Posted by
imports on July 10, 2009 |
20 commentsQueen of Suburbs is now Desi Brooklyn
For The Times of India
Bandra, long labelled the Queen of the Suburbs, has lately acquired new tags, thanks to the large number of expats who have made it their home. It’s now also nicknamed Gora Town and the Desi Brooklyn.
The old stomping ground of Mumbai’s expat community was once farther south. But today, Colaba is largely for tourists, and Malabar Hill for vegetarians. Bandra is where the Americans, Brits, French and Germans are headed. To cater to their needs, the bhajiwallas of Pali market stock parsley, arugula and thyme. You see expats waiting for rattling autorickshaws, teaching underprivileged children, learning how to belly dance and tango at Zenzi, and jogging along the curvy promenades at Carter Road and Bandstand.
If Bandra Beautiful has become an attractive expat magnet, it’s for a host of reasons, including good schools and good sushi. For one thing, the consulates are moving. The British deputy high commission has already pitched its tent at the Bandra-Kurla Complex. The Americans, who for years have been making noises about moving there, promise to do so by the summer of 2010.
The consular shifts make eminent sense given that schools and corporates have turned their backs on the pricey real estate of SoBo or South Bombay. Locals worry as expats drive up rents in Bandra
There are many reasons Bandra, the queen of Mumbai’s suburbs, is increasingly the preferred home of expats in the city. The Bandra-Kurla Complex is home to the American School of Bombay and the Dhirubhai Ambani International School. In addition, a number of NGOs like Operation Smile, Kripa, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and the Kherwadi Social Welfare Association, all of which have a stream of earnest young expat volunteers knocking on their doors, are also based in Bandra. Not only is the suburb ideally located between the Old South and the New North, it’s also less expensive than Breach Candy and offers three luxurious waterfronts as compared to the lone Scandal Point stretch on Bhulabhai Desai Road.
Bandraites, otherwise happy with their exotic new migrants, aren’t too thrilled that expat demand has sent rents soaring higher than Mount Mary’s steeple. Having moved to Mumbai after falling in love online, marketing specialist Jennifer Schoffel thinks Bandra’s strategic placement makes it the most comfortable place in which to live. “It’s almost like a little, independent town in a big city. With its little cafes, bars, restaurants and shopping areas, Bandra offers a very special atmosphere,’’ says the 29-year-old German whose favourite places are restos like Out of the Blue, The Bagel Shop and Zenzi.
Fittingly, the owner of the much-loved Bagel Shop and Zenzi, Matan Schabracq, is himself an expat. A business opportunity brought him from Amsterdam to Bandra five years ago and he fell head over heels in love with the suburb. “Bandra is Mumbai’s New York. It’s full of ambitious young people from other places,’’ says the Almeida Park resident.
Serving expat needs are designer home stores, where American moms shop after dropping their kids off at school, and groceries that stock several varieties of cheese, Thai, Mexican and Chinese sauces, Middle Eastern hummus and crisp lavash bread. At Pali Naka’s Regal Plus store, for example, more than half the customers are foreigners. “We’ve seen a 60% increase in the number of foreign clients who come for imported packaged food,’’ says owner Alkesh Dedhia.
Real estate agent Jogi Singh says Bandra is easily the most popular choice among expats looking to rent. “In the last year, there has been a 30% increase in expats, including students and business heads,’’ he says. He adds that customers prefer to live close to Mount Mary or Pali Hill. Says Ajay Rao, CEO of Writer Relocation, a company that helps people move and set up home in a new city, “About 40% of the members of Writer’s Expat Club live in Bandra.”
Online too, of all the areas in Mumbai, Gora Town is a favoured destination, with Powai a close second. Blogs and travel forums offer free advice to newcomers drifting in from Holland, Israel, Australia, Italy, France, Denmark and Lithuania. Shannon Frandsen, who recently moved to Mumbai from Rotterdam, chose Bandra over Worli and Powai because she felt “it’s a happening place not too far from work or fun’’. This blogger and mom says she’s met expats in Powai who said they’d rather be in Bandra. “I should sell Powai residents a T-shirt that says, ‘I’d rather be in Bandra’,’’ she says jokingly.
Last but not least, Bandra is cool in an important way. “It’s a comfortable place for women,’’ says Daniel Goff, a US resident who lived in Bandra while he was in Mumbai. “They can wear western clothes without getting harassed. And since there are so many of us all around the place, we don’t get constantly stared at.’’
For The Times of India
Bandra, long labelled the Queen of the Suburbs, has lately acquired new tags, thanks to the large number of expats who have made it their home. It’s now also nicknamed Gora Town and the Desi Brooklyn.
The old stomping ground of Mumbai’s expat community was once farther south. But today, Colaba is largely for tourists, and Malabar Hill for vegetarians. Bandra is where the Americans, Brits, French and Germans are headed. To cater to their needs, the bhajiwallas of Pali market stock parsley, arugula and thyme. You see expats waiting for rattling autorickshaws, teaching underprivileged children, learning how to belly dance and tango at Zenzi, and jogging along the curvy promenades at Carter Road and Bandstand.
If Bandra Beautiful has become an attractive expat magnet, it’s for a host of reasons, including good schools and good sushi. For one thing, the consulates are moving. The British deputy high commission has already pitched its tent at the Bandra-Kurla Complex. The Americans, who for years have been making noises about moving there, promise to do so by the summer of 2010.
