Bandra ..

Then & Now

Early inhabitants and their occupations The queen of the suburbs

Portuguese Era Old rustic villages

Santa Anna Church and Spanish Jesuits Cottages and bungalows

St.Andrew’s Church and early Christianity Churches and other places of worship

Mount Mary Church and Mother Mary’s statue Schools and colleges

Castel de Aguada or Bandra Fort at lands end Sports and international sportsmen

Maratha period and end of Portuguese era Sports Coaches

British Era Bandra fair

Bandra Railway Station Cotton Mary & “I want to see my darling”

Bandra - Mahim causeway Actors Mehboob studio and Pali Hill

The Plague and 150 Crosses Land reclamation, new buildings and sea link bridge

Gold course at Danda Greens Mahim and its connection with Bandra

World war 2, the army base and Polish refugees FUTURE OF BANDRA

This is just my first attempt at creating a small book about Bandra, hoping that it will form the base for something better and more detailed in the future.

Created by Rehan Merchant [email protected] www.raaiza.com www.raaizacomposites.com www.facebook.com/groups/humanpoweredboats

Early Inhabitants and their Occupations
Crooked, narrow lanes, cottages with red tiled roofs, white-washed crosses
marking every corner, fishing nets hung up to mend, a view of palm trees,
azure skies, and boats bobbing up and down gently on a glittering green
ocean. A gentle breeze, an aroma of prawn balchao, ah the feeling of lazy
summer. Ah Goa! Oh, but no! This is not Goa.

This is "a little town on the Thana coast... the most obscure place in the south
west corner of Salsette... that bears a name famous in the annals of
Catholic religion in the North Konkan - Bandra." The place about which
traveller-writer-painter James Douglas wrote in 1892, "Bandara, Mahim,
Thana are fishy, fishier, fishiest, a region of blue bottle flies where the land is
manured, and the trees also with fish."

Christians in Bandra were mostly of the Koli & Bhandari castes, originally from
Bombay Salcette, Bassein & Thana, as well as Kunbi farmers who migrated
to the island from Colaba, because the ban on the fish manure they used.
Portuguese Era
Bandra became tributary to the Portuguese in around 1530 . Gerson Da Cunha in his "The Origin of Bombay" (1900), gave us an abridgement of an
account from 'Lendas da India'. In this account there is a description of how Diogo da Silveira brought Thane, Bandra, Mahim and Bombay under tribute.
In 1534, King Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, ceded Vasai, Salsette and the adjacent areas to the Portuguese. Bandra thus became a Portuguese possession.
In 1548, Bandra, Kurla, Mazagaon and four other villages were given by the Governor of Portuguese India to a certain Antonio Pessoa as a reward for his
military services. This was confirmed by the Royal Chancellery on the 2nd February, 1550.

As these villages were given for a period of 'two lives', they reverted to the Viceroy after the death of Isabella Botelha, the widow of Antonio Pessoa. The
Jesuits who had applied for these villages in anticipation of the death of Isabella Botelha obtained them from the Viceroy in 1568 and the Royal
confirmation was received in 1570.

The Portuguese gave the sole ownership of Bandra, Parel, Wadala and Sion to the Jesuit priests. In 1570, the Jesuits built a college and a church in Bandra
by the name St Anne's (Santa Anna) College and Church. In the mid-18th century, the traveller John Fryer recorded that the Jesuit church, which stood
near the sea shore, was still in use. In 1661 when King Charles married Catherina of Portugal, Bombay was given to England as part of the dowry. But
Salsette, which included Bandra, was not part of this treaty and remained with the Portuguese.

The Jesuits were the owners of Bandra till 1739. In this year, with the threat of a Maratha invasion, they appealed to the British for help, and were advised
to destroy all fortifications around the chapel and the fortress Aguada. However, all of Salsette fell to the Marathas who ruled over the region (including
Bandra) for 2 decades.
History of localities in Bandra

The Portuguese built several churches in Bandra, one of the earliest being St. Andrew's Church in 1575. Six churches with separate parishes lie within an
area of four square kilometers. These churches are: Mount Carmel, St. Peter's Church, St. Andrew's Church, St. Theresa's Church, St. Anne's and St. Francis
D'Assisi Church. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount is affiliated to the parish of St. Andrew's Church, Bandra.

