Swatantra Marg to come up in Mumbai's Grant Road to promote heritage toursim

In a bid to promote heritage tourism in the country's financial capital, the government is working on creating a Swatantra Marg in the historic Grant Road area of Mumbai.

As part of the project, the August Kranti Maidan precinct and Mani Bhavan is being upgraded.

Last week, tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray held a review meeting which was attended by officials of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Maharashtra Tourism.

“Along with Maharashtra Tourism and BMC, we held a review meeting for the upgrade of the August Kranti Maidan Precinct and Mani Bhavan. We’re working on civic infra upgrade and adding elements of the Independence Movement into it, making it our ‘Swatantra Marg’,” tweeted Aaditya, the son of Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The area covers several historical and heritage places like Mani Bhavan, August Kranti Maidan, Pandita Ramabai Girls Hostel, Arya Samaj Mahila Hostel, St Columba High School.

The Gowalia Tank Maidan, now known as the August Kranti Maidan, is the place from where Mahatma Gandhi gave the clarion call of Quit India on August 8, 1942. On August 7, 1942, the All India Congress Committee organised its session under the Presidentship of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, which continued past-midnight into the next day at the Gowalia Tank Maidan, which was located a few metres away from Gokuldas Tejpal House, the place where the Indian National Congress was established in December 1885.

Mani Bhavan, a modest two-storied building on the Laburnum Road in the comparatively quiet locality called Gamdevi, served for about 17 years (1917-1934) as the nerve centre in Bombay (now Mumbai) for Gandhi's activities. It belonged to Shri Revashankar Jagjeevan Jhaveri who was an ardent devotee of Gandhiji and his affectionate host during that period.

It now houses a museum and is visited by a number of dignitaries. It was from Mani Bhavan that Gandhi initiated the Non-Cooperation, Satyagraha, Swadeshi, Khadi and Khilafat movements. Gandhiji’s association with charkha began in 1917 while he stayed in Mani Bhavan.

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