Taking steps towards change

A walking tour through Bandra aims to spark conversations about climate change by examining its impact on historic neighbourhoods

For most people, the very mention of the term ‘climate change’ immediately conjures up mental images of melting icebergs, hotter summers and colder winters. What we don’t associate with climate change is the flooding that engulfs our city every monsoon, or the ways in which our community development and consumption patterns impact the ecology of the landmass we inhabit. 

This is what a first-of-its-kind walk seeks to address, by encouraging participants to view the popular coastal suburb of Bandra and interact with its public spaces through the lens of climate change and sustainability. Curated by the Ministry of Mumbai’s Magic in association with No Footprints, this walking tour begins at Bandra Fort, and traverses landmarks like Mehboob Studio and historic neighbourhoods like Ranwar Village, before culminating at a brand-new installation at Bandstand. “At each halt, we will incorporate the angle of how communities and the natural ecosystem have been affected by different developments, including infrastructure projects such as the Sea Link and the Coastal Road. At the churches, we will share how practices like paraffin wax candles are not environmentally sustainable, while commercial fishing practices such as the over-exploitation of bombil is negatively affecting the local Koli community,” shares Arpita Bhagat from Ministry of Mumbai’s Magic, who has helped conceptualise the walk. The aim, she says, is to spark conversations about climate and sustainability with the wider public, especially people who may have not thought about these topics in their daily lives. 

Arpita Bhagat

The art installation, which is the final halt, was created by the Ministry of Mumbai’s Magic and launched at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival that wrapped up earlier this month. “The piece symbolically uses the element of the local train, to depict how flooding impacts the city every year, with increasing frequency. At this point, we will invite participants to share their reflections about the kind of future they envision for the city, in terms of climate resilience,” Bhagat adds. 

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