The streets of Mumbai cast a dizzying spell even to this third-world traveler who was used to seeing voluminous crowds and long queues of people rushing to and from various errands. It reminded me of our first stop in India; the city of Kolkata where all noises came to us like cannons blasting from all directions, the relentless honking of automobiles and the incessant yells from vendors among dozens of other reverberations, all comprising a mixtape of the mother of all audible uproars.
The Fine Architecture Seen on the Streets of Mumbai
After Kolkata, Aileen and I saw the same kind of overwhelming street scenes at Varanasi before tapering off by a minuscule margin in New Delhi and unto the desert state of Rajasthan – where long stretches of desert and dry mountains served as space fodder for its large population. Here in Mumbai, as described to us by a traveler we met at the Jaisalmer bus terminal, “you won’t see an empty space, almost each spot is occupied by someone.” That might have been a bit of a stretch, but upon hearing the noise and getting almost lost in the sea of humanity on our way to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus while we tried to reserve a train ticket to Kochi, we got the drift of what he told us.
Amidst the multitude of humanity, an impressive set of buildings also crowded the streets of Mumbai – in an eye-popping manner, especially for an architecture junkie like me. Leading the pack was the Gothic Victorian architectural design of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, which was considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site, fortifying the centerpiece of Mumbai’s complex but effective railway system.
Aileen and I sauntered inside looking for the booths that sold train tickets to Kochi. Unmindful of the thick crowd, we pushed our way inside a large air-conditioned room filled with ticket outlets before finally locating the correct cubicle selling train passes to our next destination. With the dark air brought upon by the harrowing events of two thousand eight entirely gone, the iconic train station had then washed away all overtones from that unfortunate period and had become a must-see for travelers from different parts of the world. The terminus operated as the main artery that ushered the boundless wave of commuters to other cities in India.
Art Deco Galore
Outside the terminus and a few steps away, one was quickly dazzled by an array of Art Deco buildings that earned the city of Mumbai the distinction of being the second city – next to Miami, to have the highest number of surviving Art Deco buildings in the world. Your architectural visual feast didn’t stop there as Gothic, Victorian, Indo-Saracenic, Modern, and Contemporary architectural styles blended charmingly with historical landmarks from the British colonial era that stood beautifully behind the swarming sidewalks of the city.
The "Bombay Deco" Movement
The wave of optimism that flourished at the turn of the twentieth century and after the First World War attracted many local businessmen to set up residency here, bringing along a rich fusion between traditional architectural styles and the Art Deco design emanating from the cities of Paris and London. Not long after, rows of lavish offices and glittering residential apartments started appearing and adorning the huge city blocks that earned the city’s “Bombay Deco” reference.
While many of these buildings were at the mercy of passing time with peeling paint, broken glass, and an unkempt facade, the character emanating from these structures was hard to miss. I hoped that the Indian government would implement a city-wide restoration program soon, or they risked repeating the same mistakes we committed in Manila – of surrendering our urban architectural heritage to absolute modernity.
Architectural Time Travel
Other than the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, we passed by the standalone Art Deco Regal Cinema which was constructed during the ‘cinema boom’ of the nineteen thirties. At that time, it was showing the Bollywood film about a solo female traveler, the box-office smash “Queen.” It was one of the many cinemas from its era that still operated up to that day. The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel situated near the Gateway of India was another eye candy of an architectural marvel. Built in nineteen hundred three, it still retained the flavor of its visual elegance represented by the Florentine, Moorish, and Oriental architectural styles. Like the Chhatrapati Terminus, it also became a site of the historic attacks.
As the afternoon crowd started to thicken at the water’s edge of Mumbai Harbor to take photographs of the Gateway of India, I lifted my head and gazed at the sheer size of its magnificent Indo-Saracenic architectural flair that blended beautifully with Hindu and Muslim design influences. Often compared to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George the Fifth and Queen Mary in nineteen eleven. Encircled by the many architectural wonders facing the waterfront, I walked into an open spot and stood facing the opposite direction toward the sea where I saw countless docked yachts and small boats, swaying and dotting the blue waters of the Arabian Sea.
I felt the cool breeze of the wind and inhaled the aroma of curry it carried. Suddenly, I craved more Indian food. My friend Aileen and I walked toward a street lined with interesting hole-in-the-wall establishments that sandwiched a lone Starbucks branch and unto another street filled with bazaar stalls, until we settled for a café serving local and western baked goodies. For an hour, we sat by the window and observed the hectic pace of the locals darting in and out of sight. With the heritage structures standing broodingly in the background, I sensed a throwback vibe to decades past — all thanks to the olden sentiment the classic architecture of Mumbai brought.
Staying true to the diversity of Mumbai’s populace, the aesthetics of the city’s stellar architecture presented a glimpse into the quixotic footprint that thrived once upon a time in a now frenzied and crowded environment. The city showed me that there was more to it than endless shantytowns; the architecture was visible at each edifice that up to this day battled the rigid curse of decay and abandonment, all in an attempt to preserve the opulent heritage and storied past of Mumbai.
I wanted to walk more and see more of the city, but the hours seemed to roll by quickly and just before the remaining daylight was swallowed by night’s darkness, we flagged down one of the iconic Premier Padmini cabs to cap off our metaphorical time travel through Mumbai’s architectural wonders.
