Marine Drive, Mumbai
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Marine Drive, often referred to as the Queen's Necklace, is a 3 kilometre-long
promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortification, fortress or city walls ...
along the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road in
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
(Bombay),
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The road and promenade were constructed by Pallonji Mistry in 1940. It is a banana-shaped, six-lane
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...
road along the coast of a natural bay. At the northern end of Marine Drive is Girgaon Chowpatty and the adjacent road links Nariman Point at the southern tip to Babulnath and
Malabar Hill Malabar Hill is amongst the most affluent residential areas in Mumbai. It is home to several business tycoons and film personalities. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, had built and lived in a bungalow, called South Court, in Malab ...
at the northern tip. Marine Drive is situated on reclaimed land facing west-south-west. Marine Drive is known as the Queen's Necklace because, when viewed at night from above, the streetlights resemble a string of pearls in a necklace. The official name for this road, though rarely used, is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road. The promenade is lined with palm trees. At the northern end of Marine Drive is Chowpatty Beach. This is a popular beach famed for its Bhel Puri (local fast food). Many restaurants also line this stretch of the road. Further down the road lies Walkeshwar, a wealthy neighborhood of the city, also home to the
Governor of Maharashtra The governor of Maharashtra is the ceremonial head of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The Constitution of India confers the executive powers of the state to the governor; however, the de facto executive powers lie with the Council of Minister ...
. Most of the buildings erected by wealthy
Parsis The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...
were constructed in an
art deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
style, which was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Among the earliest art deco buildings on Marine Drive were the Kapur Mahal, Zaver Mahal and Keval Mahal, which are also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site - Victorian Gothic & Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai. These buildings were constructed between 1937 and 1939 for a total cost of 1 million rupees. Real estate prices along the
esplanade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
are high. Many hotels dot the drive, most prominent among them being the 5-star Oberoi (formerly the ''Oberoi Hilton Tower'' however reverted to the original name as of early 2008), The Intercontinental, Hotel Marine Plaza, Sea Green Hotel and a few smaller hotels. Marine Drive is the preferred connecting road between the
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
located at Nariman Point and the rest of the city. Many sports clubs, some cricket stadiums and club grounds are situated along the stretch of Marine Drive, including members-only clubs like the
Cricket Club of India Cricket Club of India (CCI) is a cricket club located on Dinsha Wacha Road, in Churchgate of Mumbai, India. It was conceived as India's counterpart to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). It is considered one of the most prestigious clubs in the na ...
(CCI), adjoining the Brabourne Stadium, Hindu Gymkhana Ground and Garware Club House, adjacent to the famous Wankhede Stadium, as well as others like the Mumbai Police Gymkhana, Hindu Gymkhana, Parsi Gymkhana and Islam Gymkhana. A well known actress and singer from the 1950s,
Suraiya Suraiya Jamal Sheikh (15 June 1929 – 31 January 2004), mononymously known as Suraiya, was an Indian actress and playback singer who worked in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the history of Indian c ...
lived in a building on the stretch known as 'Krishna Mahal' in the ground-floor apartment (as a tenant of Shah family) from the 1940s until her death on 31 January 2004. The house was first rented by her mother, Mumtaz Begum. Many other film stars, such as
Nargis Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid, also known as Nirmala Dutt; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) known mononyomusly as Nargis was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest and finest actresses in the ...
and
Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...
, lived nearby in the 1940s and 50s. In 2012, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai announced that the entire road would be resurfaced, 72 years after it was originally laid. A number of bollards were also installed as there was nothing to prevent accidents or attacks. A few years earlier, the footpaths were renovated.


Notable places

Places situated near Marine drive road: * The headquarters of
Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the principal national governing body of the sport of cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at the Cricket Centre in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. BCCI is the wealthiest governing body ...
(BCCI) and
Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Founded in 2007, it features ten city-based Professional sports league organization, fr ...
(IPL) situated inside premises of Wankhede stadium. * Headquarter of Mumbai Cricket Association, governing body for cricket in Mumbai district.


Major events

Incidents, events happened on this place as of 1 October 2024: * IAF airshow, 17 October 2004 and 12 to 14 January 2024 * Mumbai Marathon (every year since) 9 February 2004 — an international marathon. * International Fleet Review 19 February 2001 — The world's major navies took part in the IFR. * French Festival 1988. * Terror attacks in
1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...
,
2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...
and
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
: terrorists attacked targets near here and in other parts of the city. One of them, Ajmal Kasab crashed a stolen car after driving it over a traffic island at Marine Drive and was apprehended. Two of Kasab's fellow terrorists, (identified as Fahadullah and Abdul Rehman alias AR Chota) attacked the
Trident A trident (), () is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...
and
Oberoi hotel The Oberoi Group is a luxury hotel group with its head office in New Delhi, India. Founded in 1934, the company owns and operates 32 luxury hotels and two river cruise ships in 7 countries, primarily under its Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and Triden ...
s and murdered 30 people in 3 days with assault rifles, pistols and explosives before being gunned down by National Security Guard (NSG) commandos.


See also

* Palm Beach Road, Navi Mumbai * Corniche, a similar area in many other cities worldwide, including
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...


References

https://www.frommers.com/destinations/mumbai/attractions/marine-drive--chowpatty-beach


External links

*Marine Drive turns 100
Marine Drive Refurbishment Project
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