Old type and more from 1st Gaothan Road, Santa Cruz
Just a stone's throw away from the sweat shops of Khotwadi in Santa Cruz are the Gaothan Streets filled with fashion wholesale and retail stores. The area, like most places close to stations are being remade with old buildings coming down and new ones coming up in their place. Above is one such building called Riddhi Siddhi. It should probably be filled up soon with a mall-like space.
The sign is in Gujrati because it is a part of the Gaothan or road leading to it that developed as a market because of its proximity to the railway station.
The Gaothan or Gavthan
Gaothans are areas in Mumbai that are governed by special land usage rules. These are the original villages of Mumbai and as the city expanded and gobbled them up, they needed protection from the city.
In some ways, Santa Cruz west is a fashion capital. It is home to hundreds of everyday fashion brands that is worn across India. It is made here and sent across India from here.
You can read more about the brands of Santa Cruz here.
Links for further reading:
Here is how real estate businesses, home buyers and investors look at Gaothan lands.
All you need to know about Gaothan properties.
"A Gaothan is the portion of the land of the village which is ordinarily used for settlement. Whether a land parcel in a village or town or city is a Gaothan property is determined by the details as laid out in Section 122 of the Maharashtra Land Record Code."
For Navi Mumbai and Thane: Magic Bricks' tips for investing in Gaothan Properties.
The villages of Mumbai as heritage
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| Matherpackady |
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| Versova gaothan |
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| Mahul Village |
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| Mahim Village |
DNA's Ashutosh Shukla and Linah Baliga has this to say
"Once an indelible part of Mumbai’s landscape, many gaothans are now struggling to exist in a city that is aiming for the skies. Ashutosh Shukla & Linah Baliga do a realty check at four prominent gaothans"
The original people who lived in the Gaothans of Mumbai continue to try and retain their identity through social networks.
Here is a network of the East Indian Community. and the Facebook page of the Mobai Panchayat.
