Arab Lane
Neighbourhood in Mumbai
Other nameArab Gully
Coordinates18.962980°N 72.823524°E
CountryIndia
StateMaharashtra
MetroMumbai
First settled by ArabsEarly 19th century
Named forThe Arabs who used to live in Mumbai
Governing bodyBMC
Unit prefMetric
Elevation4 m
OfficialMarathi
Time zoneIST (UTC+5:30)
Registration plateMH-01

Arab Lane is a locality/lane in Grant Road East, South Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.[1] It is located at the junction of Kamathipura, Bapty Road and Play House.[2]

Overview

Arab Lane is the unofficial and widely used name of the lane officially called Mohammed Tahir Ansari Marg.[3] It was the place of residence of Urdu novelist Saadat Hasan Manto from 1930s to 1940s.[4][5][6]

Etymology

The name of the lane could be linked to the Arab pearl merchants who once resided there.[7][8] Another possibility is that it was named after an Arab ascetic who, about forty-five years ago, claimed to have mystical powers. This ascetic stayed in the lane, and over time, it became associated with him. He formed close ties with several prominent individuals, one of whom, unable to have children, placed his faith in the ascetic, who promised to help him have a family.[9]

Politics

Arab Lane belongs to the Mumbadevi constituency in the Maharashtra legislative assembly.[10] It belongs to the Mumbai South constituency in the Lok Sabha.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Video: Massive fire breaks out in Arab Galli in Kamathipura near Grant Road". Local Press Co. 2016-11-26. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  2. ^ "Revisiting Manto's Bombay, in words and pictures". Firstpost. 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  3. ^ Manish K, Pathak. "Chota Shakeel's brother-in-law arrested by NIA". The Hindustan Times
  4. ^ Punwani, Jyoti (2018-08-14). "Searching for Manto". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  5. ^ "Mumbaiwale: Walking down Manto's memory lanes". Hindustan Times. 2018-09-29. Archived 2022-05-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  6. ^ "Street Wise: Ghalib may not have lived here but Saadat Hasan Manto did". The Indian Express. 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  7. ^ Kamalakaran, Ajay (2022-07-30). "When Arab traders made a fortune in pearl trade in Bombay". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  8. ^ Nihira (2021-03-08). "How street names in Bombay came to be". Citizen Matters. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
  9. ^ Sheppard, Samuel T (2019). Bombay Place-names and Street-names: An Excursion Into the By-ways of the History of Bombay City. Alpha Editions. p. 21. ISBN 9789353955366.
  10. ^ "Map of Mumbadevi constituency". Election Commission of Maharashtra.
  11. ^ "Parliamentary constituency map of Mumbai". Citizens Matter