This Organisation Is Lifting Up Lives Of 20,000 Residents, Workers In Mumbai's Iconic Bhendi Bazaar

Mariya's professional journey with designing jhablas (outfits for toddlers) started inadvertently after the birth of her first daughter. In the early 2000s, creating these outfits for her newborn daughter was just a passion project for her. However, these became a thing of appreciation when others spotted her daughter out and wanted to know where the 'jhablas' were bought from. Upon their insistence, she started making these outfits for her friends and family, too.

Belonging to an enterprising Dawoodi Bohra family, Mariya's path to entrepreneurship started in 2003, when she began taking orders to design and sew these garments. Driven by the boost in confidence that she received from her clients and the community, along with her husband's unwavering support, she started a workshop eight years later to expand her hobby into a full-fledged business.

Her venture was not without obstacles though. The initial days of setting up her business were a fairly smooth ride, thanks to the support of Mariya's joint family, who helped take care of her young daughter.

However, the birth of her second child, and the subsequent move to a nuclear family unit, meant Mariya was left to manage a growing business in addition to two young kids all by herself. But instead of giving up, she decided to ride out the hard times too, creating a fine balance between her family and business, and persevered to keep the latter afloat.

Recently, the COVID-19 lockdown in Mumbai brought her workshop to a temporary pause since her workers used to travel from the suburbs. However, the transition to Al Sa'adah Towers, which is part of a massive upliftment project undertaken by Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust in Bhendi Bazaar, proved an opportunity for Mariya to continue running her business comfortably from a more extensive and better home. This further meant that she could host her clients at home, to display her work and give them a more personalised experience. Mariya is looking forward to this change in her life and business and believes that this change will help her realise her dreams better.

In the heart of South Mumbai, Bhendi Bazaar is a melting pot of closely-knit communities and Bazaars which have woven a unique culture over the years. Built during the British era to house migrant workers, Bhendi Bazaar, over the years, became one of the most underdeveloped and neglected areas in Mumbai. The 100 plus year-old ageing infrastructure, dilapidated buildings, lack of open spaces and outdated sanitation facilities had caused a decline in the standard of living. Over 90% of the people in the Bazaar lived as tenants with no ownership rights. Most of these tenants were cramped in less than 250 sq ft area with no privacy and no toilets in their houses.

With a vision to upgrade and uplift the lives of 20,000 people living and working in Bhendi Bazaar, Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust was envisioned by the late Dawoodi Bohra leader Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin in 2009 to turn it into a sustainable neighbourhood. The project will meet the present and future socio-economic needs of diverse communities living and working in the area.

The redevelopment project comprises 16.5 acres of land divided into nine self-sustained sectors, with over 250 decrepit buildings, 3,200 families and 1,250 shops, all of which will be incorporated into a state-of-the-art sustainable development with 11 new buildings, wide roads, modern infrastructure, more open spaces and highly visible commercial areas. The benefits of the project will reach all the people of Bhendi Bazaar regardless of caste, religion or sect.

Narrow and congested roads measuring 7-8 meters wide will be replaced with a maximum of 18-meter wide roads. An area with no defined parking space is now working to accommodate approximately 3500 cars. Residents will get a minimum of 1 BHK self-contained flats, and most importantly, all residential and commercial tenants will become owners of their new premises.

Redevelopment Project

The first phase of the Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment project was successfully completed in 2020. Al-Sa'adah, the first two hi-rise towers of the Bazaar constructed from the ground up, welcomed over 610 families and 128 shop owners to their new homes and commercial premises. Inspired by Fatimi architecture, this state-of-the-art structure encourages sustainable living. Both residential and commercial inhabitants living and working as tenants before have now come back as owners to their apartments and shops. Significantly more space is provided including open areas, green spaces, play and recreational areas. Overall, the first phase has only kindled further hope by bringing about positive socio-economic changes in the lives of Bhendi Bazaar residents addressing the economic, social, health and environmental gaps that existed earlier.

As per the Trust's plans, the aim is to complete the next phase of the project by 2025 and bring the people of Bhendi Bazaar back to their new homes and shops at the earliest.

"It was paramount to gain the trust and faith of the residents who were handing over their homes to the organisation without any hesitation. Given that the project was the first of its kind in the city, the residents needed stark clarity on the way the project is envisioned and how it is anticipated to turn out," the Trust shared with The Logical Indian.

"After successfully completing the first phase of the project with the Al Sa'adah towers, we saw the return of 610 families and 128 commercial tenants in 2019. Since then, both the residents and shop owners have been able to enjoy a safe and sustainably planned environment, reinstating trust in many more who await their new homes," it stated.

Generate Employment Opportunities

A vital aspect of the urban renewal of Bhendi Bazaar is to generate more employment opportunities and widen socio-economic benefits for the people in the area and beyond. The modernised infrastructure, which now comprises new age technology systems and facilities, is set to aid growth and open new avenues for the businesses in the area.

At present, 128 commercial tenants have taken possession of the new premises. These include businesses operating in Bhendi Bazaar before redevelopment and new businesses that see opportunities for growth, like McDonald's, which opened its first outlet in Bhendi Bazaar in 2019 within the Al Sa'adah premises.

The area is planned to be developed as Mumbai's first High Street Shopping experience, making Bhendi Bazaar the first community to host organised street shopping in India. The return of residents and shop owners to the two high-rise towers of Al-Sa'adah stands as a testimony to the success of this initiative, added.

Preserving Essence And Cultural Significance

From the onset of the planning process, SBUT has always ensured that the essence and culture of Bhendi Bazaar be preserved throughout. Many of the structures within the area hold religious significance to its people and hence have been planned to be retained or enhanced as a part of the redevelopment process.

For the residents who had moved into Sa'adah in 2019, the new homes were a safe haven as they now had access to clean and larger spaces, ensuring the necessary distance was maintained. With community well-being and health at the core, various COVID relief measures were taken in the spirit to help people meet the required medical needs and assistance. Right from successful vaccination drives, rapid-testing camps, to setting up COVID war rooms, a rather vulnerable neighbourhood was able to contain the spread better.

The pandemic also brought about a temporary halt in operations. However, with a gradual easing of norms and formal permission of commencement, SBUT has resumed the work on Phase 2.

The project is now on its way to being completed on schedule by 2025, so the residents that are allotted to move into Phase 2 can look forward to being in their sustainably designed, spacious homes as planned. The Trust, on their part, is ensuring that complete health and safety measures are being taken on-site, while the project continues, Trust shared with The Logical Indian.

Also Read: Nationalistic Or Needless? NMC Proposes Replacing Doctors' Hippocratic Oath With 'Charaka Shapath'