End of an era: Iconic Rhythm House to shut shop in 2016

Rhythm House, the popular music store—one of the iconic landmarks of Mumbai—that has been visited by who's who of the world, is expected to close down next year.

Musicians like the late Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Zakir Hussain to maestro A R Rahman and several others visited this music shop, which has a special page in the history of Mumbai.

The Rhythm House along the Rampart Row is located in Kala Ghoda, which is often referred to as the art district of Mumbai. Several iconic heritage buildings and places like the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Jehangir Art Gallery, Max Mueller Bhavan, Bombay University, National Gallery of Modern Art, Institute of Science, Bombay Natural History Society, Elphinstone College, Esplande Mansion, and David Sassoon Library are located here.

As soon as the news spread, there were multiple reactions on Twitter, with people requesting the owners that the shop does not shut down; some went to the extent of  requesting Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to ensure that it does not close down.Rhythm House’s owner and managing director, Mehmood Curmally, was quoted saying in a report that it was contemplating shutting operations next year and things are being worked out.

“It is one of the most popular places of Mumbai,” said Rafique Baghdadi, a veteran journalist, writer, film critic and expert on Mumbai. “It was a place liked by several generations,” he said.

Filmmaker Sajid Khan sought the intervention of the chief minister to pull it out of closure. “Last year, it was a new empire,now rhythm house...sad..mumbai needs its iconic landmarks...CM saab pls save rhythm hs!,” he tweeted. Foodie Kunal Vijayakar said: “An era ends for all us who grew up in south Mumbai @ Iconic south Mumbai music store Rhythm House to shut shop in 2016.”