Mumbai: A road built by the poor from famine-affected Surat

In his book Bombay Place, Names and Street Names, Samuel T Sheppard writes that an inscription on the Bellasis Bridge reads as follows: “AD 1863. This Bellasis Road was built in 1793 AD by the poor driven from the city of Surat (the road was a famine-relief effort) in that year of famine, out of funds raised by public subscription, and takes its name from Major General Bellasis under whose order it was constructed.”

However, then quoting the Monthly Miscellany of Western India, May, 1950, he writes, “Bellasis Road is in the recollection of many now living on a small straggling, uneven, jolting pathway… by General Bellasis of the artillery, to suit his convenience, as he lived in the proximity of the famed Mahalaxmi…” Sheppard adds, “According to Mr E Weekley (The Romance of Names, p. 142), Bellasis is a Norman name.

The road was later renamed after Sir Jehangir Boman Behram, the first elected mayor of the Bombay Municipal Corporation who passed away in 1949. The road, like several others across the city, suffers from long traffic jams. Famous for its industrial activities and home to thousands of manufacturers, it has transformed from a quiet street where people could relax under the shade of trees, to a street where there is almost continuous honking between Mumbai Central and Nagpada junction.

Jabiullah Sayed, a local fruit vendor, has spent his childhood on Bellasis Road and says he would earlier visit the 70-year-old Mehndi Masjid located here for his daily prayers. “Now it has become crowded with traffic, and pollution has gone up. The road was better during the earlier times,” he says.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had in November last year began the process of converting Bellasis Road into a ‘model road’, with tenders already invited for the project which would focus on road safety and encroachment-free footpaths.

Bellasis Road has also retained some restaurants and shops that maintain the essence of the street. Arabia Restaurant, famous for its keema fry, is one of the restaurants along with Cafe Nagina, Cafe Rolex and Cafe Sagar further down towards the Nagpada junction which still occupy a pride of place. A manager at the Arabia restaurant said, “We have been operating out of here for nearly 100 years. While there have been newer places like McDonald’s that have come up, the old restaurants still manage to attract crowds.”

Dilip Shah, who has been operating a shop for over 25 years here, said that the City Centre or the electronic hub of Bellasis Road was where horse stables and tongas once stood.