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Shivaji Park: Dadar 28: History, Places, People
One of the earliest planned neighbourhoods of Bombay, Shivaji Park in Dadar was conceived in order to decongest the mega city’s residential and commercial centre after the plague epidemic of 1896. With its massive playground named after the Maratha warrior king, gorgeous Art Deco buildings and the great Arabian Sea beyond, Shivaji Park was a coveted residential area long before Bandra and Juhu.
In this little gem of a biography, Shanta Gokhale, author, cultural critic and longtime resident of the area, brings together key events and individuals to create a matchless portrait of the neighbourhood. Through her conversations with friends and neighbours, she relives the thrill and novelty of moving from congested chawls to flats that ensured privacy and the unheard-of luxury of piped gas back in the 1930s.
She recalls the politically charged decades of the 1950s and ’60s, when P.K. Atre’s voice reverberated through the grounds of Shivaji Park during the United Maharashtra Movement and Bal Thackeray launched the Shiv Sena. She also writes of the illustrious people who have contributed to the cultural fabric of Shivaji Park: the freedom fighter Senapati Bapat; town planner N.V. Modak; classical musician Sharadchandra Arolkar; veteran actress Sulabha Deshpande; and cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli, among others.
The designated playground of the neighbourhood, she argues, is also one of the city’s most democratic spaces where hundreds walk every morning and evening in the shade of tall and gracious trees; where people young and old gather around the ‘katta’ to talk politics or share a moment of love. And even as she celebrates the grace and spirit of Shivaji Park, Gokhale also notes how, despite the best efforts of its residents, the area is threatened by rampant redevelopment, and how the sense of community that has always defined it is slowly eroding.
In this little gem of a biography, Shanta Gokhale, author, cultural critic and longtime resident of the area, brings together key events and individuals to create a matchless portrait of the neighbourhood. Through her conversations with friends and neighbours, she relives the thrill and novelty of moving from congested chawls to flats that ensured privacy and the unheard-of luxury of piped gas back in the 1930s.
She recalls the politically charged decades of the 1950s and ’60s, when P.K. Atre’s voice reverberated through the grounds of Shivaji Park during the United Maharashtra Movement and Bal Thackeray launched the Shiv Sena. She also writes of the illustrious people who have contributed to the cultural fabric of Shivaji Park: the freedom fighter Senapati Bapat; town planner N.V. Modak; classical musician Sharadchandra Arolkar; veteran actress Sulabha Deshpande; and cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli, among others.
The designated playground of the neighbourhood, she argues, is also one of the city’s most democratic spaces where hundreds walk every morning and evening in the shade of tall and gracious trees; where people young and old gather around the ‘katta’ to talk politics or share a moment of love. And even as she celebrates the grace and spirit of Shivaji Park, Gokhale also notes how, despite the best efforts of its residents, the area is threatened by rampant redevelopment, and how the sense of community that has always defined it is slowly eroding.
- GenresHistory
Kindle Edition
Published February 10, 2020
3 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Shanta Gokhale
35 books17 followersShanta Gokhale, is an Indian writer, translator, journalist and theatre critic.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 31, 2020
A trip down memory lane :)
September 3, 2020
3.5 stars for this beautiful ode to this place
September 4, 2020
Dadarkars often say that Dadar-28 is an emotion. Sometimes, satirically so. Author has captured that elusive essence in 176 pages. The book has none of the maudlin pride which historical accounts of small neighborhoods tend to have. Narrative is wistful of the glorious past yet graceful to acknowledge the present realities.
I also enjoyed reading the factual tidbits about the people of Dadar through the centuries (yes, centuries. Dadar (apparently) is that old!). This book has given me new eyes to look at the same old familiar Shivaji Park.
I also enjoyed reading the factual tidbits about the people of Dadar through the centuries (yes, centuries. Dadar (apparently) is that old!). This book has given me new eyes to look at the same old familiar Shivaji Park.
April 14, 2020
Shivaji Park, Dadar 28: History, Places, People by Shanta Gokhale is a delight to read that takes readers to the many stories revolving around Mumbai’s best known landmark. The first chapter traces the origin of the neighbourhood around Shivaji Park after the plague epidemic in 1896- 97 that eerily mentions about people running away from quarantine and poor people moving away.What an uncanny co-incidence that I would pick this book at this time of Covid 19 related anxieties.
Why would a neighbourhood park be deserving of a book, one may well ask. But then Shivaji Park is not a regular park but one that is attached to political journeys, a part of cricket history and many other well-known luminaries who lived in its immediate neighbourhood. Shanta Gokhale’s writing is intimate, is full of insights and never loses its way in reminiscing about the past leaving the reader in you enthralled in the way she reveals one layer here, another there: from the architecture of heritage buildings, to the shift of life in Chawls giving way to apartments, the social practice of putting in a separate door for sweepers, the mix and match of cultures and people.
I found it a fascinating read and must say, it made me feel like I knew Shivaji Park just a bit better now.
