God save us from these British perversions! Pydownie Street, a mangling of the word “Pydhonie,” which literally translates to “a place where feet are washed,” was indeed once where residents went to scrub their heels, taking advantage of the small creek that formed during high tide between the islands of Mazgaon and Mumbai. The name Pydownie itself was changed to Mohammad Ali Road in the 20th century—no, not after the boxer, but rather the late fraternal freedom fighters Maulana Mohammed and Shaukhat Ali, who joined Ghandi to initiate the Khilafat Movement against the British, and in so doing became a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity. A mostly-Muslim neighborhood today, Muhammad Ali Road boasts not only the dreamy, pale green Minara-Masjid, but also the JJ flyover (now renamed after the saint Makhdoom Ali Mahimi), which curves above the street for 2.1 km, making it the longest viaduct in the country. At all times a hustle-and-bustle kind of place, the street hits its peak during Ramadan.
Hotel Majestic & Waterloo Mansion
Due to the opening of the Suez Canal in 1864, and the global cotton shortage provoked by the American Civil War (1861-1865), the 1860s marked an unprecedented time for growth in Bombay, where the country’s cotton traders and shipping merchants thrived. As more and more traders and merchants began frequenting the city, the need for accommodation became exigent, and the subsequent decades would see the construction of many grand hotels, including the Majestic Hotel in 1909. Unfortunately, the fate of these elegant old beauties was often years of neglect and even demolition. The Majestic Hotel, having been plucked from the fire by the government in the 1960s and renamed the Sahakari Bhandar, now functions as both a cooperative general store and a hostel for members of the legislative assembly. As for Waterloo Mansions, today it goes by the far less romantic “Indian Mercantile Building.”
Malabar Hill
The history of Malabar Hill is inextricably linked to the powerful 18th century businessman Chovvakkaran Moosa, founder of the prominent Keyi family. When the British East India Company began encroaching on Moosa’s business, the fierce man fought hard to keep them at bay, but nothing worked and Moosa—who, on top of everything else, was something of a real estate magnate—was forced to offer the extremely desirable hill to the BEIC in exchange for continued trading rights in the North Malabar area. Old Mountstuart Elphinstone built the first bungalow there while he was Governor of Bombay, starting a trend amongst the rich and powerful, who continue to populate the hill today.
Rajabai Tower & High Court Buildings
Rajabai Tower, designed by British architect Sir George Gilbert Scott and modeled on Big Ben, was completed in 1878. The construction costs were picked up by eminent businessman and founder of the Bombay Stock Exchange, Premchard Roychand, on the condition that the clock tower be named after his mother. Rajabai, a Jain whose religion dictated that she eat her dinner before sunset, also happened to be blind, and the evening bell of the tower helped her know when the sun was waning. The tower’s modern history has been a bit darker; at one point the tallest structure in Mumbai, the landmark was closed to the public after it became a favored launching pad for suicides.