Mumbai is one vibrant city that has thousands of people chasing their dreams, the reason why it is called ‘City of Dreams’! And one gorgeous sight to behold here is Marine Drive, also known as Queen’s Necklace. Come to this city and speak to anyone about their favourite place, and chances are that they will without a doubt say “Marine Drive”.

The end of the city from where you can admire the infinity of the Arabian Sea and the sight of Mumbai’s skyline, Marine Drive will definitely drive you crazy with its wondrous views. People come here, sit and just enjoy the peace that surrounds the region whilst listening to the sound of waves hitting against the rocks. Now that was the description of Marine Drive and how beautiful it is, but there are so many unique things about this place that people might not even be aware of it in the slightest.

Miami in Mumbai

If you look at Marine Drive’s pictures, it might remind you of the gorgeous international beach. destination, Miami. This is Mumbai’s own Miami and, of course, people are super proud of it. The famous author Navin Ramani in his acclaimed book ‘Bombay Art Deco Architecture: A Visual Journey’ had also drawn similarities between Miami’s Ocean Drive and Mumbai’s Marine Drive.

Marine Drive or Sonapur

Yes, what the world knows as Marine Drive is Sonapur for Mumbaikars. This 3.5 km long stretch of C-shaped concrete road forms a natural bay and links Nariman Point to Babulnath in southern Mumbai. Situated at the foot of Malabar Hill, the real official name of the road is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road.

A failed product

Not many must be aware of the fact that Marine Drive is a by-product of a failed project! Mumbai’s Backbay reclamation project (connecting Nariman Point and Malabar Hill) was proposed in the year 1860 first, and was again started in the 1920s. However, the project was put aside due to several wars and defective plans. Because of such issues, only 440 acres of reclaimed land was left (planned was 1500 acres), wherein military took 235 acres and 17 acres became what we call as ‘Marine Drive’ today.

No takers

Being a seaside region, the properties that were constructed here initially had no takers as they were extremely costly. For a very long time, Marine Drive remained a low-density (population) region, but after partition, the country was filled with new rich Indians who started buying properties here. Considering its amazing location, only filthy rich people can acquire land here.

Tetrapods

If you haven’t been to Marine Drive, you probably would not know what tetrapods are. So these are four-legged concrete structures, which look like big beautiful rocks. These are strategically placed on the seashore close to each other. So these pods basically protect the sea line and the promenade from the huge waves that are capable of massive destruction. When the waves hit these pods, they absorb a portion the energy created by the sea and keeps the waves at bay!

Reason for low rents

The house rent at this otherwise super expensive region is super low! Yes, that’s true. Some of the tenants living here are paying as low as INR 300 per month to date. After Bombay Rent Control Act of 1947, the landlords for some reason could not increase the rent according to that time on papers, which resulted in this condition. Now, the tenants just wouldn’t leave and it has become almost impossible to evict them!

An upcoming UNESCO Site

Owing to its Victorian and art deco buildings, Marine Drive is all set to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site soon. If everything goes as per plans, Marine Drive along with the Fort region in Mumbai will get this prestigious tag after the Elephanta Caves and Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus Railway Station (CST) in Mumbai.