Hindu Colony, Dadar — A Visual Treat

Excerpt—After a tiring, but remarkable experience at Kamathipura, we headed towards Dadar’s Hindu Colony for the second leg of our task.

Located a few hundred metres from Dadar Railway Station, the Hindu Colony was a stark contrast from what we saw at Kamathipura.

Main road of Hindu Colony (click to enlarge)

A beautiful, serene and peaceful neighbourhood filled with old buildings and huge trees, the Hindu Colony is a treat to the eyes!  It consists of six parallel lanes joined on either side by a perpendicular road—resembling a railway track.

The lanes were much wider than the ones at Kamathipura and devoid of all the squalor and activity. Walking around, we felt like a bird that has just escaped its cage.

One of the lanes (click to enlarge)

We noticed that the people here seemed so peaceful and content with their lives. Everyone was going about their business at a leisurely pace and seemed to have a natural smile on their face.

One such lady, Sarika Suratkar, was walking her five-year-old son home from school. The 33-year-old was a housewife who lived in the first lane of the Hindu Colony and her family have been living here for years.

Another lady, Ratna Mali, was selling bananas on the street. Belonging to the Mali caste, the 40-year-old earns around Rs. 1000 per month selling bananas. She also doubles up as a road sweeper to make ends meet. She speaks Marathi and Hindi.

Mrs. Ratna Mali (click to enlarge)

Mahendra Ram Gaikwad, a resident of the nearby Parsi Colony, has one of the most unusual, yet enjoyable, jobs there is. He is a dog-walker. The 21-year-old from Solapur was refusing to divulge his income, but said that he does have a lot of customers in the area.

Mr. Mahendra Ram Gaikwad (click to enlarge)

Despite their different backgrounds, the unifying factor among the three people mentioned above was that they seemed happy and satisfied with their lives—something which was missing in Kamathipura.

This goes to show the extremes in the lives and habitats of the people of Mumbai. It also goes to show the value of a single paisa and a single square-foot of land in this city.

Both Kamathipura and the Hindu Colony have been there for decades and have remained virtually unchanged. Rest assured, they will continue to do so for years to come.