Parel

Parel or Lower Parel is a neighbourhood of Mumbai. It lends its name to two railway stations (Parel and Lower Parel) on the Mumbai Suburban Railway. Parel West is also known as Elphinstone due to the Elphinstone Road railway station that lies in close proximity to the neighbourhood. Many of the cotton mills in Mumbai and housing for their employees were in this area until the beginning of the 21st century when most of these mills were shut down.

Lower Parel, which too was once dominated by textile mills till the 1980s, morphed into a posh locality as part of the redevelopment of Mumbai mills. The area is now dominated by luxury skyscraper apartments, upscale restaurants and pubs, premium office space, luxury hotels, and boutiques.

History

Parel was one of the original seven islands of Bombay (now Mumbai). It belonged to the 13th century kingdom of Raja Bhimdev.

In the 1770s, William Hornby, the Governor of Bombay, shifted his official residence to Parel. This area then became one of the poshest areas of the city. In 1867, tanners and dealers in dry fish were relocated in this area. By the 1870s, several cotton mills had been established in the reclaimed lands in Parel (West). Gradually, Paral became very polluted. In 1883, the Governor's wife died of cholera in the Government House. Two years later, the Governor's Mansion was moved to Malabar Point. During the plague epidemics of the 1890s, the old Government House was leased to the newly founded Haffkine Institute. After the plague epidemics, mills proliferated in this area. In 1915, the Parel Bridge was built with linked the Western and Central Railway stations. It became an industrial area and in addition provided space for mill workers.

Mumbai

Mumbai (/mʊmˈbaɪ/; also known as Bombay, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India and the ninth most populous agglomeration in the world, with an estimated city population of 18.4 million. Along with the neighbouring regions of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, it is one of the most populous urban regions in the world and the seсond most populous metropolitan area in India, with a population of 20.7 million as of 2011. Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2009, Mumbai was named an alpha world city. It is also the wealthiest city in India, and has the highest GDP of any city in South, West, or Central Asia. Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires and millionaires among all cities in India.

The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing colonies. For centuries, the islands were under the control of successive indigenous empires before being ceded to the Portuguese and subsequently to the British East India Company when in 1661 King Charles II married the Portuguese Catherine of Braganza, and as part of her dowry Charles received the ports of Tangier and seven islands of Bombay. During the mid-18th century, Bombay was reshaped by the Hornby Vellard project, which undertook reclamation of the area between the seven islands from the sea. Along with construction of major roads and railways, the reclamation project, completed in 1845, transformed Bombay into a major seaport on the Arabian Sea. Bombay in the 19th century was characterized by economic and educational development. During the early 20th century it became a strong base for the Indian independence movement. Upon India's independence in 1947 the city was incorporated into Bombay State. In 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as the capital.

High Street Phoenix

High Street Phoenix, formerly known as Phoenix Mills, is one of the largest shopping malls in India, situated in Lower Parel, Mumbai. Its gross floor area is 3,300,000 square feet (310,000 m²). In addition to the mall, the compound hosts a five-star hotel, a multiplex, commercial space and a residential tower.

The mall consists of the Palladium, SkyZone and Grand Galleria. South Asia’s largest 20 lane bowling concourse, was first started here in 1996. India’s first Hyper market concept Big Bazaar was introduced in 2001 at High Street Phoenix.

History

Phoenix Mills was originally started in 1905 to manufacture cotton textiles in Bombay. The company, which has been listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange since 1959, is owned by the Ruia family.

In 1938, the British government ordered firing at workers who were peacefully protesting the proposed Bombay Trades Disputes Bill. The workers at Phoenix Mills went on strike between 11 April 1939 and 1 November 1939, demanding an increase in pay. Phoenix was affected by the general strike that shut down all mills in Mumbai (then Bombay) for over a year in 1982–83. Mumbai's mills went through a turbulent time in the 1980s and '90s owing to labour unrest in addition to higher operating costs of a mill inside Mumbai, making mills such as Phoenix loss-making and nonviable entities. The management chose redevelopment of mill land, which had high commercial value. Sections of the mill were still operational when redevelopment began with the establishment of the Bowling Co. Workers were unhappy with the management's decision, alleging that it was illegal.