice information about Bandra / Mumbai. Yes, Sunday is the best day to visit some unique place in Mumbai with less traffic.
ReplyDeleteAll the photos are beautifully captured. Good work.
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Thank for looking and commenting TonyBlog. I mentioned it to a few people at work today and they are going to go and take a look. There's nothing like it anywhere else in Mumbai (I think)
DeleteAmazing...Been to Bandra so many times but still didnt stumble upon this jewel of a place. I have featured a Bandra based wall artist Jas Charanjiva on my blog - http://discovering-mumbai.blogspot.in/ There is also a group called Bollywood art project which does wall paintings of Bollywood in Bandra. You should check out these guys too
ReplyDeleteFantastic post and photographs. Really enjoyed going through it. I have never visited this part of Bandra.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Never thought such a colourful place exists in Bombay. Nice photos.
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