Mumbai’s Beautiful Colours

This travelogue was going on my mind since a long time. I wasn’t posting it due to the lockdown restriction that just kept on going. Now given that almost everything has opened up I thought of sharing my experiences with you all. Over the last few years, I have been going on walking tours around the city. Now let me tell you these aren’t the typical touristy ones that you may have come across

Earlier this year I discovered a tiny hamlet in the Mazagoan area when I went for a walking tour with the amazing folks of No Footprints. The habitat we went on exploring is called Matharpacady. The participants were told to gather at a main junction, which seemed like any other junction in Mumbai. I was bit disappointed. After a while we started walking towards more narrower and winding lanes. I could see some pops of colour peeping at me from behind the trees. Those were coloured houses situated on both sides of the small black streets. I was getting a sense of being in Goa while looking around. Just at that moment the tour guide pointed me towards a structure known as a Goan Kudd (Kudd/Goan Club – Dormitory style spaces which offered shelter to the Goan migrants who came to the city for work). I came to know that back in the day, the rents were as minimal as Rs.5 per month. Walking further I came to know that one of the houses, even had a school. Fascinating right? Similar to our current situation.

Chuim is another fascinating area in Mumbai where one sees coloured houses. Geographically, it’s situated in the Khar area. Chuim had always been on my list ever since I had seen some of it’s lovely homes on my insta feed. My wish was finally fulfilled when I got to explore the tiny by lanes lined with coloured houses. I had been there with Khaki Tours, a fantastic tour company.The participants were told to assemble at a Shiv Mandir. While waiting, I could see a huge barren land in front of me filled with buses. Wasn’t that eye-catching, but once the experience started, I came to know this same land used to be Golf course during the British Times. As the walk began to proceed further, I came across street arts painted on shop walls, abandoned walls, compound walls. These street arts were mostly of Bollywood celebrities. If you keep your eyes open you will even see the famous Gada Electronics store while walking (This is for all the Tarak Mehta Fans out there). The houses in Chuim are located on a small hillock, hence a person needs to climb up or down to see them.

The colours that one comes across whilst walking in these lanes are just a treat for the eyes. There are shades of blue, green, yellow, red, orange. The staircases are another intriguing feature of these homes. The majority of these homes are single or two-story structures. To go to the top floors, stairs are built from the outside. Since these days we rarely get to see houses on the ground floor especially in Mumbai, I am always on a lookout for them. I honestly would not have known about these gorgeous abodes if it hadn't been for those wonderful walking tours. If you want to know more Mumbai’s East Indian community, you must definitely visit Matharpacady and Chuim