The Dawoodi Bohra community is planning to redevelop Mumbai's Bhendi bazaar, to rehouse 20,000 people, mainly Shia Muslims, as per the State government’s cluster development policy. This ambitious project involves pulling down 250 buildings and 1,250 shops, and building 17 towers across nine sub-clusters. As the 3,200 houses of Bhendi Bazaar go vertical, more open spaces will be available for parks, parking and other amenities. Residents will get a minimum of 350 square feet carpet area (smallest units). One of the densest localities in the island city, this 16.5-acre bazaar holds an important place in the city’s long history of trade and commerce. The population alone is a daunting factor for any kind of development activity and the reason this Rs. 4,000-crore (£410mn) project is being keenly watched. It is the largest urban redevelopent to take place in India, or, as trust officials claim, in any democratic country. The project promises to give residents more private living space and modern amenities such as lifts and private toilets. The government rules say residents of a development area must receive equivalent space in the new project- even is the residents' previous homes were smaller. Families with bigger units will get 10% more space than they had previously.
Bhendi bazaar, well known for its tempting street market food and shops jammed below creaky homes, is a typical of many colonial-era parts of India's cities. Its 150-year-old, four storey buildings, with their steep wooden staircases, were originally designed to house male migrant workers in small dorm-like rooms, with a single communal lavatory on each floor. Now multi-generational families have been crammed into the building's tiny rooms, many measuring less than 200sq ft. Mumbai's state-controlled room rents have been frozen for decades and this has left the building owners unwilling to invest in maintenance, and over time and Mumbai's heavy monsoon rains have take a heavy toll.
The area is different from other similar areas. The Financial Times in a feature wrote, most of the area's residents are Dawoodi Bohra Muslims (a tight knit Shia sect), whose members are known for their secular education, business and professional acumen. In 2009 the community's then 98-year-old spiritual Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, made a revolutionary proposal. He declared that the Bhendi bazaar should be demolished, except for its holy sites and in its place new skyscrappers should be constructed to provide modern houses suitable for this upwardly mobile lot. Razing several city blocks is a big task in a city with powerful tenants' rights and where demolishing even a single dilapitating building can be stalled for years by determined holdouts. Yet the redevelopment of the Bhendi Bazaar is well under its way. The project blessed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is being treated as a potential model for other similar urban neighbourhoods. The Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust (SBUT)- an arm of the Bohra clerical hierarchy's community administration or 'dawat' has already acquired 215 of the 250 buildings. Of these 70 have been demolished, with 1700 families installed in purpose-built temporary accomodation, which is being provided for free until their new homes are ready. Much credit is due to the pervasive influence of Syedna- a dynastic leader formally called Dai al-Mutlaq.
The FT interviewed, a 22 year old law student Fatema Tankiwala and her family, who were the first one to sell the building they owned, without haggling over the price. She said, “The only reason we agreed to do it so quickly was because of Holiness, said Fatema, “We have a lot of faith in him...He says it's for our betterment, so we said, ok we will go for it.”
Qutub Mandviwala, master planner and architect of the project told The Hindu, “Density and shopping areas are our biggest challenges. We have tried to retain the vitality of Bhendi Bazaar, the cultural factor, the eateries and markets. It’s old wine in new bottle with better infrastructure. We want to give the high-street shopping experience as opposed to the mall experience. We are making sure the businesses are not affected. Next, we have retained the religious structures.”
He told the FT, the project will fulfil “the needs and requirements of today's society and today's perception of how people should live in a decent atmosphere or a decent house.” But he insisted that it will remain a “vibrant, cultural place” with multi-level, street-facing shopping arcades filled by the old businesses and attracting people across Mumbai.
SBUT Chief Executive Officer Abbas Master said, “The Bohra leitmotif is evident in the project’s conceptualisation, inspiration as well as planning. The SBUT, a charitable institution of the community, was formed solely to redevelop the area, which has the Raudat Tahera, a mausoleum in Bhendi Bazaar, at its heart.
“The whole idea is to uplift the lives of the people. The late His Holiness Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin always knew the area is in bad shape and wanted to do something about it.”
Aga Khan and Ismailis
Similar to the Bohras, another sect of Shias are well known for the upliftment of the communities, their progressive nature- much to the credit of their spiritual leader- The Aga Khan, or His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV. The 75-year-old Aga Khan, who is believed to be a direct descendant of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, is the 49th Imam or spiritual leader of the Ismailis.
"Forbes" magazine lists the Aga Khan among the world's ten richest royals with an estimated net worth of $800 million. Other sources estimate his wealth at around $3 billion. He has an estimated 15 million followers in more than 25 countries.
Most Ismailis – also known also Nizari Ismailis – live in African and Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Iran. There are also sizeable communities in the United States, Canada, and Britain.
Since his ascension to the Imamate of Nizari Ismailis in 1957, the Aga Khan has been involved in complex political and economic changes which have affected his Nizari Ismaili followers, including the independence of African countries from colonial rule, expulsion of Asians from Uganda, the independence of Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan from the former Soviet Union and the continuous turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Aga Khan IV became the first faith leader to address the Joint Session of the Canadian Parliament on 27 February 2014.
Among the goals the Aga Khan has said he works toward are the elimination of global poverty; the promotion and implementation of secular pluralism; the advancement of the status of women; and the honouring of Islamic art and architecture. He is the founder and chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the largest private development networks in the world. The organisation has said it works toward improvement of the environment, health, education, architecture, culture, microfinance, rural development, disaster reduction, the promotion of private-sector enterprise and the revitalisation of historic cities.
Hindu sects
Among Hindus, the contributions BAPS Shri Swaminarayan mandir towards its followers has been pivotal. As the leadership of Shri Pramukh Swami Maharaj goes, whether it's education or development of the community or different awareness programmes- Swaminarayan sect is very proactive, ensuring all round developments for its followers.