Ghodbunder Rd, which originally ran from Mahim causeway, then skirted Bazaar Rd, went past the Bandra talav (lake) and continued to Ghodbunder, in
Thane Dist. The Road was later made straight by cutting through the talav. Bazaar Rd began at Ghodbunder Rd opposite the mosque and ran through
the market keeping close to the coast which is now the reclamation. Bazaar Rd is only 2 km long but houses a Jain temple, Ram Mandir, Hanuman
temple, Khoja mosque, Christian chapel and a Sikh gurduwara.

Bandra had 2 hills, Mount Mary hill and Pali hill. Hill Rd starting from the station went through middle of Bandra town, past St Andrews to terminate at the
foot of the Mount near Mehboob studio. Pali Rd began at St Peters and cut through Pali village till it reached Danda; BJ Rd runs from St Andrews to Lands
End, was built by Byramjee Jeejebhoy and opened to public in 1878. Main roads in Bandra, Perry, Carter, Bullock, Kane, and Bates were named after
British collectors and magistrates. Mr Carter was collector in 1924 and Mr Bullock was the Chief Magistrate.
Santa Anna Church and Spanish Jesuits
In 1566 a mall chapel was built and two Jesuit priests began the
unrelenting process of Christian conversions characterized by
missionary zeal, the hallmark of that era.

In 1570 the Church of Bandora was founded and shortly after 1577
St. Anne's church and attached school were constructed. In 1578
two villages with a total population of 10,000 came under the
Christian fold. By the end of 1583, nearly all the inhabitants of
Bandra, mostly fishing and agricultural communities, came under
the Catholic fold.

The Jesuits went on to build the famous monastery of St. Anne, on

the spot where Bandra’s main Bus Depot now stands. St. Anne
became one of the most important buildings of the Island during
the Indo-Portuguese period, given Jesuit power and influence in
that region. Accordingly, St. Anne was fitted with a strong
defensive wall and bulwarks, mounting many pieces of artillery. The
Jesuits even had a strong militia with about 100 riflemen. It was
demolished by the British in 1739, to prevent it from falling into
Maratha hands.

In 1620 there is a mention of two Jesuit farms at Bandra whose rents went to keep up the Jesuit college at Agra In 1639 Mandelslo mentions the
islands of Bandera and Bombay In 1667 when Bombay was made over to the English, the Jesuit college at Bandra claimed much land and
various rights in the island. As these were not acknowledged, they helped a dismissed English officer to attack Bombay. A few years later
(1675), Dr. Fryer gives the following account of a visit to the Father Superior of the north: ' It was not long before I was employed to wait on the
Father Superior of the north, a learned man and Spaniard by nation, of the order of the Jesuits. The President commanded his own balloon, a
barge of state of two and twenty oars, to attend me and one of the council, to compliment the Father on the island of Canorein parted from
Bombaim by a stream half a mile broad: near our landing place stood a college, the building not inferior to nor much unlike those of our
universities, belonging to the Jesuits here, more commonly called Paulistines who live here very sumptuously, the greatest part of the island
being theirs.

Our entertainment was truly noble and becoming the gravity of the society. After I had done my duty, the Fathers accompanied us to the
barge. Afore the college gate stood a large cross thwacked full of young blacks singing vespers: the town is large, the houses tiled; it is called
Bandora. At our department they gave us seven guns which they have planted on the front of their college for their own defence, besides
they are fitted with good store of small arms: following therein the advice given by a statesman to the king of Spain, about the Netherlands:
that if the society of the Loyolists were multiplied their convents might serve for castles. In the middle of the river we had a pleasant prospect on
both sides, on Bandora side the college, the town, the church of St. Andrew a mile beyond, and upon the hill that pointed to the sea the
Aquada, blockhouse, and a church; on the other side the Church of Maiim with other handsome buildings.
St.Andrew’s Church and early Christianity
The Kunbi farmers founded St Andrew Church in 1733, which has the distinctive Portuguese-style façade. The wall enclosing the compound
of St Andrew Church was built by a Parsi, Manockjee Sorabjee Ashburner in 1862 as is recorded on a slab on the main gate of the
enclosure.

