Being born and brought up here, Mumbai has always held a special place in my heart. In the 60’s, Mumbai was a completely different place and Chembur was a far-off, isolated out-post. Our postal address would end with an AS – which stood for ‘After Sion’. In those days any place beyond Sion was classified thus and Chembur was like an idyllic retreat for the rich and famous to spend the weekends. The Kapoors, Ashok Kumar, Shobhana Samarth family, Nalini Jaywant, Anil Kapoor’s father, Om Prakash, Raj Kumar Kohli and others preferred to stay in its secluded environs. At one extreme desolate end of Chembur stood refineries, chemical factories and prestigious Bhabha atomic research centre. The Burmah Shell refinery, Tata Thermal power plant, Union Carbide, Hindustan Petroleum and Fertilizer Corporation of India(now RCF) had huge installations here. The other end signaled the end of Mumbai’s city limits. Beyond this point stretched the Mumbai – Pune road, bereft of habitation on both sides.
When we moved into Chembur in the 60’s, it just had a post office, a few schools, nursing homes, a few Udipi joints and some shops. Raj Kapoor would be seen regularly in the evening enjoying idlis and dosas at Annapoorna restaurant. South Indians, Sindhis and Bengalis were the predominant early settlers here. A large number of Christian cottages and bungalows built in majestic European architectural style were another highlight of Chembur. The first modern air-conditioned non-veg restaurant – Grand Central opened in the 70’s and for sampling Chinese food we had to drive down to ‘Flora’ in distant Worli. Vehicles were few and far between. The roar of my father’s approaching Lambretta scooter could be heard even when he was a long distance from home, perking us up. The plot of land in front of our society housed a concrete mill where a pair of bullocks would churn concrete, going around in circles - an ancient version of today’s RMC(Ready-mix-concrete) machine. The fish market was very popular here and people could be seen coming from far-off places to fetch the day’s catch. Watching movies meant seeing mythological movies at Vijay, which played only mythologicals, or watching English adventure movies at Aurora in Matunga. Nataraj, Basant and Sahakar were the other movie houses.
Today, 40 years later, the scene is totally different. Residential colonies have extended their hold almost up to the factories and share common walls. Most of the smaller factories have either wound up or shifted base. The giant public sectors are still holding fort, only their names have changed. Swanky multi-cuisine restaurants, coffee shops, ice- cream parlours and markets have taken over the railway station area. . However, Chembur still does not have a multiplex or a shopping mall, thankfully. Today Sahakar is only cinema hall that is thriving while Nataraj and Ashish are just managing to limp on.
I shudder to think of the resulting traffic situation once a multiplex or a mall sets up base here, which is bound to happen very soon. The ancient concrete mill and the area around our house is now a busy concrete jungle with the cacophony of vehicles playing continuously like a 24 hour FM channel. Most of the Christian bungalows have been gobbled up by builders and given way to posh high rises, though a few have still held their ground. Development and change is evident everywhere. Property rates have sky rocketed and vehicular pollution has exceeded the pollution created by factories.
But there is no point in cynically lamenting the loss of the good old days. Development and change is inevitable and today will be referred to as ‘good old days’ tomorrow by our children. So rejoice and romanticize memories of the old times and accept the present, warts and all.