Today’s cosmopolitan and economically advanced Mumbai owes a great deal to British rule. Portugal gifted Bombay to Britain in 1661. For a long time, it was not the jewel in the crown as Calcutta and Madras were greater assets. By the time of India's Independence, though, Bombay was firmly ahead. It’s a testament to several external events that pushed Bombay ahead but it would be churlish to deny the role of Britishers in it.
In Part 3 of ‘The people behind Mumbai’s streets’, I highlight the key streets that are/were named after important players from the British community.
Arthur Road, Mahalaxmi: Sir George Arthur was the governor of Bombay from 1842-46. His most durable contribution to the city was making Sunday a weekly-off. The move was primarily for religious reasons, due to the clamour by Christians to observe Sunday as the day of prayer. Sir Arthur ensured that all government work stopped on Sundays to avoid disturbance around Churches. Indian labourers, working on daily wages, protested that they be paid even on Sunday since they didn’t ask for the holiday. They succeeded with their demands. Today, Arthur Road has been renamed but it is still referred to by the old name. One of the oldest jails - Arthur Road Jail, which has had inmates like actor Sanjay Dutt and terrorist Ajmal Kasad - is located on this street.
Frere Bridge, Grant Road: Sir Henry Bartle Frere served as private secretary to Sir George Arthur in 1842. As secretary, he would play a key role in the introduction of railways into India. Two years later, he would go on to marry Arthur’s daughter, Catherine. His claim to fame within the British establishment came when he played a key role in the quelling of the 1857 War of Independence. As commissioner of Sind, he immediately dispatched a battalion to contain the uprising. In 1862, he rose to the position of governor of Bombay. He demolished the imposing Fort George – to which the location ‘Fort’ is credited - as part of a move to increase urban space. Frere Bridge is a critical bridge that smoothly connects Grant Road to Lamington Road.
Forjett Street, Tardeo: Charles Forjett was a maverick cop in Bombay credited with reforming the police force and keeping crime in check. He would routinely go out in disguise to detect conspiracies and plans against the British. He played an integral role in keeping the city calm during the 1857 war of Independence. His father was a European while his mother an Indian. His skin colour would ultimately result in Forjett never becoming the police commissioner. The rejection forced him to leave the country and set up a mansion in England with financial support from Sir Cowasji Jehangir. The street with his name acts as a narrow connector between Gowalia Tank and Tardeo. The former headquarters of pharma major Johnson & Johnson were on Forjett Street.
Sandhurst Road, Dongri: Lord Sandhurst was the governor of Bombay between 1895-1900. Soon after he took over, the city was struck by the lethal bubonic plague. The plague forced the administration to inspect the conditions of the slums, where a majority of the population lived. In 1898, the Bombay City Improvement Trust was created with Sandhurst playing a role in raising funds to improve sanitary and living conditions. The trust was responsible for extending the city, with the planned development of Dadar-Matunga-Sion-Wadala. This helped in decongesting the city. Sandhurst is prominent in Mumbai today as a railway station on the Harbour Line of the suburban railway.
Kennedy Bridge, Opera House: Colonel John Pitt Kennedy is considered to be one of the greatest builders of infrastructure in the 19th century. Kennedy is said to have introduced India to a standard of public works which enhanced quality and pace of life while cutting costs to 1/8th of the former Indian rate. In 1853 he became managing director of the Bombay, Baroda and Central Indian Railway. Given the rivers and sea-inlets on the route from Ahmedabad to Bombay – several engineers associated with the Bombay Presidency reported that it could not be done or would have to be done at an unjustifiable price. Kennedy transformed it by adopting the invention of the screw-pile and Warren girders. For Mumbai today - the bridge that lives on with Kennedy’s name is one of the oldest overbridges built by the railways.
Also read: BG Kher Road … Naushad Ali Road: The people behind Mumbai’s street names—Part 1 and Sir Homi Mody ... Dadabhai Naoroji: Five Parsis behind Mumbai’s street names—Part 2
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