The secrets to Bandra lie in its busy bylanes and forgotten stories. Beyond Bombay Tours will attempt to strip at least some of the mystique of 'The Queen of the Suburbs' on their Bylanes of Bandra walks, which will be held over the next six weekends
The secrets to Bandra lie in its busy bylanes and forgotten stories. Beyond Bombay Tours will attempt to strip at least some of the mystique of 'The Queen of the Suburbs' on their Bylanes of Bandra walks, which will be held over the next six weekends
It's easy to forget that one of the busiest localities this holiday season has stories separate from our own; stories that go back centuries to a time when Bandra was just a village located on the outskirts of the city. 
Shoppers at Bandra's busy Hill Road. PIC/ SAYED SAMEER ABEDI
Over the next six weekends, Beyond Bombay Tours will take curious locals and tourists on a walk through the history and bylanes of one of the busiest suburbs during peak season on their Bylanes of Bandra walk.
"The idea is to focus on a particular area before a festival," says Shriti Tyagi of Beyond Bombay Tours, explaining the decision to host a walk through the bustling suburb throughu00a0 December and into January.
This is the second mass tour this year, for Beyond Bombay, who previously organised a guided walk through Lalbaug during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in September. 
Illustration/Jishu Dev Malakar
"Apart from books, my research has essentially been through people," says Shriti.
The offshoot of relying on oral histories has been discovering several versions to the same 'story'. "Some of the 'silly' things are as interesting as the 'facts'," shares Shriti, adding that 'guests' on the walk will be privy to all versions of a particular story.
The 90-minute walk will start at Mount Mary Church and end at St Stanislaus school. Stops on the way include Mehboob Studios, the Ranwar Village square, Tata Agiary, Elco Arcade and even a 100 year-old provision store that sells herbal medicines.
"I learnt about women running chit funds to retain some of their old traditions," shares Shriti about the women of Ranwar village, a locality close to St Andrew's Church.
Shriti says that some of the places on the walk are a stark contrast to the "noisy Hill Road", which they will also cover in "all its Christmas glory" towards the end of the walk.
After the walk wraps up and the sun starts to set, we suggest going on an unguided tour of your own, as the fairy lights in shop windows twinkle to life, and the faint sounds of choir practice sessions rent the air, it's possibly the only time in the year you might get to pause and take stock of your life -- outside of a traffic jam.
On Every Saturday and Sunday
Till 9 January, 2011
Call 9867764409
email beyondbombay@gmail.com
The walk is priced at Rs 600.
5 facts on Mount Mary Church aka Nossa Senhora de Monte
>>u00a0Mount Mary's Church started as a small chapel in 1556 with the Portuguese constructing the Nossa Senhora de Monte church on the hilltop in 1640 only to be overrun by Maratha warriors in 1738.
>> The church was called 'Maulincha Dongar', which when translated means 'Hill of the Mother' because the locals considered the Virgin Mother as their mother goddess.
>> The original chapel faced the wrath of the Maratha army in 1738. The famous statue of Mother Mary also went missing after the raid. According to local legend, the very same life-sized statue crafted in highly ornamental wood was actually recovered, six months later, by fishermen off the coast nearby!
>> The church gained popularity as a place to seek favours only in the 19th century when a Parsi couple, Sir Jamshetjee Jeejeebhoy and Lady Jamshetjee, prayed for a child. The couple were blessed with a daughter.
>> The annual feast to celebrate Mary's birthday is also accompanied by a Bandra fair, which draws crowds of revellers. It is believed that over a million devotees visit the church during the annual 10-day festival.
Extracted from: 10 Heritage Walks of Bombay by Fiona Fernandez; Rupa & Co
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