Aamchi Mumbai Ep. 6

- October 01, 2021

Statues & Monuments in Mumbai

Statues & monuments play a crucial role in conveying the culture from one generation to the next. It also acts as a reminder for us about the contributions of certain people to the society. Today we are gonna explore some of the statues, monuments and cultural spots in Mumbai which adds to the city's vibrancy and it never fails to amaze the visitors.

• Rajabai Clock Tower in Mumbai :

Rajabai Clock Tower in South Mumbai marks its existence in the list of World Heritage Sites since 2018, built in the architectural style of Venetian and Gothic. This spectacular clock tower, designed by George Gilbert Scott was constructed in 1878. Construction of this tower costed approximately upto ₹500000 which was an enormous figure back then. A significant portion of the total expenditure was donated by a prosperous broker, Premchand Roychand on the stipulation that the tower should be named after his mother, Rajabai. It is said that, his mother was blind and therefore the evening bell of this clock helped her to know the time of her dinner without anyone's help. Premchand Roychand is also one of the founder members of Bombay Stock Exchange. Back in 1880s it was the tallest structure in the city of Mumbai with the height of 85 m.

• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Statue :

In the bustling area of Chhatrpati Shivaji Maharaj park in Dadar there is a tall magnificent statue of Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The creation also showcases 'Raj Mudra' on the base of the statue. It is one of the very few statues that depict the Maratha warrior without a sword in his hands. It was sculpted in 1966 by collecting donations from the locals. The Shivaji Park is a beautiful location to hangout and also enjoy some of the monuments present there. It's one of the largest play ground which usually involves cricket training where India's one of the most famous cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar used to practice. Shivaji park was renamed to 'Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj park' by the MCGM in March 2020.

• Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Statue :

One of the charismatic and most respected leader of Maharashtra and recognized as the Hindu Hriday Samrat (Emperor of Hindu hearts) by his followers, Shri Balasaheb Thackeray is the tallest politician from Maharashtra who is the founder of pro Marathi and Hindu nationalist party, Shiv Sena. His principles and ideologies gave a different turn to Maharashtra politics altogether. Balasaheb was famous for his oratory skills and his firebrand speeches were attended by lakhs of people. On the day, when one of his interviews was telecasted on a news channel, there were no vehicles or traffic in the city as people were eagerly listening to their leader on the TV. He left the world on 17 November 2012 and his State funeral was attended by nearly 2 million people which comes in the list of largest funerals worldwide. He never held any Constitutional post but he was honoured with 21 gun salute and wrapped in National flag on his funeral. Such was his charishma and influence in Mumbai that even the entire city was closed on that day. In Colaba his 9 feet, bronze plated statue was unveiled by his son, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on his 95th birth anniversary, 23rd January 2021. This ceremony was attended by all the major political leaders from Maharashtra cutting across the party lines to pay tributes to the Tiger of Maharashtra.

• The Dabbawala Statue :

Mumbai's Dabbawalas are well known all across. To appreciate their faithful service for more than a century, 'The Dabbawala statue' is built in Haji ali, Tardeo in 2017. Dabbawalas as we have already seen are considered as a significant part of Mumbai's culture. The glittering statue of 13 feets, made up of stainless steel discs is constructed by a sculptor from Mumbai, Valay Shende. Mumbai Municipal Corporation installed this statue in collaboration with private art foundation.

• Pherozshah Mehta statue :

Iconic statue of Pherozshah Mehta stands tall in front of the huge spectacular BMC headquarters in South Mumbai. Pherozshah Mehta is considered as the father of Bombay Municipal Corporation because he was the one who drafted Bombay Municipal Act of 1872 that was responsible in giving posts to the elected representatives rather than nominated ones. He was also regarded as 'Ferocious Mehta' for his remarkable work.

• Love Mumbai Monument :

One of the tourist attractions of Mumbai, this installation is present in Bandra. Designed by Hitesh Malaviya, The giant lettering of Love Mumbai in Marathi and English makes it even more interesting. It got a permanent place in Bandra in 2016 and since then it has become Mumbaikar's favourite selfie point. This area is also meant for walking, exercising and enjoying the skyline view. This typographic illustration was firstly showcased in the Kala Ghoda Art Festival and inspired with that, association called 'Humans of Bombay' had started an online petition to make this installation permanently locate in Mumbai. The Municipal Corporation then found a suitable place to install it, i.e. the Bandra Reclamation.

These are the few statues which are present in Mumbai and every tourist must visit them. Till then goodbye see you all in the next episode of with some of the facts & information about Aamchi Mumbai.

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P. C. : Google images