Parking space, toilet in BMC’s next phase for Mumbai’s heritage textile museum

Dilapidated structure of the building India United Mill 2 and 3

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started inviting tenders for the second phase of the work for turning India United Mill 2 and 3 at Kalachowki into a textile museum. The main work will start in the third phase, with the civic body hoping to complete the project in about one year. A textile museum in the area of 32,000 square metres was planned in 2019, with an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore. It was supposed to be completed and open to the public in 2024.

The first phase of the project, which began in 2022, includes a mural, amphitheatre, souvenir shop, and fountain in the mill pond. For the second phase, the civic body has invited tenders to make a parking space and toilet. The BMC will further invite tenders to strengthen the dilapidated structure of the building.

"While the main work is about refurbishing the museum, we will try and restore it to its original glory. The next phase after restoring the structure will be to revive the working machines of the mill. What will be in the museum will be decided later. Restoration of the structure will take at least nine to ten months," the official added.

A senior retired BMC official said that the project was stuck due to the pandemic in 2019, after which it was put on hold and focus was shifted to other necessary infrastructure projects. The plan to transform mills into a textile museum was discussed for the first time in 2009 when the National Textile Corporation decided to hand over land to the BMC.

The first phase of the project began in 2022. It includes a mural, amphitheater, a souvenir shop, and a fountain. Pics/Ashish Raje

Mumbai has been synonymous with textiles, and not just during the colonial period. The region has a long history of manufacturing handwoven cloth in pre-colonial times, with Thane being a very important centre. The city's first textile mill came up in Tardeo in the mid-19th century, and with the development of the Railways, the expansion of the port, and the opening of the Suez Canal, Mumbai became the ideal place for textile manufacturing.

About a century ago, the textile industry in Mumbai reached its zenith with 1/4th of the city's population being, directly or indirectly, financially dependent on these mills. "The Girangaon (mill lands) in central Mumbai had a unique culture, and it needs to be documented and preserved. Hence, it is very critical that an interactive textile museum is opened as soon as possible, making newer generations aware of the industry that built the city into what it is today," Bharat Gothoskar, founder of Khaki Heritage Foundation and City Chronicler, said.