Powai (Pronunciation: [pəʋəiː]) is a residential suburb located in central Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is situated on the banks of Powai Lake, and is bound by the hills of Vikhroli Parksite to the south-east, Chandivali to the south-west, the L.B.S. Marg (old Mumbai-Agra road) to the north-east and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to the north beyond the lake.[4] The Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, one of the city's busiest thoroughfares linking the western and eastern suburbs, passes through Powai.[5] The place also hosts thousands of devotees every year during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival for the visarjan processions.[6]
Powai
Pawai | |
|---|---|
suburb | |
 View of Powai from across the Powai lake, Mumbai (MH) | |
  Powai Location of Powai in Mumbai (Maharashtra)  Powai Powai (Maharashtra)  Powai Powai (India) | |
| Coordinates: 19°07′N 72°55′E / 19.12°N 72.91°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Maharashtra |
| District | Mumbai Suburban |
| City | Mumbai |
| Zone | 5 |
| Ward | S |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal Corporation |
| • Body | Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (MCGM) |
| Elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Marathi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | |
| Area code | 022 |
| Vehicle registration | MH-03[1] |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Mumbai North East (part)[2] Mumbai North Central (part)[3] |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Bhandup West (part) Chandivali (part) |
The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, established in 1958 and currently the second oldest campus of the Indian Institutes of Technology as well as the Indian Institute of Management Mumbai, established in 1963 are both located here,[7][8] as is a campus of the Bombay Scottish School.[9] Powai is also home to residential complexes of the Income Tax department, Customs and NTPC,[10] as well as those of ex-servicemen.[11] Powai houses schools and colleges, some of which are S M Shetty school and college, Gopal Sharma school and Chandrabhan Sharma College. Chandivali has Sinhgad college of management. New school includes Pawar Public school towards Chandivali.[12] Some of the Temples of Powai are Chinmaya Mission's Jagadeshwara Shiva Temple, Sri Ayyappa Vishnu Temple at Hiranandani, Devi Vageshwari Mata Temple at Chandivali. Powai also hosts community birthday havan.
Powai is also Mumbai's start-up hub, with young entrepreneurs like the hiranandanis. starting off from incubation cells set up by institutes like IIT Bombay from the tech industry and other sectors setting their bases there,[13] causing the area to be referred to as India's Powai Valley.[14] Some of the start-ups in Powai Valley include JustRide, Housing, TinyOwl, Toppr, HolaChef, Bewakoof, Logic Roots, Care24, Flyrobe, Nearfox, Belita, CredR, Mirchi and Mime and Crispy Games. As a result of the mixture of various communities living together, the suburb has one of the city's most cosmopolitan and modernized cultures.[15] The place has a vibrant night-life,[16][17] and shoots for several Bollywood as well as Hollywood movies, such as Kalyug, Ghajini, Slumdog Millionaire, Mardaani and Haseena Maan Jaayegi have taken place there.[18] The Hiranandani Gardens are also known for their neoclassical architectural style and the area has some of the tallest residential buildings in Suburban Mumbai.[19] The suburb is also known for being one of the preferred residential areas for expats in Mumbai.[20] Great access to sharing cycle ride company Yulu - the blue color cycles found convenient.[21]
Geography
editPowai is a part of the Mumbai Suburban District, located in the north-eastern region of what is today considered to be the modern Mumbai metropolis. Administratively, it is a part of the Kurla tehsil[22] and much of the area falls within the boundaries of the S-ward, the largest ward in Mumbai.[23][24] Powai is situated on the banks of its namesake lake and boasts of a recently revamped, landscaped garden with viewing decks, a children's play area and synchronized fountains.[25] The privately run Dr. L. H. Hiranandani Hospital, located within the Hiranandani residential complex, is the first superspeciality hospital in the area.[26]
As a result of prolific construction activity in the last two decades, the area has one of the highest residential population densitiesnote 1 in suburban Mumbai. The development in the region has, however had an adverse impact on the environment, with the area facing the ill-effects of excessive concretization, resulting in a shrinking number of open spaces,[23] green cover and rising pollution levels.[27]
-
Hiranandani Gardens skyline (seen from Powai Lake).