Why would a neighbourhood park be deserving of a book, one may well ask. But then Shivaji Park is not a regular park but one that is attached to political journeys, a part of cricket history and many other well-known luminaries who lived in its immediate neighbourhood. Shanta Gokhale’s writing is intimate, is full of insights and never loses its way in reminiscing about the past leaving the reader in you enthralled in the way she reveals one layer here, another there: from the architecture of heritage buildings, to the shift of life in Chawls giving way to apartments, the social practice of putting in a separate door for sweepers, the mix and match of cultures and people.
I found it a fascinating read and must say, it made me feel like I knew Shivaji Park just a bit better now.
March 21, 2025
I have never been to Dadar, let alone Shivaji Park, but the book creates vivid imagery for the mind.
August 15, 2021
This book is a part of series of books from 'Speaking Tiger' publications on city neighborhoods. This one, as the name suggests, has been written on Dadar/Shivaji Park or Mumbai-28.The book begins with the history of the region, then to the colonial times and events that happened then, and finally culminates with the current scenario. The language is simple but sometimes the book may be a slog fest as same sort of content is served out in the pages. Furthermore, a detailed map of the place should have been added.
But, considering that the author has put substantial effort to write about intricate details of Dadar (it shows in Chapter 8 and 9) even though she was eighty two when the book came out, I will regard this a great "city book". It is a four out of five stars for me.
But, considering that the author has put substantial effort to write about intricate details of Dadar (it shows in Chapter 8 and 9) even though she was eighty two when the book came out, I will regard this a great "city book". It is a four out of five stars for me.
August 18, 2020
Shivaji Park by Shanta Gokhale is as the name suggests the book about Shivaji Park, one of the first planned localities and a well known landmark in Dadar, Mumbai. It's about how it came into being after the plague of 1896 in to order to decongest the chawls.
🌊
The book takes us into the lives of people involved in not just the making of the place but also the ones who have let it stay the way it is.
The warriors who played a major role in forming of Shivaji Park, the freedom fighters during the pre independence period, the politicians during the independence and post independence time, the artists, the cultural enthusiasts and the famous and some not so famous residents of Shivaji Park.
🌊
Starting off each chapter with an article or a letter from archives, this book takes you back in time and gives us a glimpse of how the place changed over the years. Being a resident of Shivaji Park for 80 years herself, the author pours her heart out in this beautifully written biography of a place that is so famous. But it's only when you read the book, you realise there is so much more to it than just the reason for which it is famous for.
🌊
You don't belong to Shivaji Park or Dadar or Mumbai. Then why would you want to read this book, you'd ask. But believe me, you need not be anywhere related to the place to feel a connection with the book.
🌊
There's nothing great about a book that makes you nostalgic when it's situated at a place where you've been or where you've stayed. But if a book that is based at a place where you have never been or hardly had any connection with and yet it makes you feel nostalgic and make you feel home then you can be sure that there's something really great about the way the author has written it. And this book is just that. You don't have to have stayed, seen or ever been to Mumbai to enjoy this book. It will make Shivaji Park, Dadar and Mumbai your home by just the sheer beautiful writing.
🌊
With sarcasm so on point and a writing that's witty, the author ensures that this book that could've become one boring book about history and facts about a place that may or may not be of any relevance to you, makes one enjoyable journey for you.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5.
🌊
The book takes us into the lives of people involved in not just the making of the place but also the ones who have let it stay the way it is.
The warriors who played a major role in forming of Shivaji Park, the freedom fighters during the pre independence period, the politicians during the independence and post independence time, the artists, the cultural enthusiasts and the famous and some not so famous residents of Shivaji Park.
🌊
Starting off each chapter with an article or a letter from archives, this book takes you back in time and gives us a glimpse of how the place changed over the years. Being a resident of Shivaji Park for 80 years herself, the author pours her heart out in this beautifully written biography of a place that is so famous. But it's only when you read the book, you realise there is so much more to it than just the reason for which it is famous for.
🌊
You don't belong to Shivaji Park or Dadar or Mumbai. Then why would you want to read this book, you'd ask. But believe me, you need not be anywhere related to the place to feel a connection with the book.
🌊
There's nothing great about a book that makes you nostalgic when it's situated at a place where you've been or where you've stayed. But if a book that is based at a place where you have never been or hardly had any connection with and yet it makes you feel nostalgic and make you feel home then you can be sure that there's something really great about the way the author has written it. And this book is just that. You don't have to have stayed, seen or ever been to Mumbai to enjoy this book. It will make Shivaji Park, Dadar and Mumbai your home by just the sheer beautiful writing.
🌊
With sarcasm so on point and a writing that's witty, the author ensures that this book that could've become one boring book about history and facts about a place that may or may not be of any relevance to you, makes one enjoyable journey for you.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5/5.
May 13, 2024
The subject and the author of the book are a perfect match. If remarkable writers were asked to write about their neighbourhoods, and a list were made, this book will feature in top 20. There are two striking things apart from good writing that make the book remarkable: Length and localised wisdom.
On length, it's a rare series with books that are short. Which I felt is a result of really good editing. Nothing is extra, or winding. Sentences don't spill over into extra showmanship of prose.
