Bhendi Bazaar, a Mumbai locality known to be one of the city’s most densely populated areas, is home to a rich cultural history. Until recently, this place was home to dilapidated chawls and buildings. These chawls originally served as labour camps for migrant workers. As the businesses grew, the chawls were replaced with buildings for shop owners in and around Bhendi Bazaar and their families.
The diverse shops and the supporting infrastructure in Bhendi Bazaar aged with time resulting in the collapse of structures, leakage, water logging and hygiene and sanitation issues. However, Bhendi Bazaar remains a popular neighbourhood that is always buzzing with people, local markets and street food.
The shop owners are a mixed group of businesspeople from different communities and backgrounds. They have been running their shops for generations and are familiar with every nook and alley in these streets.
More than 20,000 people and 3,200 families call this 150-year-old neighbourhood in South Mumbai their home. Bhendi Bazaar is recognised for its varied and inclusive nature, where people from several religious and cultural backgrounds reside and run businesses together. The area is a melting pot of distinct cultures and communities, which is reflected in its cuisines, festivals and customs.
To support and uplift Bhendi Bazaar, the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT), a public charitable trust of the Dawoodi Bohra community, has taken the responsibility to redevelop and enhance this historically and culturally rich region of Mumbai through their redevelopment project called the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Project (SBUP). The aim is to revamp the neglected area into a modern, vibrant and sustainable neighbourhood while preserving its socio-cultural identity, creating a healthier environment for everyone to thrive to their full potential through modern architecture, best urban planning principles and smart and sustainable practices in residential and commercial complexes.
See also: Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust starts Bhendi Bazaar Phase-2 redevelopment
Bhendi Bazaar is a culmination of people from different walks of life, celebrating their differences and embracing their unique cultures. It stands as an example of peaceful coexistence and displays the diversity and inclusiveness of Mumbai.
(The authors are the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust, Bhendi Bazaar, Mumbai)
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Established in 2009, the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT) is a public charitable trust registered under the provisions of the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950, and based out of Noorbaug, Mumbai.
The Trust was established to undertake the redevelopment of one of India’s most vibrant yet congested locality popularly known as ‘Bhendi Bazaar’. The Saifee Burhani Upliftment Project is an undertaking of the SBUT. The project is an ‘Urban Renewal Scheme/Cluster Development’ under the provisions of Development Control Regulations (DCR) 33(9).
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