Ranwar Village Lanes

Ranwar is one of the handful of original villages — gaothans — that Bandra grew around long before it became a suburb of towers and traffic.

• Tucked between Hill Road and Veronica Street, its plan is commonly traced to the Portuguese period, when the villages of Salsette island took the shape they still roughly hold: a tight grid of lanes too narrow for two cars, houses set shoulder to shoulder, and a scatter of open corners where neighbours have always gathered.
• It is home to Bandra's East Indian community, and it remains an address people live at, not an exhibit they charge for.
• Walk in from Waroda Road and the change of scale is immediate.
• Ground-and-first-floor cottages carry sloping roofs of red Mangalore tile, deep shaded verandahs, external staircases with cast-iron or timber railings, and louvred shutters painted in the blues, ochres and mint greens the lanes are known for.
• Hand-lettered name boards over the doors — family names, dates, small dedications — read like a directory of the village.
• Potted crotons, frangipani and bougainvillea crowd every step and parapet.
• Along Chapel Road and the connecting lanes, large murals from Bandra's street-art projects run across gable ends, so a century-old façade and a three-storey portrait often share the same corner.
• Bicycles, drying laundry and cats complete a picture that changes character with the light.
• There is no gate, ticket or fixed route.
• The etiquette matters more than the logistics: keep voices low, stay on the lane rather than stepping into courtyards, photograph buildings freely but ask before photographing residents or through open doorways, and avoid large groups.
• Early morning is quietest and best for the low light on the tiles; late afternoon brings the lanes back to life.
• An hour covers Ranwar comfortably, and it sits within an easy walk of Bandra Fort and the Carter Road promenade.
• For food, Bandra is a mixed-cuisine neighbourhood where seafood, egg and meat are common, so look for a clearly marked pure-vegetarian board and confirm at the counter before you order.
• The dependable options are the vegetarian snack carts near Hill Road and Bandra station selling vada pav, batata bhaji, poha and cutting chai; Udupi-style counters doing idli, medu vada, dosa and filter coffee; and Gujarati or Marwari thali kitchens towards the Linking Road side serving veg-only meals.
• Bakery items along Hill Road are tempting but frequently contain egg, so ask for eggless before buying.
• Carry water — the lanes have shade but no shops of their own.