On localised wisdom, only Shanta Gokhale knows this subject too well. She maybe the best historian of her neighbourhood, most passionate advocate for its issues, and an expert who has gathered wisdom from other experts in different domains.
The ideal reader for the book is a person curious about neighbourhoods generally, how they appear, art deco buildings, and contemporary issues of power and politics in Indian neighbourhoods.
There are fewer books that capture the history of Shivaji Park, in my view, and this should be the first book to read.
It's best to read this book with a google map open of the neighbourhood to grasp the spatial setting well.
Every neighbourhood deserves a book like this!
On length, it's a rare series with books that are short. Which I felt is a result of really good editing. Nothing is extra, or winding. Sentences don't spill over into extra showmanship of prose.
On localised wisdom, only Shanta Gokhale knows this subject too well. She maybe the best historian of her neighbourhood, most passionate advocate for its issues, and an expert who has gathered wisdom from other experts in different domains.
The ideal reader for the book is a person curious about neighbourhoods generally, how they appear, art deco buildings, and contemporary issues of power and politics in Indian neighbourhoods.
There are fewer books that capture the history of Shivaji Park, in my view, and this should be the first book to read.
It's best to read this book with a google map open of the neighbourhood to grasp the spatial setting well.
Every neighbourhood deserves a book like this!
Read
May 14, 2021If there is a book that can take you on a walk through its pages, this is it! Oh, what a pleasure-read! The author explains the place, its name, the names of some of its streets and buildings, includes interviews of some of the veteran residents, mentions some aspects of the politics in that area, the art and artists and journalists and sports originating from this place, and the life of commoners there. The heritage aspect is also presented well.
One of the best places in Mumbai, written by an author who has and also currently lives there, Shivaji Park could be breathed in from these pages. Whether you have visited the place prior to reading this book or not, you might surely want to once you finish reading it.
One of the best places in Mumbai, written by an author who has and also currently lives there, Shivaji Park could be breathed in from these pages. Whether you have visited the place prior to reading this book or not, you might surely want to once you finish reading it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2021
The good ol'days!
March 22, 2024
Beautiful read balancing nostalgia and fact effectively - I learned so much about this little patch of sand and art deco I call home, and somehow fell more in love with here.
December 19, 2021
Often we live through our locales and neighbourhoods with the drudgery of our day-to-day existence without understanding the larger context or the history of the place. Once we know the relevant background, we start to see those same places in a different window and opens up unknown avenues for further exploration.
This is one such book which acts as a wake-up call for the Shivaji Park neighbourhood more precisely which is a part of the Dadar- 400028. The author who is a long-time resident of the area takes us through a fascinating journey, right from origins into the current and future timelines.
The book more tending towards a biography- is a combination of many aspects- part history, part memoir, part social commentary, it straddles all the threads very well. Starting with the history of Mahikavati or Mahim where geographically where Shivaji Park and Dadar is located, it covers the origin of the Dadar and then the neighbourhood. It is fascinating to see the different potential explanations of the name for ‘Dadar’. The author also touches on the history and rationale of the early communities who settled in the area. Again it is interesting to know the formation of Shivaji Park as a playground, with the overall area being a planned development after the plague of 1895 in Mumbai and the author covers the playground and the associated structures around it very nicely.
The author provides a great window in the social change for the people i.e., moving from chawls to flats or ‘blocks’ as called by the old timers. Couple of chapters are also dedicated to the key personalities who lived in the locale and it is charming to associate the key individuals with many of the named roads around the area. Finally, the author ends with an ode to the changing nature of the area currently in terms of re-development and shift in the people and again the area is shredding its skin from the earlier avatars.
It is highly recommended for all the people who lived in Dadar and also beyond who wish to take a peek into an enthralling neighbourhood, may it’s basic nature never change.
This is one such book which acts as a wake-up call for the Shivaji Park neighbourhood more precisely which is a part of the Dadar- 400028. The author who is a long-time resident of the area takes us through a fascinating journey, right from origins into the current and future timelines.
The book more tending towards a biography- is a combination of many aspects- part history, part memoir, part social commentary, it straddles all the threads very well. Starting with the history of Mahikavati or Mahim where geographically where Shivaji Park and Dadar is located, it covers the origin of the Dadar and then the neighbourhood. It is fascinating to see the different potential explanations of the name for ‘Dadar’. The author also touches on the history and rationale of the early communities who settled in the area. Again it is interesting to know the formation of Shivaji Park as a playground, with the overall area being a planned development after the plague of 1895 in Mumbai and the author covers the playground and the associated structures around it very nicely.
The author provides a great window in the social change for the people i.e., moving from chawls to flats or ‘blocks’ as called by the old timers. Couple of chapters are also dedicated to the key personalities who lived in the locale and it is charming to associate the key individuals with many of the named roads around the area. Finally, the author ends with an ode to the changing nature of the area currently in terms of re-development and shift in the people and again the area is shredding its skin from the earlier avatars.
It is highly recommended for all the people who lived in Dadar and also beyond who wish to take a peek into an enthralling neighbourhood, may it’s basic nature never change.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews