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Powai

FieldValue
namePowai
other_namePawai
settlement_typesuburb
image_skylineHiranandani gardens view from powai.JPG
image_captionView of Powai from across the Powai lake, Mumbai (MH)
pushpin_mapMumbai#Maharashtra#India
pushpin_map_captionLocation of Powai in Mumbai (Maharashtra)
coordinates
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameIndia
subdivision_type1State
subdivision_type2District
subdivision_type3City
subdivision_type4Zone
subdivision_type5Ward
subdivision_name1Maharashtra
subdivision_name2Mumbai Suburban
subdivision_name3Mumbai
subdivision_name45
subdivision_name5S
established_title
government_typeMunicipal Corporation
governing_bodyBrihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (MCGM)
unit_prefMetric
elevation_m50
population_density_km2auto
demographics_type1Languages
demographics1_title1Official
timezone1IST
utc_offset1+5:30
postal_code_typePIN
postal_code400076 (IIT Bombay area), 400087 ((IIM Mumbai)), 400072 (Saki Vihar, Chandivali)
area_code022
registration_plateMH-03
blank1_name_sec1Lok Sabha constituency
blank1_info_sec1Mumbai North East (part)
Mumbai North Central (part)
demographics1_info1Marathi
blank2_name_sec2Vidhan Sabha constituency
blank2_info_sec2Bhandup West (part)
Chandivali (part)

Mumbai North Central (part) Chandivali (part)

Powai (Pronunciation: [pəʋəiː]) is a residential suburb located in central Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is situated on the banks of Powai Lake, and is bound by the hills of Vikhroli Parksite to the south-east, Chandivali to the south-west, the L.B.S. Marg (old Mumbai-Agra road) to the north-east and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to the north beyond the lake. The Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, one of the city's busiest thoroughfares linking the western and eastern suburbs, passes through Powai. The place also hosts thousands of devotees every year during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival for the visarjan processions.

The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, established in 1958 and currently the second oldest campus of the Indian Institutes of Technology as well as the Indian Institute of Management Mumbai, established in 1963 are both located here, as is a campus of the Bombay Scottish School. Powai is also home to residential complexes of the Income Tax department, Customs and NTPC, as well as those of ex-servicemen. Powai houses schools and colleges, some of which are S M Shetty School and College, Gopal Sharma School and Chandrabhan Sharma College. Chandivali has Sinhgad College of Management. The new school includes Pawar Public School towards Chandivali. Some of the Temples of Powai are Chinmaya Mission's Jagadeshwara Shiva Temple, Sri Ayyappa Vishnu Temple at Hiranandani, and Devi Vageshwari Mata Temple at Chandivali. Powai also hosts a community birthday havan.

Powai is also Mumbai's start-up hub, with young entrepreneurs like the Hiranandanis. starting from incubation cells set up by institutes like IIT Bombay from the tech industry and other sectors setting their bases there, causing the area to be referred to as India's Powai Valley. As a result of the mixture of various communities living together, the suburb has one of the city's most cosmopolitan and modernized cultures. The place has a vibrant night-life, and shoots for several Bollywood as well as Hollywood movies, such as Kalyug, Ghajini, Slumdog Millionaire, Mardaani and Haseena Maan Jaayegi have taken place there. The Hiranandani Gardens are also known for their neoclassical architectural style and the area has some of the tallest residential buildings in Suburban Mumbai. The suburb is also known for being one of the preferred residential areas for expats in Mumbai.

Geography

Powai is a part of the Mumbai Suburban District, located in the north-eastern region of what is today considered to be the modern Mumbai metropolis. Administratively, it is a part of the Kurla tehsil and much of the area falls within the boundaries of the S-ward, the largest ward in Mumbai. Powai is situated on the banks of its namesake lake and boasts of a recently revamped, landscaped garden with viewing decks, a children's play area and synchronized fountains. The privately run Dr. L. H. Hiranandani Hospital, located within the Hiranandani residential complex, is the first superspeciality hospital in the area.

As a result of prolific construction activity in the last two decades, the area has one of the highest residential population densities in suburban Mumbai. The development in the region has, however, hurt the environment, with the area facing the ill-effects of excessive concretisation, resulting in a shrinking number of open spaces, green cover and rising pollution levels.