The first school founded in Bandra was St. Andrew’s Parish School, Started by the Vicar, Fr. Francisco de Mello in 1780. It was started mainly
to teach Catechism to the children of the parish. However by 1782 Portuguese was also being taught, as in the personal accounts of Fr. de
Mello of March 1782 it is stated that he purchased 26 copies of Gramatical Portuguza, which cost him Rs.21/2. Then in 1864 the structure
was enlarged and more benches were added, indicating that the school had prospered and increased from these small beginnings.
Mount Mary Church, Mother Mary’s statue and the steps.
The chapel of Mount Mary was built around 1640 at the top of In the same year was the beginning of Bandra feast, an eight day
the hill at Bandra’s southern tip. celebration in the Blessed Virgin’s honour, starting on the Sunday
following her birthday on September 8. To this day the celebration
continues and the statue is venerated by pilgrims from far and near
and many miracles are attributed to the Virgin Mary by all
communities.

The architect of Mount Mary's church was Bombay’s Shapoorjee

Chandabhoy… the first time ever a non-catholic was assigned to a
catholic monument. It was built to serve the garrison posted at
Castella de Aguada, the fort at Land's End.

Tradition has it that it was destroyed in 1738 during a Maratha

raid. The statue of the Virgin Mary was recovered from the sea
by fishermen & temporarily installed in St Andrews church,
before being shifted to the rebuilt Mount Mary church in 1761.

In 1879, Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy constructed a flight of steps from foot of

Mt Mary hill to north side of church known as the Degrados de Bomanjee
(steps of Bomanjee). The Basilica of Our Lady ofthe Mount as it stands
today was built in 1904 at a cost of Rs 1 Lakh.
Castella de Aguada or Bandra Fort at lands end
(Portuguese: Fort of the Waterpoint), also known as the Bandra
Fort, is a fort located in Bandra, Mumbai. "Castella" is a misspelling
for Portuguese "Castelo" (castle). Properly, it should be called
Castelo da Aguada, although it seems its Portuguese builders
actually called it Forte de Bandorá (or Bandra Fort).

It is located at Land's End in Bandra. It was built by the Portuguese

in 1640 as a watchtower overlooking Mahim Bay, the Arabian
Sea and the southern island of Mahim. The strategic value of the
fort was enhanced in 1661 after the Portuguese ceded the seven
islands of Bombay that lay to the immediate south of Bandra to
the English. The name indicates its origin as a place where fresh
water was available in the form of a fountain ("Aguada") for
Portuguese ships cruising the coasts in the initial period of
Portuguese presence. The fort lies over several levels, from sea
level to an altitude of 24 metres (79 ft).

The fresh water well is still in use & has water throughout the year. In 1830, the British donated large parts of Salsette Island, including
Land's End, to Byramjee Jeejeebhoy, a Parsiphilanthropist. Jeejeeboy
then established his residence on the hill where the fort is located, and
the cape was renamed Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Point.
In 2003, a conservation program was started by Bandra Band Stand
Residents’ Trust to save the fort. It was spearheaded by a local Member
of Parliament (MP), Shabana Azmi, who funded part of the effort from
her allotted funds.
The brick arch of one of the gateways on the verge of collapse, and
the foundation masonry of the fort wall that was in danger of tidal
erosion were repaired. The nearby Taj Land's End hotel is responsible for
maintenance of the fort, having inherited it from the previous owners.[1]
The fort is owned by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Included
in the fort makeover are the preservation of the natural rock
formations, providing pathways, and the creation of an amphitheatre.
The architect for the makeover was P.K. Das, who had earlier
redesigned the Carter Road area.
Maratha period and end of the Portuguese Era

The College and St. Anne's Church stood on the site now occupied by the
slaughter-house at Bandra, on the shore between the causeway and the
railway. Before the gate was a fine cross, and seven guns were mounted on
the sea-face for defence against pirates.

In 1739 the college, church and fortifications were destroyed by the English,
with the consent of the Portuguese, to prevent them from becoming
strongholds in the hands of the invading Mahrattas.

In 1740, after the Mahrattas took Salsette, the missions all over the island were
abandoned for a time, and the mission-aries retired to Goa. Their places
however, were taken by secular priests whom Perron in 1760 calls Cures
Canorinas—a term which pro-bably means Canarese (i. e. Goan) priests.

Chimnaji Appa (or Chimaji Appa) (Marathi: �चमाजी अप्पा) (1707–1741) was
the son of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat and the younger brother of Bajirao
Peshwa of Maratha Empire. He was an able military commander who
liberated the western coast of India from Portuguese rule.

