'Ghatkopar has resonated with patriotism and politics, faith and fervour for over a century'

Outside 1902built Laxmi Narayan Mandir in Ghatkopar East Her husband belongs to the fourth generation of priests looking after this temple PicsSneha KharabeI believe in serendipity The gentle winds of Once Upon A City often float me just where they should What else explains the very first person to cross my path as I set out exploring Ghatkopar Daksha Goswami turns out to be wife of the poojari descended from four generations of priests tending to one of this suburbs most ancient temples She smiles faintly curious Wondering why I should stand interestedly at shutfortheafternoon gates of 1902built Laxmi Narayan Mandir and haveliIts eclectic architecture draws me to the cool courtyard on a seriously sweltering day So beautiful she says simply untiring of a sight that has greeted her daily for 40 years We gaze at the temple facade in the tranquil hour before evening worshippers will troop in Architectural splendours like this harbour Ghatkopars deep hidden gemsDaksha GoswamiSome say the suburb refers to the hill range tapering off at Thane ghat ke oopar Others ascribe it to the Marathi word for corner khopra of the Western Ghats therefore Ghatkhopra A village ringed by creeks and salt pans in the 1920s Ghatkopar was administered by a municipal council a Collector in charge of what was termed the Suburban District till it got absorbed into Greater Bombay in 1945Shaded paths honour residents of note Nowrojee Lane named for Nowrojee Sheth Cama Lane for Lady Cama Khot Gully for the lands farmers and ploughmen Hingwala Lane for a family dealing in asafoetida The area teemed with Kutchi Bhatias A Central Railway line locomotive puffing from ThaneGhatkopar to Victoria Terminus was actually dubbed the Bhatia Local Members of the enterprising community boarded it in hordes to trade in town or leisurely head to Pancham Puriwala on Perin Nariman Bazar Gate Street near the GPO the legendary cafe introduced in the 1840s by Panchamdas Sharma who covered the miles from Adhet in Agra to reach Bombay by bullock cartThe proprietors of Sampat Poojapa Mart outside their 125yearold shop brothers Rajesh Mukesh and Virendra Sampat with Virendras son JitenGhatkopar was sheathed in agricultural tracts Maratha rulers granted the Raja Shirke clan as jagir the stretch the Shirkes occupied is Rajawadi today Their hold slackened with English hegemony Parsi landlords and in the last quarter of the 19th century cotton barons from the city south Mandvi and other parts of Gujarat From fabric to freedom textiles to Tokyo the late Manibhai Sundarji Doshis story is entirely engrossing Born in Amrapur Dhanani Kathiawad in 1920 the year of the NonCooperation Movement he witnessed British atrocities early in life He was detained as a boy of 10 by lathiwielding policemen and beaten at mere mention of Gandhijis name his daughter Darshana confirmsSent to Bombay as a teenager to further the family textile business with guidance from his brother Chhatrabhujbhai he shipped out georgette satin and chiffon to Shanghai and Singapore The Doshiowned Bharat Silk Mills introduced viscose to Japan being Jains they did not deal with cocoons spun by silkworms It was there that Manibhai met Subhash Chandra Bose and became Major in Netajis Azad Hind Fauj Japan surrendering to the Allies in 1945 he was taken prisoner of war by the British faced court martial in Rangoon and sentenced to death It was the Mahatmas intervention that allowed him repatriationFearless from his brush with the gallows Manibhai returned to India fronting the Arzi Hukumat stir as home minister of that interim government When the Nawab of Junagadh acceded to Pakistan against a majority of his peoples wishes the struggle brought the province back in the countrys fold Not only was my mothers wedding trousseau fully khadi even the garland around her neck wove pink khadi flowers with green leaves Darshana shares Ghatkopar was utterly peaceful Wed hear fathers car honk quite a distance from home a signal that lunch be kept ready Our house Vanmali Bhuvan in Cama Lane was called 10 Downing Street of GhatkoparThe Evening News of Indias June 18 1982 edition makes a brief mention of the suburb as the hub of the crippling textile strike In his piece titled Home for Dr Samant N Santosh reported Ghatkopar has earned the distinction if one might say so of being the base from which the longestever strike in the citys cotton textile industry is conducted Dr Datta Samant the irrepressible