Marine Drive (Ishitaa Sher)

Time and Tide - wait for none

Are you feeling weary and tired? Do you need a place to take your evening stroll or breathe of fresh air? Then you should probably visit Marine Drive once and be captivated by its beauty and aura for a lifetime.

Spread over an area of approximately 3 kilometers and six concrete roads running along it, Marine Drive is one of the busiest and round the clock occupied places in South Mumbai. It stretches along the coastline of natural bay of Arabian Sea. This inverted ‘C’ shaped concourse, links Nariman Point to Malabar Hills. On this way, lies Chowpatty beach, “Nana-Nani Park”, Bachelor’s Restaurant, Sukh-Sagar eating point, Tarapur Aquarium, Savitri Devi Hostel, Oberoi Hotels, The Intercontinental and The Marine Plaza. These are just a few names to be specified, as here lies a plethora of other things that also catches anyone’s attention. It is very easily accessible through different modes of transport namely, busses, cabs, locals, etc. Marine Drive is like a second home for evening strollers, cuddling couples, chirping friends and evergreen elders.

People from far and wide come to take a refreshing amble or simply sit here watching the sparkling water gushing above the rocks and munch a packet of chips or gorge on sev-puri or vada-pav, while watching the sun rise and sun set in the West. “I simply love the horse-ride across the Marine Drive but it is very expensive. My parents prefer walking down the road rather than riding in a horse-driven buggy”, says 12 years old Rinki.

At night, when viewed from an elevated point, this stretch looks stunningly beautiful and gorgeous, with all street lamps lit up, making it twinkle and frost like a ‘diamond necklace’. For this very reason, Marine Drive is also referred to as “Queen’s Necklace”. Out on a family vacation, Ravi, Rinki’s brother says, “Yesterday we all went to, what they call ‘Matari cha Boot’ (The Boot House) and I could see the necklace from the top. It was very beautiful. It actually sparkled like a diamond and we (both the siblings) were mesmerized. I will surely tell my friends about it when I go back to Karnal (an upcoming city in Haryana).”

The official name of Marine Drive is actually Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road but it is not usually referred by that name. Many local Marathi people used to call it by the name of Sonapur but with lots of people migrating from different parts of the country to Mumbai, the number of local-ites has deteriorated. “People come to visit Mumbai for a day or two but get settled here permanently because of many reasons. I personally do not like the food or the crowd and neither I known about this Marine Drive’s ancient name. but what I know for sure is the fact that I love Marine Drive and will bring my wife everyday here for as long as possible”, says Milind, a labourer hailing from Jharkhand.

It is said that Marine Drive was built in 1920’s on a reclaimed land and today it is one of the busiest roads in whole Mumbai. Back then, rich Parsees built buildings rich in artwork, all across the Marine Drive lined with palm trees and till date, they are of cultural value for all the Indians. “I have heard a lot about the buildings that have artistic value and dates back to more than 50 years. I haven’t got a chance yet to have a look but in a day or two, will surely go there and click some snaps so that I can show them to my friends and family back home”, said Nick, a Russian tourist.

Marine Drive is an integral and essential part of Mumbai life and it is one of the widely visited tourist spots. One can very easily find “Neeta Travel” busses and local tourist guides speaking fluent English and addressing everyone around as ‘Sir’ or ‘Madam’. “Marine Drive is one of the basic places covered under our one-day tour programmes. We bring people over here and ask them to see the sea and ease out for maximum half an hour. They click photographs, eat roadside ‘chaat’ and relax. In my 10 years of working experience, I have never come across any person who hated ‘Marine Drive’. Most of the tourists who come for ‘Mumbai Darshan’ gets fascinated by the word ‘sea’ and if we are successful in satisfying the customers with our services, we are paid more. That’s our business”, said Kishen, tour guide for Neeta Travels.

Marine Drive is surely a-must visit place for anyone who comes to Mumbai for holidaying and local people need not be urged because be it 5 in the morning or 12 at night, Mumbai people know where to go, if they want to get refreshed.