There are quite a few areas in Bombay that have not yet seen redevelopment but may very soon see tall buildings replacing the older worn-out buildings. Personally, I'm a huge fan of the simple architecture the 1950s buildings see in Bombay. They're usually 4-5 floors, and all the windows have a telltale sign of typical Indian style, they're all grilled, probably for safety.
I recently visited my uncle who lives in Dadar. He's 90 and has been living in the same apartment since the late 1950s. It's been at least 63 years (he doesn't exactly recall when he moved, which he did as a bachelor). While of course new appliances have replaced the older ones, the core remains the same and every time I visit him, I just fall in love. There is something very romantic and whimsical living in a building older than you. For starters, there's no elevator, which means my 90-year-old uncle takes the stairs, but doesn't really complain, the way I did when I climbed the staircase. Additionally, the flooring is vintage, the windows sing a song of a long-ago era, and the over-all vibe is very anti-modern.
He used to pay a rent of INR 125/month when he moved, and now, continues to pay a paltry sum. I get why he hasn't moved. While driving around the humid and sultry roads, we noticed a lot of billboards with fancy real estate advertisements, buy so and so building, starting price only 1.8cr, 3.35cr, 2.67cr followed by a small word 'only'. These buildings boast the finest of the amenities, swimming pools and gymnasiums, a play area, a meditation spot and everything in between. But the truth is, the actual apartment will be quite small in terms of carpet area. Space is a myth in Bombay, unless you're able to shell out at least a few crores and be okay living in the ever-expanding border of the city.
The buildings around my uncle's apartment are all similar. Prime location, but old, and styled circa 1950. I took a few photos this time, but the quality of these photos makes me unhappy, I was in a moving car.
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| I was in a moving car and my photography took a hit which makes me quite sad, the buildings are worthy of the nikons and canons of the world. |
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| Grilled houses are quite common in India - perhaps to keep stranger and birds at bay. |
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| Another grilled apartment example, again - at least 60-70 years old. |
Most of these buildings have apartments that are decently sized, not match boxed size. They have lush verdant trees on the street outside and some within the building compound. I know that there's a possibility that these will slowly start to be demolished, I guess buildings have an expiry date and of course, there are a lot of hungry property developers who are waiting to make tall buildings here and showcase advertisements in big billboards selling their properties for 2.41cr only.
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