FROM JANTA COLONY TO JANTA COLONY
At first, three stories from the year 1950 in Bombay
The Greater Bombay Tenant's Association is formed in April 1950
It demands the "rationing" of living space in Bombay
One week later, 250 people removed from Mahim causeway
occupy Samudra Mahal in Worli
It is reoccupied one day later.
5 days after that, a govt. conference on the "squatter issue" was held.
It refers to the 1949 survey of homeless done by TISS as its main source.
Three months later, a proposal is made to create a "Poor Man's Colony" in Mankhurd.
For 4,000 families, "Between Sion and Trombay"
In an area known as Manbudruk, in Farsi, big brother of Mankhurd.
In another year the squatter population has doubled to 75,000
On December there are evictions of 1,700 huts at Sion Circle, out of which 500 moved to Mankhurd.
The following year there are many people who refuse to be transported to Mankhurd.
On a national level, in 1954 Nehru had decided he was against paying compensation in such cases.
A better idea, he is quoted in TOI, is "to burn them".
Meanwhile in April 1950, the limits of Bombay city have been officially extended.
OK, Lets watch a three minute version of Raj Kapoor's Sree 420
In Mani Kaul Satah se Uthata
In Guru Dutt's first film. Mr and Mrs 55
This is Shastri Nagar, Bandra, where 16 years later Anand Patwardhan would shoot Hamara Shehar.
Cut to: Vidhu Vinod Chopra's first film, on Mankhurd Children's Home.
A Deonar Farm Road rumour: One Evening in the mid-fifties, Homi Bhabha, Raj Kapoor and Jamshedji Tata were having tea. With Nehru.
All three shared their cultural, scientific and industrial vision with Nehru, who gave them in turn land for RK Studios, BARC and TISS.