The consular shifts make eminent sense given that schools and corporates have turned their backs on the pricey real estate of SoBo or South Bombay.
There are many reasons Bandra, the queen of Mumbai’s suburbs, is increasingly the preferred home of expats in the city. The Bandra-Kurla Complex is home to the American School of Bombay and the Dhirubhai Ambani International School. In addition, a number of NGOs like Operation Smile, Kripa, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and the Kherwadi Social Welfare Association, all of which have a stream of earnest young expat volunteers knocking on their doors, are also based in Bandra. Not only is the suburb ideally located between the Old South and the New North, it’s also less expensive than Breach Candy and offers three luxurious waterfronts as compared to the lone Scandal Point stretch on Bhulabhai Desai Road.
Bandraites, otherwise happy with their exotic new migrants, aren’t too thrilled that expat demand has sent rents soaring higher than Mount Mary’s steeple. Having moved to Mumbai after falling in love online, marketing specialist Jennifer Schoffel thinks Bandra’s strategic placement makes it the most comfortable place in which to live. “It’s almost like a little, independent town in a big city. With its little cafes, bars, restaurants and shopping areas, Bandra offers a very special atmosphere,’’ says the 29-year-old German whose favourite places are restos like Out of the Blue, The Bagel Shop and Zenzi.
Fittingly, the owner of the much-loved Bagel Shop and Zenzi, Matan Schabracq, is himself an expat. A business opportunity brought him from Amsterdam to Bandra five years ago and he fell head over heels in love with the suburb. “Bandra is Mumbai’s New York. It’s full of ambitious young people from other places,’’ says the Almeida Park resident.
Serving expat needs are designer home stores, where American moms shop after dropping their kids off at school, and groceries that stock several varieties of cheese, Thai, Mexican and Chinese sauces, Middle Eastern hummus and crisp lavash bread. At Pali Naka’s Regal Plus store, for example, more than half the customers are foreigners. “We’ve seen a 60% increase in the number of foreign clients who come for imported packaged food,’’ says owner Alkesh Dedhia.
Real estate agent Jogi Singh says Bandra is easily the most popular choice among expats looking to rent. “In the last year, there has been a 30% increase in expats, including students and business heads,’’ he says. He adds that customers prefer to live close to Mount Mary or Pali Hill. Says Ajay Rao, CEO of Writer Relocation, a company that helps people move and set up home in a new city, “About 40% of the members of Writer’s Expat Club live in Bandra.”
Online too, of all the areas in Mumbai, Gora Town is a favoured destination, with Powai a close second. Blogs and travel forums offer free advice to newcomers drifting in from Holland, Israel, Australia, Italy, France, Denmark and Lithuania. Shannon Frandsen, who recently moved to Mumbai from Rotterdam, chose Bandra over Worli and Powai because she felt “it’s a happening place not too far from work or fun’’. This blogger and mom says she’s met expats in Powai who said they’d rather be in Bandra. “I should sell Powai residents a T-shirt that says, ‘I’d rather be in Bandra’,’’ she says jokingly.
Last but not least, Bandra is cool in an important way. “It’s a comfortable place for women,’’ says Daniel Goff, a US resident who lived in Bandra while he was in Mumbai. “They can wear western clothes without getting harassed. And since there are so many of us all around the place, we don’t get constantly stared at.’’
Tags: Bandra, mumbai
Posted by
imports on June 7, 2008 |
4 commentsBandra’s early morning joggers were pleasantly surprised on World Environment Day. 77 cyclists, who were participants of a city cyclathon, rode their way along the Bandstand promenade in the wee hours of the morning. A growing community in Mumbai, these city cyclists wanted to send out a message. “Save petrol! I am a green person and have already forced my dad to sell his bike,” says 16-year-old Bhagyashree Sawant. She goes on to elaborate about her dreams of becoming professional cyclist. All set for the big race, Sawant declares such events promote cycling in the city.
At the starting point, cyclists from all over the city had gathered. There were the national champions, the novices and passers-by who had been asked to participate in the competition. But while some Mumbaikars decided to spend World Environment Day doing nothing out-of-the-mundane, these cyclists were out, as early as 4 am just so that they could be part of the cyclathon.
The pedal enthusiasts met at the Taj Land’s End and cycled their way along the Bandstand promenade. National cycling medalist Pankaj Marlesha was participating too. He was ready with his Rs2lakh cycle. Ask him where he practised. “You expect us to practise on Mumbai roads? Obviously you won’t have any Indian participants in the Tour de France!” he says. Marlesha owns a cycle shop and is lucky enough to have the best industry equipment and gear. But unlike him, there are others who save just so that they can follow their passion to manoeuver a human-powered vehicle.
Bandra residents Jenell Fonseca, Pritika and Sherie Rebello were excited too. It was the first time they were participating in a race where they could use their cycles. They speak in chorus, “We were cycling when the organisers told us to come and join. We are here for fun.”
But unlike the Bandra girls, some cyclists had come to win the cyclathon. Surprisingly, the cyclathon champion who emerged wasn’t a professional cyclist. 21-year-old Rohan Gala, an engineering student from IIT couldn’t believe he had left all the others behind. “Are you sure I won?” he asks. The close finish saw a few grumpy contestants too. Some said there were too many potholes which made it difficult for them to balance their bikes. Others claimed Rohan won because he was used to riding around the IIT campus.
Tags: Bandra, cyclathon, mumbai, Taj Land's End, Tour de France
