Marine Drive By Night From Malabar Hill Bombay – 2 PCs 1950s
Two 1950s postcards of Marine Drive by night the view is from Malabar Hill Bombay (Mumbai). Mesmerizing views of Marine Drive and Chowpatty in nighttime Bombay. Marine Drive runs from Nariman Point in the south to Girgaon Chowpatty in the north. It is in the shape of a “C”, nicknamed the Queen’s Necklace from the time of the British era.
The Marine Drive or Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Road is a 3.5 km long promenade. It was a part of Bombay’s Backbay reclamation in the early twentieth century. Considered a requirement of wide-open spaces for a large city like Mumbai. The actual reclamation of the Backbay took place in the 1860s.
However further development was kept in hibernation for various reasons until the beginning of the twentieth century. Development on this Queen’s Necklace promenade started only in the early 1900s. Today it is an iconic landmark and Mumbai’s joy. The ever-popular Chowpatty Beach lies on the northern end. An affluent neighborhood of Walkeshwar lies still further up from Chowpatty. Click on the photo for better view.
Read also Reclamation a part of culture and history in Mumbai. See post Chowpatty Seaface From Malabar Hill – Old Photo 1960.
Did you know- the Marine Drive is lined on the seaside with concrete tetrapods. These are to protect the seawalls of the promenade from caving in from violent waves that hit in extreme windy seasons. But when the pods are in place it absorbs the energy from the violent waves deflecting any damage to the sea walls.
From the collection- Raja Ravi Varma’s “Mohini On A Swing” – Vintage Print 1930s., Eden Garden & Harbour In Kolkata – Old Print 1905., Vintage Book 1923 – Cochin British & Indian., Electric Trams of Madras / Chennai – 2 Old Photographs 1935