Narrow bylanes teeming with crowds, aromas of kebabs that envelope your senses and locals who go about their usual business -- these are some of the things that one witnesses while walking down Bhendi Bazaar. But what is now a haunt for shoppers and food lovers was once the cultural hub of the most well-known writers of India. Likewise this area that extends from Madanpura to Nagpada and Dongri right till Mohammed Ali Roadwas home to the Bhendi Bazaar Gharana of Hindustani classical music, which was the training ground of India’s nightingale,Lata Mangeshkar.

A bird’s eye view of Bhendi Bazaar that was home to the Leftist Progressive Writers’ Movement and Bhendi Bazaar Gharana of Hindustani classical music. File Pic