File:Hiranandani Gardens, Powai skyline.JPG|Hiranandani Gardens skyline (seen from Powai Lake).

Lake

Main article: Powai Lake

Perhaps the best-known landmark of Powai is the Powai Lake, a 120-year-old lake that was originally used to supply water to the city of Mumbai, and is today used as an industrial sewage outlet. Another prominent landmark that most outsiders associate Powai with is the IIT Bombay, located to the east of the lake. The campus of the NITIE is located near the north bank of the lake, as is the Renaissance Hotel and Convention centre, part of the Marriott group of hotels, with its distinctive facade visible across the Powai lake. In the past, fishing and bird-watching were popular recreational activities that took place along the shores of the lake. Rare migration birds were known to visit the lake each year, and the lake boasted a variety of fish species. Crocodiles have also been spotted alongside the lake. However, the rapid and uncontrolled growth of the region in recent years has hurt the flora and fauna found in and around the lake. In its day, the lake used to be an idyllic picnic spot for people wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

History

The name "Powai" originates from Padmavati, a Hindu deity to whom a temple was dedicated in the village existing on the contemporary space of the neighbourhood. In 1826, after the death of the previous owner of the estate, the area that is now Powai was leased to Parsi merchant Framji Kavasji. The water body at the center of the neighbourhood that is now known as Powai Lake was a result of initiatives by city authorities in the 1890s to increase urban water supply. In 1943, four years before India's independence, the freedom fighters Chandrabhan Sharma & Ram Nath Grover arrived in Mumbai and happened to lease and subsequently buy Powai Estate from Sir Yusuf, the then owner, for a paltry sum. At that time, Powai comprised five villages: Saki, Kopri, Tirandaz, Powai and Paspauli. In the late 1950s, a portion of Powai was given to the government to set up an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). The Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, personally visited the area and, during a meeting, Chandrabhan Sharma was motivated by him to give the land free of cost for this purpose. Simultaneously, a young engineer from Denmark, Søren Kristian Toubro, had obtained a major contract in Mumbai. As a result, vast tracts of land were leased to him by Mr. Sharma to set up what would become Larsen & Toubro.

References

References

  1. "Ministry of Road Transport and Highways - National Register e-Services".
  2. Mumbai North East covers the area under Bhandup West Vidhan Sabha constituency
  3. Mumbai North Central covers the area under Chandivali Vidhan Sabha constituency
  4. "Powai(wikimapia)".
  5. "MSRDC - Project - Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road".
  6. "Guide to Mumbai Ganesh Visarjan".
  7. "IIT Bombay: Contact Us".
  8. "NITIE".
  9. "Bombay Scottish School, Powai".
  10. "Buildings with a Powai Lake view".
  11. (2010-08-27). "Major police operation near Jalvayu Vihar near Powai". Mid Day.
  12. "Home - Pawar Public School chandivali".
  13. "The New Indian Express".
  14. (21 January 2014). "Welcome to 'Powai Valley', India's new start-up hub - Times of India". The Times of India.
  15. (18 August 2011). "Powai in Mumbai grows as commercial hub".
  16. "Bars-pubs in powai - burrp.com".
  17. "Lounges in Powai - burrp.com".
  18. "Mumbai-76".
  19. "Glen Ridge Powai".
  20. (2007-11-26). "Expats look afield to suburbia".
  21. "MMRDA Regional Plan".
  22. (19 January 2012). "There's a stinking problem".
  23. "MCGM Election website".
  24. (21 January 2011). "120 years old and brand new". [[The Times of India]].
  25. "Hiranandani Hospital: About Us".
  26. (1 Feb 2012). "Traffic, flooding and waste disposal woes".
  27. "Renaissance Hotel and Convention Centre, Mumbai".
  28. Kadakia, Pankti Mehta. (4 April 2017). "For a decade, Mumbai's eastern suburb Powai boomed with its start-ups. Now will it bust with them?".
  29. Maharashtra State Gazetteers. ""Greater Bombay Places - Powai Lake"".
  30. "Premium projects set the right TONE IN FESTIVE FERVOUR".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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