labour leader resides here in PantnagarIm privileged to hear more freedom stories firsthand from a 90yearold patriot The nonagenarian I meet is from a renowned family of social workers He was a fragile but feisty 15yearold confined to Yerawada jail for outspokenly supporting Gandhiji A stretch of his garden converted into an underground adda where young rebels and idealists of Ghatkopar crouched late night planning protest against colonial clutches Jumping wall to wall in the neighbourhood he secretly delivered copies of Gandhijis banned newspaper Harijan Bandhu Everything in his present home is imbued with Gandhian thought the Swatantra Sainik medal marked 194797 on 50 years of Independence to a black and white portrait of the Mahatma signed Bapu na aashirwaad Sevagram 9111940 to the crisp sari his wife wears freedom activist parents draped her in khadi from the day she was born she saysManibhai Doshi extreme right with Subhash Chandra Bose third from right and General Iwaichi Fujiwara of the Japanese government fourth from right in Tokyo 1946Ghatkopar is earnest earth stepped on by a stellar stream of freedom fighters stalwart philanthropists and legal luminaries like Justice Ratilal Mehta The 1970s saw 60 Feet Road renamed RB Mehta Marg after the Palanpuri shot to prominence doing what no judge in any Commonwealth country had the courage to dispute a jurys verdict As chief sessions judge presiding over the notorious Nanavati murder trial Mehta declared the acquittal of the accused perverse Referring the matter to the High Court which finally confirmed Nanavatis life sentence he played a defining role in the case that effectively ended Indias jury systemIn timehonoured home state tradition hospitality in this miniGujarat is incredible Alley stall to swishy enclave Im warmly plied with food and drink At the corner of Ratan Mahal I pop into Central Stores The grain and provision merchant is rooted at the same spot since opening in 1954 thanks to Arjan Noghabhai from Vagad Varuliya in Kutch Sure enough a minute into our chat his nephew Virambhai asks Kai thandoo leso kai naasto Have a cool drink some snacks Then continues There were endless queues We gave customers home service right away Transport for deliveries till Chembur Powai and Vikhroli was two handcarts six cycles and a tempo It was far busier those days I would have had no time to sit talking as I am now with you Virambhai saysThe Monday Ive chosen proves slightly amiss to visit Ghatkopar different commercial holidays mean shuttered shops on Monday in the east the west closing on Thursday There are exceptions like Sampat Poojapa Mart in Anjariya Wadi Building where I need to duck under heavily hung paraphernalia for pooja and wedding rites Rajesh Mukesh and Virendra Sampats packedtotherafters shop has thronged with customers for 125 years Their grandfather Dharamshi Kalyanji Sampat sensed opportunity ndash Ghatkopar is where the lotusshaped Krishna temple rises beside Sarvodaya Hospital and an ornate elephant statue welcomes devotees at the Jain derasar Our father Bhagwandasbhai and his brother Babubhai slogged to keep business going Rajesh says voice laden with gratitude Virendras son Jiten entering the business makes this a fourgeneration operation After Haribhai Damodar Makwana settled here from Morvi in Gujarat his son Purshottamdas joined him to establish the first branch of Purshottam Kandoi Haribhai Damodar Mithaiwala in 1952 Serving sweets and savouries from a swathe of cultures across the country the counters of this mithanamkeen haven have to be Ghatkopars most colourful About 500 metres towards the railway station from Vikrant Circle is Vallabh Baug Lane in Garodia Nagar ndash the suburbs Khau Gully always awash with locals indulging their love for buttery street bites Top of the pops for years are Jayshree Sandwich and Reddys Dosa The latter boasts 35 briskselling varieties which eager foodies devour 1500 of on a weekend washed down with innovations like Masala Soda and Masala Thums Up Pooja Gola crushes a deluxe special chilled ball of bliss vanilla ice cream crowned with fresh malai grated mawa plus fistfuls of dry fruit Ghatkopar can be the next Bandra a regular declares between stuffed mouthfulsIn an interview in his 90s Manibhai Doshi had said I see a bright future for India maybe not in my lifetime but soon Steeped as he was in the shining spirit of Ghatkopar dare we dream his words will come trueAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay You can reach her at mehermarfatiagmailcom