Victoria's Legacy (Tonella Coutinho)

With over a 115 years of history, the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus popularly known by its previous title Victoria terminus is bustling with life .It was named in honour of Queen Victoria .However it was renamed after the popular Maratha King Shivaji.Instead of paving its way into the Port City’s heritage, it has magnificently managed to weave itself into the daily life of the average Mumbaikar.

Victoria Terminus is probably the city’s most famous icon .The fact that it is probably the first icon that a traveler entering or leaving the city sets eyes upon. ‘I remember my first arrival at the doorstep of Mumbai .It was an absolute cultural shock. The people whizzing past me as I bumbled along with my innate ‘Goan Sussegad’ gait sent me into a tizzy’ says 22- year- old BMM student. Nicole Fernandes.This is a common experience to all first time visitors, considering the fact that an astounding 3 to 3.5 million people pass through it daily.

It joined the illustrious ranks of other monuments, when declared as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO .Going back to its glorious past. The splendid structure was the brainchild of British Architect, Frederick William Stevens. Built over a span of 10 years, its structure was inspired by Scotts St Pancras Station. It construction cost a dear sum of £260,000.

Its intricate and enormous form never ceases to awe any passerby who spares a glance at its magnitude. In the nomination document to the UNESCO,C.S.T/V.T ‘became the symbol of Mumbai as a Gothic City’. What makes it even more unique is that it’s the amalgamation of the efforts of the British architects and Indian artisans. This can be seen with the British symbol of the Lion and the Indian Tiger resting at the entrance. With all its intricacies it is any artists delight. The statue of progress at the top of the one of  a kind dome  ‘ is a tribute to the vision of those who built it’. Another interesting fact is that the professors and students of the JJ School of Art designed and decorated .Dr C London describes it as representative of the life of the city in microcosm.

From its Gargoyles, stained glass windows, regal busts of the board of directors to the Star Chamber give the sense of standing in a work of Art.

The terminus is a city in itself. With everything available under one roof. It has a very complex organization. One can avail of everything from eats to mosquito bats and shoes. There are cobblers just incase you need that extra shine before work. Within that organization lie unorganized elements like the begging, rag picking and the like. Like all stations it has its unique garbage disposal with its in-house rodents.

‘My first impressions were total chaos’ says Linda an Italian event organizer on a vacation in India .  ‘But what amazes me is the organization in the chaos

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However with the influx of the masses in the city of opportunity increasing day by day, this change has started to take its toll. One of the main results of this is hygiene or the lack there of .With so many people going through and fro it becomes a near impossible task to keep it clean. Post 26/11 security has been beefed up .There is a slight tension in the air .But it has no effect on the days proceedings.

‘It gets difficult to run one of the busiest stations in the world’ says Sanjay Wangde ,Deputy Station Manager .We also end up bearing social responsibility of the ticketless and homeless people and children who end up coming to this station and have no where else to go .We see to it that they are handed over to the NGO’s.‘This is my home’, shares Uttam Kange a coolie who has spent the majority of his life carrying other people’s baggage. ‘My job might be tough but C.S.T is part of my life’.

However the bookseller, Sharma is not so convinced that the station is the best in India. ‘woh sirf ek naan hain.There is a lot that needs to be done . ‘It has been pushed beyond its capacity. Peak hours are a maddening rush which really tests your athletic ability. The rains add to the havoc’, says Nihal Gaikwad ,a daily commuter who passes heads to VT everyday from Nerul.

While the iconic structure continues to be part of our daily existence in Mumbai .There is a number of issues to be sorted out to keep it that way. With all its shortcomings, it is and always will be an integral part of Mumbai. However comes Kasab, rain or shine, VT has stood the test of time.

Reference:

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/945

http://www.scribd.com/doc/15622622/FW-Stevens