Mid-Day Anniversary Special: BMC Chief Bhushan Gagrani revisits childhood memories of Manish Market, Marathi roots

Mumbai’s civic chief Bhushan Gagrani rewound to his childhood, recalling his fascination with Manish Market as a child. Gagrani said, “Manish Market behind the CSMT railway station is well-known but it is not the magnet it was any longer.” During family trips to Mumbai, Gagrani would frequently visit the ‘house of shiny gadgets’ with his cousins. At that time, cameras, gaming devices, or other electronic devices were not easily accessible. “The prospect of shopping at Manish Market was the stuff of dreams, we would only window shop. We would be fascinated by all the gadgets on display and aspire to own all of them one day. During those days, all the latest technology would be found at Manish Market. We could not afford it, but just a glimpse was precious. It personified Mumbai’s status as a window of boundless opportunity,” Gagrani said with a chuckle. 

Little did he know or imagine at the time, that decades later, he would come to be at the helm of administrative affairs of this city, working in the BMC headquarters building just 100m from Manish Market. “How could I have imagined something like this. However, I always aspired to make this city my home and build a career here. Like everybody who comes to this city, I associated Mumbai with aspirations and I wanted to be a part of it. Mumbai is enchanting, yet overwhelming, till you acclimatise to the city,” Gagrani explained. 

Bhushan Gagrani engrossed in a Marathi book at his office. Pics/Rane Ashish

The civic chief chuckled, “There is an inside joke amongst my officer friends — it took me 35 years to cross 100m in Mumbai right up to my current posting as Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai. That is Mumbai’s way of leveling the playing field for everybody,” he said.

Gagrani has another unique connection with Mumbai, the Marathi language. He hails from Kolhapur in Maharashtra known for its cultural and linguistic heritage. In 1990 Gagrani secured the third rank in the UPSC Civil Services Examination and became the first IAS officer to clear the exam using Marathi as the medium of instruction. 

“In Kolhapur we speak all kinds of dialects of Marathi. It is a part of our identity that is ingrained in us from childhood. It is only after arriving in Mumbai for work, that I began to understand the social and identity aspects of Mumbai. That aspect of my association with the Marathi language is borrowed or manicured — in one sense. I appeared for the UPSC in Marathi because of my love for the language and as a professional challenge. Exams may be intimidating for some, but for me, it was an amazing experience,” Gagrani recalled with a smile. 

Gagrani is happy about the way his interaction with Mumbai has evolved. He explained, “It is also a sign of the varied experiences the city offers. I am now passionate about its heritage. I frequent art galleries and new restaurants with family and friends in my free time. This is surely coming a long way from my original experiences of looking at those gadgets at Manish Market,” he concluded with a laugh.

1990
Year of his examination