The crowning glory of his career was the capture of Vasai fort from the
Portuguese (who had technically advanced weapons and artillery at
their disposal) in a hard fought battle.

Do not get confused between Chimaji Appa and Chimnaji Appa as Chimaji Appa was the son of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat and younger
brother of Bajirao-1and Chimnaji Appa was the posthumous son born to Anandibai, the wife of Raghunathrao.

After careful planning, Chimnaji Appa led a Maratha army into the occupied territories in 1737. Chimnaji's strategy was to go for the
weakest link in the chain to the strongest, thereby progressively weakening the Portuguese.

On 28 March 1737, Maratha forces led by Ranojirao Shinde and his great grand father Janojirao with both his sons Chengojirao[actual
grandfather of Ranojirao] and Raoloji shinde fought gallantly in this war.

Maratha General Shankarbuwa Shinde captured the strategic island fortress of Arnala, thus cutting off a crucial relief line to Vasai. Thane and
Salsette Island (Bandra is part of Salsette) were freed in 1737.
British Era
On 11 May 1661, the marriage treaty of Charles II of England and
Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal, placed
Bombay in the possession of the British Empire, as part of Catherine's
dowry to Charles.

The Jesuits of Bandra were large land-owners not only in Salsette, but also
in the northern parts of the island of Bombay (Parel, Naigaon, Vadala,
Mahim, Dharavi, etc.) They held this property in trust as a source of
revenue for the support of various missions, such as those of Goa, Cochin,
Agra, Japan, China, etc., and various fathers or lay-brothers were
appointed as procurators of the same.

When in 1665 Bombay was handed over to the English, the Jesuits laid
claim to their lands in Bombay, but were refused. The matter gave rise to
friction from time to time between the Portuguese and the English—which
reached a climax in 1719, when the Government finally declared the
property of the Order confiscated to the Crown.

After the battle of Panipat in 1761, Maratha power declined and the
British took over. Salsette including Bandra came under British rule. The
Portuguese were left with just Goa, Daman and Diu. Bandra was under
the British from 1 January 1775 till 14 August 1947.

The English found in this newly acquired territory of Salsette thousands of Indian families who were converted to Christianity. It was from these
families the English drew their supplies of clerks, assistants and secretaries. At that time there was hardly a Hindu, Parsi or Muslim who could
read Roman characters.

There was also a large influx of Christians from Goa, Karnataka and Kerala and this prompted local converts to take the name of 'East
Indians' and form the East Indian Association on 26 May 1887 to distinguish the 'sons of the soil' who were the first employees of the East India
Company, from Indian Christians who came from further down the West coast and shared the same names and religion, and vied for the
same jobs. Bandra at one time was peopled mainly by East Indians (original residents of Bombay Salsette, Bassein, and Thana), a few Goans
and Manglorian immigrants, Parsis, Muslims, Europeans and Hindu Kolis. Christians in Bandra are mostly of the Koli, Bhandari and Kunbi
castes. In 1733, Kunbi farmers migrated to this island from Colaba because the fish manure they used was banned.

Bandra remained a village with plantations of rice and vegetables in the low-lying areas of the island until it was connected to Mahim by a
causeway in 1845. Many bungalows were built in the decades of the 1860s and 70s. The Pali Hill area, near the much older Pali Village and
now inhabited mostly by members of the film community, saw the first constructions only in the 1880s.
Bandra Railway Station.
It was about just ten years that the railways had arrived in India and two railway companies, The Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR, now
called Central Railway - CR) and the Bombay Baroda and Central India (BB&CI, now called Western Railway - WR), had begun operating in
Bombay, fiercely competing with each other to vie passengers’ attention.

It was amid this competition that Bandra station -- then called Bandora --was established in 1864. The station had to look attractive and officers
of the BB&CI Railway worked overnight to prepare plans of the station building.

"In fact the design and structure of the Bandra station building were finalized in London and to get precision the entire decorative roof and
its arches were built there. Once ready, they were dismantled, put in a steamer ship and brought here. The station waited for its roof for
more than four years. At Bandra, the structure was assembled again and put over the station around 1869. Even the Manglorean tiles over
the station’s roof were specially manufactured for the station.

