A Bombay Lodge in Mumbai: New Vasanthashram
How an affordable lodge close to the markets in the city
has reinvented itself to a rapidly changing city.
Thousands of people come to Mumbai every day from different parts of India. They comes to work, to study, business, as tourists and many to stay and work here for ever. And anyone who has every visited Mumbai will tell you that an affordable place to stay is one of the most difficult things to find in a space-starved city like Mumbai.
Lodges with single rooms and shared dormitories in the heart of the city provide an affordable place to stay, close to the main markets in the city. For decades, the main customers of the lodges have been the people who come to do business in the markets, offices and the government offices in the heart of Mumbai.
New Vasanthashram was one such affordable lodge.
It still is.
During the early years, the owners of the lodge would wait outside Victoria Terminus and try to persuade visitors to come and stay at the lodge. It was right next to the main market in the city, close to the many docks that were active then and just a short walk from the grand railway terminus.
Welcome to the 20th Century.
A place to rest.
Times have changed. Many of the markets in the area have moved out. More people enter the city through railway stations in the suburbs or newer parts of the city. Many others fly in. While a lot of people with business in the area continue to come here, it is now a place for youngsters who work in law, finance and other such services that now prefer to stay here. Medical ‘tourists’ too make their way here. And yes, tourists on a budget and seeking a simpler experience.
The essential comforts
From the age of wood.
21st century decorations with 20th century materials.
