Orlem is a neighbourhood in

Malad Malad (Pronunciation: aːlaːɖ is a suburb located in North Mumbai. Malad has a railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on ra ...

, a suburb of

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

. Its original name in the official language of the state ( Marathi) is ''Valnai'', a term used to describe the area as "Valan" meaning turn or curve. The village was settled on a path that curved. The postal zip code 400064 serves the neighborhood. According to a Church census conducted in 2004, it was the largest parish in the

Archdiocese of Bombay The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bombay is a particular church celebrating the Latin Rite of worship, centred in the Bombay (Mumbai) city of the northern Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. The archdiocese has been a Metropolitan see since ...

History

Orlem has come a long way from being a simple village to one of the most attractive places in

. Its borders are not clearly defined and sometimes includes the smaller villages of Kharodi, Kanchpada, and Rathodi, among others. .

Location

Orlem is situated at the northern part of

in the western suburb of

. It branches from the main road called Marve Road, which is the main route to Marve beach from Swami Vivekanand Road. It is accessible from the Malad Railway station through the bus routes 243, 270, 271, 272, 273, 281, 622 and 345.

Landmarks

Our Lady of Lourdes Churc

established in 1916, is also known as Orlem Church. Many major B.E.S.T. bus routes stop here and some routes terminate here.

Localities

Major zones in Orlem: * Dominic Colony and Tank Colony * Joe Braz Colony (J.B.C.) * Lourdes Colony * Baudi * Mithchowki * Evershine Nagar * Somwar Bazar & Liberty Garden * D'monte Lane Orlem is the channel for many Mumbai beaches such as

Marve Beach Mondeuse noire () is a red French wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Savoy region of eastern France. The grape can also be found in Argentina, Australia, California, Switzerland and Sicily. Plantings of Mondeuse noire was hit ha ...

Aksa Beach Akshe Beach is a popular beach and a vacation spot in Aksa village in Malad, Mumbai, India. It is situated close to Marvé Beach. It is a popular weekend destination. It is dotted with many private cottages and hotels, some of which are rented ...

Madh Island Madh Island (Marathi pronunciation: əɖʱ is a group of several quaint fishing villages and farmlands in northern Mumbai. Geography The area is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, and the Malad creek on the east. There are few beaches li ...

, Erangal, and Dana Pani.

Demographics

Orlem was traditionally inhabited by the

East Indians The East Indians, also called East Indian Catholics or Bombay East Indians, are an ethno-religious Indian Christian community native to the Seven Islands of Bombay and the neighbouring Mumbai Metropolitan Area of the Konkan Division. His ...

, Koli and SKP communities. According to a 2004 Church census, there were around 7,000

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

Catholics in the parish. With the huge boom of the

call centre A call centre ( Commonwealth spelling) or call center ( American spelling; see spelling differences) is a managed capability that can be centralised or remote that is used for receiving or transmitting a large volume of enquiries by telephon ...

service industry in the 2000s, Orlem witnessed a large influx of young working class executives.

Business

Many businesses have grown in and around Orlem. Famous restaurants like Uncle's Kitchen, and shopping malls such as '

Inorbit Mall Inorbit Mall is a subsidiary of K. Raheja Corporation which runs shopping malls in various parts of India. The first Inorbit Mall opened in 2004, in Malad, Mumbai. This is the fourth oldest shopping mall in Mumbai, from Infiniti Mall of An ...

’, ‘Hypercity’, 'D-Mart' & the new 'Infinity Mall' are close to Orlem.

Education

The major schools in Orlem are St. Anne's High School and Junior College, St. Anne International School, Shri Balaji International School, Carmel Of St. Joseph, and St. Joseph's School.

Sports

Orlem is home to a vibrant sporting community, predominantly in the fields of hockey and football.

Popular culture

The writer Lindsay Pereira's debut novel, '' Gods and Ends'', is the first to be set in Orlem. It was published by Penguin Random House in March, 2021, and focuses on the Goan Catholic community, as well as the East Indian and Mangalorean population of the suburb. The book was described in The Hindu as "a stark and fearless portrayal of the Roman Catholic community in the Bombay of yore."

References

{{coord missing, Maharashtra Neighbourhoods in Mumbai Villages in Mumbai Suburban district