The outer building, however, was built in 1888," city railway historian GD Patwardhan writes in one of his railway chronicles.
Bandra - Mahim causeway
The Mahim Causeway is a vital link road connecting South Mumbai with its northern suburbs. The causeway links the neighbourhoods of Mahim to the
south with Bandra to the north.

The Mahim Causeway was built between 1841 to 1846 to connect the island of Salsette with Mahim. The swampy area between the two islands made
travel dangerous and thus a need for a causeway arose.

The British East India Company, who governed Bombay at that time, refused to fund the project. This led Lady Jeejeebhoy, wife of the first baronet Sir
Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, to donate the entire amount of Rs.1,57,000/- on the condition that the government would not charge a toll for its use or disturb the
Koli community who lived around the area.

The Mahim causeway forms the link between Swami Vivekanand Road and L.J.Road, being the stretch between Bandra masjid and Mahim church (St.
Michael's). St.Micheals church is of great importance for Bandraite’s as many Christians from Bandra go there for Novenas

It is not to be confused with the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, a major infrastructural project opened on June 30, 2009 which is designed to ease traffic across the
causeway by building another bridge across the Mahim Bay.
The Plague and 150 Crosses.
One thing that strikes anyone who comes to Bandra is the
large number of crosses. On just two very small lanes in
Ranwar, there are around 23 crosses. Some right next to each
other. Some even on the road. Some in people’s verandahs.
One particular turn on the road had in Ranwar has six crosses.

What is the reason for so many crosses?

Some people said it was because the area was full of
Catholics. Some said to help people pray on their way to work
or back.

Almost a century ago, Bandra had been struck by a plague.

Many people died. This place was overtaken by rats who
spread the disease by biting people. “People were dying like
flies, said a senior resident in an old village. “We would bury
someone, some back and see another person had died. The
dead were sometimes carried away in cartloads.

The plague happened between 1896 to 1906. Lord Sandhurst,

who was the Governor of Bombay at that time, appointed a
committee headed to combat the plague. There are over 150
commemorative crosses in Bandra.

There were other reasons for building some of the crosses. In a

very old book called ‘Bandra: Its Religious and Secular History’
(published in 1939), local historian Bras Fernandes writes this:
“People believed that evil spirits haunted the junctions of
three roads, burial grounds and even the ponds in the paddy
fields that stretched beyond Hill Road. Many stone crosses
were thus erected on “less frequented roads and along the
seashore, chiefly to preserve the living from the fear of ghosts
and the spirits of darkness”.

Nowadays the crosses are spots where people stop to pray.

Or hang garlands. People gather in front of the big ones
during religious festivals and sing and chant.
Golf Course at Danda Greens
There was an 18 hole golf course in Bandra called Danda Green with an English style Club House on the top of the hill, surrounded by trees. Membership
was only for the British who lived in Pali Hill. Each cottage had a stable for horses. There was an unpaved road from the Petit orphanage to the golf
clubhouse. The Union Park was previously a large mango tree grove. Between the hill and the sea was the vast expanse of Danda Green, which once
had a golf course, and included the grounds where Chuim boys played hockey every evening. It was a wondrous sight: the vast greenery of the maidan
and the blue sea beyond. Once the golf stopped, the green was used by Danda fishermen to repair their nets. The nets were ranged out and some were
quite long. After repairing, they were rolled into neat bundles, on which people who went for a walk would sit and chat.
World war 2, the army base and Polish refugees
Down the road from the Home, the hill by Bandra Fort that is now
occupied by the Taj Land’s End was the site of a military camp created
during the World war 2, filled with Nissen huts. The presence of the troops is
also visible in the ring of rocks they created which is still known as Soldier’s
Pond. A army band used to play at lands end hence the name Bandstand

Polish Boys in Bandra in 1942 on their way to Balachadi-Jamnagar, Gujarat.

Indian government agreed to host 10,000 Polish refugees, including 5,000 orphans. Children were taken care of by Polish Red Cross and
residents of Bombay. At first, they were transported to the town of Bandra, in the suburbs of Bombay, where Hanka Ordonówna took care of
the kids.

