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ShareMumbai: Nitin Gangawane misses having his personal football pitch by the sea. Each morning at 2am, the 19-year-old would sneak out of his house to play football with friends on the Worli sea face. "But since the sea link was opened there is a traffic jam even at that hour. Cops patrolling the area don't even let us walk on the sea face, let alone play football," he rues.
Gangawane is just one of the Worli residents who have found their lives changed by the Bandra-Worli sea link. And while it is drawing crowds of admiring motorists, there are those who feel it is the end for one of Mumbai's iconic spots.
"I remember hanging out at the sea face with friends during the 70s, humming Beatles numbers," says Prakash Thadani, businessman and jazz musician. Thadani's family has lived on the sea face since 1948, but with the crowd he now prefers organising karaoke sessions at home. "While I admire the sea link, I am sure it has sealed the fate of the sea face," he says.
Others who enjoyed a jog at Worli sea face now prefer to stay home. "The other day I was being jostled around by cars and tourists," says Rajan Alimchandani, member of the Worli Walkers Association. "I don't want to get hit trying to exercise." Residents also miss the many goodies that were available on the promenade as the cops are chasing the hawkers away. But what they miss the most is the tranquillity of the spot.
The spot has also served as a setting for countless real life romances. Girish Kiri, 28, says the increased police patrolling and crowds have ruined his social life. "Nothing could be more romantic than enjoying a bhutta and masala milk while sitting on the promenade with your girl by your side. And it worked out cheaper on your pocket too," says Kiri.
While Kiri will probably end up finding another spot it remains to be seen if the blazing lights of the sea link mark the end of Mumbai's long-running romance with Worli sea face.
