The Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC) is still awaiting renewal, or any movement at all, on its 100-year lease of the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. The green emerald of SoBo, housing the racing track and headquarters of the RWITC, is now a public, multi-faceted space. It has weathered several storms, the severest of which are statements by powerful politicians threatening to take away or convert the racecourse into something or the other.

There have been statements about converting it to a giant business and commercial centre. Then, there have been the occasional noises about making a part of the ground into an underground parking lot. These ideas may not have taken off, but they are designed to strike fear in the hearts of racing authorities and the public who cherish and relish this open space.