Then a special camp for Polish children was built near the village of Balahadi in Jamnagar, Kathiawar. Further Polish transports came to India by
sea, from the port of Ahvaz to Bombay. Several camps were opened in and around Bombay, with the biggest one located at Kohalpur -
Valivade, where 5,000 stayed.
The queen of the suburbs
‘Queen of the Suburbs’, that’s how the suburb of Bandra is descried, and rightly so! Everyone loves this suburb. It is the symbol of Mumbai’s cosmopolitan
lifestyle. From the energetic nightlife, the seafronts of Bandstand and Carters Road and the celebrities, we are in awe of everything that Bandra has to offer.
There’s so much happening in Bandra, so much life, so much excitement. It’s difficult to comprehend why just one suburb, in this huge a mega polis, has been
blessed with so much.

What makes Bandra so special? It’s the sense of community; right from the physical presence of small neighbourhoods, to the inexplicable feeling of
belonging and camaraderie that the residents of Bandra have. People have the desire to be proactive and celebrate the spirit and culture of the suburb.
Old rustic villages
Bandra consisted of villages Sherly, Malla, Rajan, Kantwadi, Waroda,
Ranwar, Boran, Pali, Chuim and Chimbai. Ranwar had a tennis court and
the famed Ranwar Club was popular for Christmas and New Year Eve
dances. Supari Talao, Bandra’s signature sports venue, actually had a
‘talao’ on its eastern half, and was home to American troops during
World War II, who stole the hearts of the local children by sharing their
rations with them on their way to school.

Each of the two waterfronts that embrace Bandra have had their own
unique place in the lives of their inhabitants. The bay strewn with rocks
and sand facing the causeway to Mahim and the city was the source of
livelihood to a large fishing community of Kolis as well as a unique
experience for us growing up there, witnesses to its monsoon fury as well
as its tranquil calm, home to a wide variety of aquatic life.

Each rock cluster was given a different name according to the purpose it
served. The paddle boats, the walls of fishing nets and damns of rocks
(kalwa) were a treat that still endures. The tireless fisher folk were a source
of enlightenment, their camaraderie, discipline and hard work that went
into bringing each fresh catch and themselves safely back home. Then in
the mid 1960’s with grandiose plans in the name of ‘progress’, a major
portion of the bay was reclaimed (hence Bandra Reclamation) , and the
local Kolis forever lost their paradise.

This bay was lipped with cottages and buildings built in the 1940’s and 50’s with relevant names. Wavelash, where I have resided for my 50 odd
years, as well as all the other structures here had their sea fronts lashed by waves twice each day. All of these structures were in large
compounds where we as children would spend the whole day, each different group at their own game. St John the Baptist road running along
these compounds leads to the steps upto Mount Mary Basilica.

Folklore has it that in times before the 1950’s pilgrims would traverse this stretch in processions with fire torches and beating drums to ward of
tigers and other wild animals that the lush forests in the vicinity were home to. The other waterfront has three distinct stretches, one from Band
Stand along BJ road to St Andrew’s church, the second skirting Chimbai fishing village, and the third, laced with lush mangroves, runs along
Carter road to Danda fishing village.

Chimbai and Danda are where the last few Kolis of Bandra still manage to eke out a living from their catch at sea. Among the waterfronts
Band stand stood tall, catering to myriad visitors, especially families, all through the week and more so at week ends, when in the days of yore
a band actually took the stand, regaling a sizable audience.
Cottages and bungalows: Other than many new buildings Bandra has some very good old cottages & bungalows which give it a unique look.
Some are very well maintained but even the very old rustic ones add to the charm of Bandra. Without them Bandra would not look the same.
Churches and other places of worship
The Portuguese built several churches in Bandra facilitating its unique distinction of being a town having the most Roman Catholic churches anywhere in the
world, all within a four sq/km area; six churches each with their own parishes, and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount. The churches beside the Basilica, St
Anne’s and St Andrew’s are St Peter’s (1853), Our Lady of Mount Carmel (1890), St Theresa’s (1948), and St Stephens Church.

