Mumbai Chawls: A Story of the Soul of the City.
Home to the city of dreams, where even the highest ambitions meet limited space, Mumbai has always found a way to offer shelter, community, and hope. The most iconic symbol of this resilience is the chawl: simple and cheerful tenements that tell more stories than the narrow passages they lead to. We will explore the history of Mumbai’s chawls, including their origins, current conditions, daily routines, dreams, and government projects that may soon change their essence.
History of Mumbai’s Chawls
The earliest chawls were built in colonial-era Bombay during the early 1700s. They evolved in the late 19th century in response to the growing number of migrant workers in the city. The mills and factories in the textile industry attracted thousands of people, including those from rural India. However, they could not afford expensive apartments or makeshift huts. In reaction, mill owners and landlords constructed well-known multi-family housing units called chawls, with the term “chaal” (Marathi) meaning passage or gallery. These small homes blurred the lines between society and the individual, fostering strong social ties and a culture of communal living.
Inception and Evolution
At the start of the 20th century, migration and chawl construction boomed across South Bombay, Parel, Girgaum, and other areas. As urban centres like Bombay were threatened by the bubonic plague in overcrowded slums, the City of Bombay Improvement Trust (BIT), later supported by the Bombay Development Department (BDD), built 207 complexes of publicly funded chawls. These standardised tenements provided basic amenities for neighbourhoods. Initially, chawls housed single men, but later they welcomed entire families, forming diverse and vibrant communities.
The Biggest Chawls of Mumbai
Poonawala Chawl, Motilal Nagar, along with the BDD Chawls in Worli, Naigaon, and NM Joshi Marg, became landmarks of their time. Some of the oldest chawls, such as Keshavji Naik Chawl, are part of this history. Thousands of families lived in these areas, with as many as 16 men sharing a single room, making them vital centres of city life.
Typical Building Layout
A typical chawl features a two- to five-storey structure, with small rooms (usually 10×12 ft) arranged in galleries or passages. Each floor contains several one-room tenements, with a shared latrine at the end of the corridor. Stairs connect the floors, and many buildings have a central courtyard where residents hold festivals, play, and gather. Walls are thin, privacy is limited, and doors often remain open, fostering easy friendships among neighbours. However, this arrangement can sometimes lead to conflicts.
Life for Residents
Families cook, sleep, study, and socialise in their small rooms, often spilling their daily activities into the shared corridors and courtyards. Cooperation and adaptability are essential. Through shared facilities, people support each other with childcare, celebrations, and during crises. They share food, stories, and secrets, making it hard to keep things private. Residents celebrate weddings, Ganesh Chaturthi, and movie screenings, building bonds like those in a large family. Despite poor sanitation, most value this rich cultural life.
Sanitation: Tough Realities
Sanitation has always been a significant issue for chawl residents. Toilets are often crowded and dirty, which can lead to diseases and discomfort. Few privatised baths are available, and they tend to be expensive. Communal hand pumps provide water, but garbage disposal is often inadequate, making corridors and alleys unsanitary. The narrow paths between buildings are notorious for filth and stagnation due to overpopulation and outdated infrastructure.