Lake
edit
Perhaps the best-known landmark of Powai is the Powai Lake, a 120-year-old lake that was originally used to supply water to the city of Mumbai, and is today used as an industrial sewage outlet.[25] Another prominent landmark that most outsiders associate Powai with is the IIT Bombay, located to the east of the lake. The campus of the NITIE is located near the north bank of the lake, as is the Renaissance Hotel and Convention centre, part of the Marriott group of hotels, with its distinctive facade visible across the Powai lake.[28] In the past, fishing and bird-watching were popular recreational activities that took place along the shores of the lake. Rare migration birds were known to visit the lake each year and the lake boasted a variety of fish species. Crocodiles have also been spotted alongside the lake. And However, rapid and uncontrolled growth of the region in recent years has had an adverse effect on the flora and fauna found in and around the lake. In its day, the lake used to be an idyllic picnic spot for people wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.[citation needed]
Meluha The Fern is a 5 star eco-friendly hotel located near the lake, with a restaurant and bar.[29] Powai has become a destination for food lovers with many chain of restaurants opening up in the area.
History
editThe name "Powai" originates from Padmavati, a Hindu deity to whom a temple was dedicated in the village existing on the contemporary space of the neighbourhood.[30] In 1826, after the death of the previous owner of the estate, the area that is now Powai was leased to Parsi merchant Framji Kavasji.[31] The water body at the center of the neighbourhood that is now known as Powai Lake was a result of initiatives by city authorities in the 1890s to increase urban water supply.[30] In 1943, four years before India's independence, the freedom fighter Chandrabhan Sharma & Ram Nath Grover arrived in Mumbai and happened to lease and subsequently buy Powai Estate from Sir Yusuf, the then owner, for a paltry sum. At that time, Powai comprised five villages: Saki, Kopri, Tirandaz, Powai and Paspauli. In the late 1950s, a portion of Powai was given to the government to set up an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). The Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, personally visited the area and during a meeting, Chandrabhan Sharma was motivated by him to give the land free of cost for this purpose. Simultaneously, a young engineer from Denmark, Søren Kristian Toubro had obtained a major contract in Mumbai. As a result, vast tracts of land were leased to him by Mr. Sharma to set up what would become Larsen & Toubro.[32]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Ministry of Road Transport and Highways - National Register e-Services". Retrieved 7 June 2012.
- ^ Mumbai North East covers the area under Bhandup West Vidhan Sabha constituency
- ^ Mumbai North Central covers the area under Chandivali Vidhan Sabha constituency
- ^ "Powai(wikimapia)". Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ^ "MSRDC - Project - Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road". Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ^ "Guide to Mumbai Ganesh Visarjan". Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ^ "IIT Bombay: Contact Us". Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ "NITIE". Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ "Bombay Scottish School, Powai". Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ "Buildings with a Powai Lake view". Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ "Major police operation near Jalvayu Vihar near Powai". Mid Day. 27 August 2010.
- ^ "Home - Pawar Public School chandivali". ppschandivali.com. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "The New Indian Express". m.newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016.
- ^ "Welcome to 'Powai Valley', India's new start-up hub - Times of India". The Times of India. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- ^ "Powai in Mumbai grows as commercial hub". 18 August 2011.
- ^ "Bars-pubs in powai - burrp.com". Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ^ "Lounges in Powai - burrp.com". Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ^ "Mumbai-76". Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ "Glen Ridge Powai". Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ "Expats look afield to suburbia". Hindustan Times. 26 November 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ "Yulu Website". www.yulu.bike. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ^ "MMRDA Regional Plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 May 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
- ^ a b "There's a stinking problem". 19 January 2012. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
- ^ "MCGM Election website". Retrieved 5 February 2012.
- ^ a b "120 years old and brand new". The Times of India. 21 January 2011. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
- ^ "Hiranandani Hospital: About Us". Retrieved 5 February 2012.
- ^ "Traffic, flooding and waste disposal woes". 1 February 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
- ^ "Renaissance Hotel and Convention Centre, Mumbai". Retrieved 5 February 2012.
- ^ "Meluha The Fern".
- ^ a b Kadakia, Pankti Mehta (4 April 2017). "For a decade, Mumbai's eastern suburb Powai boomed with its start-ups. Now will it bust with them?". Scroll.in. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ Maharashtra State Gazetteers. ""Greater Bombay Places - Powai Lake"".
- ^ "Premium projects set the right TONE IN FESTIVE FERVOUR". epaperbeta.timesofindia.com. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.