Besides churches Bandra is also home to Mosques, Mandirs and other places of worship.
Schools and colleges
The oldest school in Bandra is St.Andrews High School.
Others prominent schools are St.Stanislaus, Apostilic Carmel, St.Joseph, Mount Mary, St.Thresa’s, Mount Carmel

St.Andrew’s, National and MMK are the prominent colleges of Bandra

Sports and international sportsmen
Spotting talent at a tender age is their speciality at Bandra schools which have sprawling grounds. Olympians – Leo Pinto, Francis Demello, Marcellus Gomes,
Joaquim Carvalho, Viren Rasquinha and Cedric Pereira are the few Bandrites that made it to the International level.
Sports coaches:
There have been many good sports coaches in Bandra but Oliver Andrage was very special. A coach who minced no words when it came to calling a
spade a spade. A coach who produced not just hockey Olympians but fine footballers and gentlemen too. A coach who turned politician only to extend his
helping hand to the sports- conscious by founding the now famous Joggers' Park,near the Carter Road promenade to facilitate the young and old to get into
the fitness of things.
Bandra fair
Bandra Fair is a week long fair held annually in the Bandra suburb of
Mumbai, India starting on the following Sunday after September 8. It is
celebrated to commemorate the Nativity of Mary, mother of Jesus, on
September 8 at the Mount Mary Church, Bandra. The Bandra Fair is
estimated to be around 300 years old. The fair started when a statue of
Mother Mary was found floating in the Arabian Sea between 1700 and
1760, which, according to a legend, a Koli fisherman had dreamt about a
few years earlier.

History: Although the current church edifice is just 100 years old, the
history behind the current statue of Our Lady of Mount goes back to the
16th century when Jesuit priests from Portugal brought the statue to
bandra and constructed the Mount Mary Church there. In 1700 Arab
pirates disfigured the statue by cutting off the right hand. In 1760, the
Mount Mary Church was rebuilt and the statue was substituted with a
statue of Our Lady of Navigators from the St. Andrew's Church nearby in
Bandra. This statue had an interesting legend. It goes that a Koli fisherman
dreamt that he would find a statue in the sea. The statue was found
floating in the sea between 1700 and 1760. A Jesuit Annual Letter dated
to 1669 and published in the book St. Andrew's Church, Bandra (1616–
1966) supports this claim. This was believed to be a miracle by the locals,
and the Bandra Fair was started to celebrate this. However, in 1761, the
original statue of the Lady of Mount was renovated with a child in her
arms and is worshiped at the fair ever since.

Celebrations: The Fair draws lakhs of devotees and pilgrims annually. Many faithful attest to the miraculous powers of the Mount. During the
Fair, tens of thousands visit the shrine of Our Lady of Mount.

The shrine attracts people from all faiths who pray to the statue for thanksgiving or requesting of favours. During the Fair, the entire area is
decorated with festoons and buntings. Many pitch up stalls selling religious objects like wax idols of Mother Mary along with an assortment of
candles shaped like hands, feet and various other parts of the body. The sick people choose one that corresponds to their ailment and light it
in Church, with the hope that Mother Mary will consider their appeals for help.

Sweets like Guava cheese, Kadio bodio (tiny stick made of Maida flour dipped in sugar syrup and dried) from Goa, Mawa peda (thick cookie
made using evaporated milk) from Uttar Pradesh, Halva from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi, and the chikki (a sweet made from groundnuts
and jaggery) from Maharashtra are usually found at the stalls during the fair.
Cotton Mary:
The nights were awfully silent in Bandra in the 1960s. In the
era before television, the hours after sunset were broken
only occasionally, by the odd wail of a beggar or the call
of a wandering vendor such as a kulfiwala.

On some nights, however, a burst of song would fill the

neighbourhood. This was a lady known as Cotton Mary,
who would make her entry into the neighbourhood with a
toddler in tow. She also was seen quite regularly in the lanes
of Bandra every year, during the Bandra Feast Fair of Mount
Mary.

She was called Cotton Mary because she wore cotton

dresses. Her act consisted of cupping her hands for the
bullhorn effect, turning her face towards the sky and
singing in a loud and raspy voice, “I went to see my Darrr-
lling Last Saturday night.” This was the only discernible part
of the song. She used to skim over the rest and we
suspected she didn't know the lyrics.

Actually, it was the first line of a number called 'I Ain't

Nobody's Darling' sung by Byron G. Harlan.
The opening lyrics go like this:
“I went to see my darling, last Saturday night
I went to see my darling, while the moon was shining bright
I asked her if she'd marry me and whaddya think she said
She said she wouldn't marry me, if the rest of the world was
dead”

I doubt any alms-giver understood the song's words other

than the opening lines. It was a Saturday, she sang it in
style, she had a toddler and that was enough for the
people to throw their coins or to go scurrying into the
kitchen to find some food to give her.
Studio and Pali Hill
Along with Mount Mary hill, Bandra is home to Pali hill. Although many bungalows were built in Bandra during the boom years of the 1860s and 70s, this
fashionable area, now inhabited by the glitterati, saw the first constructions only in the 1880s. Many famous film stars live at Pali Hill and other areas in Bandra.
Mehboob Studio is an Indian film studio and recording studio in Bandra, founded by director and producer Mehboob Khan in 1954 who owned Mehboob
Productions and is most known for films like Mother India (1957).
Land reclamation and sea link bridge
Prior to the reclamation the sea shores almost touched parts of the Bandra Bazaar Road and Chapel Road. Just like Chimbai and Danda there
were fishermen in this area too. After reclamation chilren of Bandra used to play Cricket and others sports at this large open area.

The Bandra–Worli Sea Link, officially called Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link, is a cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete-steel viaducts on either
side that links Bandra in the Western Suburbs of Mumbai with Worli in South Mumbai. The bridge is a part of the proposed Western Freeway that
will link the Western Suburbs to Nariman Point in Mumbai's main business district.

The INR1600 crore (US$240 million) bridge was commissioned by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), and built by
the Hindustan Construction Company. The first four of the eight lanes of the bridge were opened to the public on 30 June 2009.

All eight lanes were opened on 24 March 2010. The sea-link reduces travel time between Bandra and Worli during peak hours from 60–90
minutes to 20–30 minutes. As of October 2009, BWSL had an average daily traffic of around 37,500 vehicles.

Mahim Causeway was the only road connecting the western suburbs to Mumbai's central business district. This north-southwestern corridor
became a bottleneck and was highly congested at peak hours. The West Island Freeway project was proposed to span the entire western
coastline of Mumbai to ease congestion.
Mahim and its connection with Bandra
Bandrites frequently go to St.Micheals Church in Mahim for mass, especially Novenas. Many of them pronounce it as MAIM which sound as if
they were not pronouncing ‘Mahim’ correctly. Surprisingly they are right as the Portuguese used to call it MAIJIM as seen in the old maps of
Mahim.

However the connection between Bandra and Mahim is very old. Earlier both Bandra and Mahim had busy sea ports and old patamar
sailboats used to bde seen at these busy ports as well as in the Bandra-Mahim Bay as well as along Bandra’s coastline.

Bandra and Mahim share a Causeway as well as the Mithi River, Creek and Bay. The other common factor is that both Mahim and Bandra
have forts. In the past many a battle has been waged between Mahim and Bandra and cannons from their forts used to fire at each other
across the Bandra-Mahim bay.

There was no causeway at that time and the land at Mahim ended at St.Micheals church. Exactly on the opposite side of the Mithi River/Creek
there was the Santa Anna Fortress and Church. The current width of the river/creek that separates Banra from Mahim is just 44 meters. This used
to be 1 kilometer during in the 1600’s which got reduced when the land was reclaimed to construct the Bandra-Mahim causeway.
FUTURE OF BANDRA - River, lake, rocky shores, promenades, beaches, bay, creeks and island.
Most people say the Bandra has lost its chram and things will get worse as time passes by. This is true if one considers its condition on Land, however it is the
great waterfront that Bandra has been blessed by nature that has still to be exploited. Its centuries old Mithi River is almost a stenchy nala at the current
moment, but its this very river that can turn around Bandra into marina and water sports complex.

Also, its lake or taloa lies waiting to be used as a boating club and water sports activities. Bandra rocky sea shore is however quite well utilized at Bandstand
but there is a lot more that can be done at other such areas. Bandra had 2-3 beaches and those can be also restored. The fishing villages can be
transformed by cleaning them up. The bay can also become a vast area where boats and yatches can ply as well as floating restaurants.

To make things more interesting, a huge wooden boat can be created just like the old Portuguese ships, in which people can be taken on it for trips where
the history of Bandra can be enacted by live actors. The food served on this ship will be that of Goan, East Indian and Manglorean recipes. This will all help
attract tourist as well as educate the people of Bandra and others about its History and culture. The beaches all along the bay can be restored and
promenades can be created as well.

IN SHORT Bandra’s sea facing resources are still waiting to be exploited so the BEST IS YET TO COME.