Santacruz or Santa Cruz (Pronunciation:
">aːn̪t̪akɾuːz is a suburb of
Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. The
Santacruz railway station on the
Mumbai Suburban Railway, the domestic terminal (T1) of the
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is the international airport serving Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the second-busiest airport in India in terms of total and international passenger traffic a ...
, and one campus of the
University of Mumbai
University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai. It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges.
It was est ...
, are all located in Santacruz (East).
Santacruz and its neighbouring suburb
Khar fall under the H East and H West wards of the
Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), or the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) is the governing civic body of Mumbai, the capital city of Maharashtra.
Salman Khan Is Now Brand Ambassador of BMC from 2016. The BMC is India ...
. The locality had a population of 675,951 in 1991, over an area of 12.98 square kilometers, giving it a population density of 36,668 persons per square kilometer.
History
The term ''Santa Cruz'' comes from the Portuguese words meaning "
Holy Cross",
a reference to a 150-year-old Cross located on Chapel lane within the compound of a home for destitute women run by
Mother Teresa
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...
's
Missionaries of Charity
The Missionaries of Charity () is a Catholic centralised religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women
established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. , it consisted o ...
trust. That name was also given to a church that existed on a site on the western side of the railway station along the current
Swami Vivekanand Road, presently occupied by the
Sacred Heart Boys High School and
Sacred Heart Church. This original church was destroyed by the Marathas during their conquest of the
Salsette Island
Salsette Island (, , Sashti) is an island in Konkan division of the state of Maharashtra, along India's west coast. Administratively known as the Mumbai Suburban district, Mira Bhayander and a portion of Thana (Thane) lie on it; making it ...
from Portugal. When the railways began operations in October 1888, the local railway station was named after the Holy Cross, and Santacruz as a locality came into being.
The then British Government set up
RAF Santa Cruz
Royal Air Force Santa Cruz or more simply Santa Cruz is a former Royal Air Force station in Bombay (now called Mumbai), then British India which saw extensive use in the Second World War.
History
The Airfield was constructed in the 1930s wh ...
, a military airfield, in 1942. It was home to several
RAF squadrons during World War II from 1942 to 1947. The Airport covered an area of about and initially had three runways.
The airfield was transferred to the Indian Government for civilian use upon Independence, and came to be known as Santa Cruz airport, the city's main airport. Construction of a new passenger terminal and apron began in 1950 and was commissioned in 1958.
In the 1980s, a new international terminal was built at
Sahar, to cater for the increasing number of passenger movements and types of aircraft; the terminal at Santa Cruz was converted to serve domestic flights and was primarily used by Indian Airlines until the 1990s, when Jet Airways and East West Airlines appeared. The original terminal building still exists and has been given a new façade and host of interior upgrades. A second terminal complex has also been built to supplement existing facilities.
Geography
Santa Cruz is bordered by
Juhu and
Vile Parle
Vile Parle (, also known as Parla), is a suburb and also the name of the railway station in the Western suburb of Mumbai
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state o ...
to the north and
Khar and
Bandra
Bandra ( æːɳɖɾa is a coastal suburb located in Mumbai, the largest city of the Konkan division in Maharashtra, India. The area is located to the immediate north of the River Mithi, which separates Bandra from the Mumbai City district. It ...
to the south. It is broadly divided in two areas: Santa Cruz (East) and Santa Cruz (West) by the
Mumbai Suburban Railway line. The Milan Subway and Khar Subway connect the two areas, passing under the rail line. Recently Milan flyover has been built which has improved connectivity between Santacruz East and West. The Western express highway passes through Santacruz East. Because of its unique geography and connectivity, Santacruz is one of the prime locations in Mumbai.
Vakola
Vakola hosts the corporate headquarters of
Asian Paints Limited and a significant number of large commercial banks, including
Canara Bank
Canara Bank is an Indian public sector bank based in Bangalore, India. Established in 1906 at Mangalore by Ammembal Subba Rao Pai. The bank was nationalized in 1969. Canara Bank also has offices in London, Dubai and New York.
History
Amm ...
,
State Bank of India
State Bank of India (SBI) is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational Public sector undertakings in India, public sector bank and financial service body headquartered in Mumbai. It is the largest bank in India with a 23% market shar ...
, The
Shamrao Vithal Co-operative Bank (Head Office in Vakola), CitizenCredit Co-operative Bank,
Bank of Baroda
Bank of Baroda (BOB or BoB) is an Public sector banks in India, Indian government Public sector bank headquartered in Vadodara, Gujarat. It is the third largest Public sector banks in India, public sector bank in India after State Bank of India ...
,
Central Bank of India
The Central Bank of India (CBI) is an Public sector banks in India, Indian public sector bank based in Mumbai. Despite its name, CBI is not the central bank of India, a role served by the Reserve Bank of India.
History
The Central Bank of ...
,
ICICI Bank
ICICI Bank Limited is an Indian multinational bank and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai with a registered office in Vadodara. It offers a wide range of banking and financial services for corporate and retail customers throu ...
,
Axis Bank
Axis Bank Limited, formerly known as UTI Bank (1993–2007), is an Indian Multinational corporation, multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai. It is India's third largest private sector bank by assets and fo ...
and NKGSB Co-Operative Bank . The Grand
Hyatt
Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational corporation, multinational hospitality company headquartered in the 150 North Riverside, Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchise ...
hotel is located at Vakola, on the erstwhile premises of the Standard Batteries factory. Vakola is also famous for its marble stretch which exists on the Nehru Road till the
Western Express Highway.
The Domestic Terminal 1 and
International Terminal 2 of Mumbai Airport lie 10 mins and 20 mins away respectively from Vakola. The prominent upscale commercial, business and residential district of
Bandra Kurla Complex
The Bandra Kurla Complex is the central business district of the city of Mumbai, the financial capital of India. It is a prominent upscale hub and is considered to be one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in the world. According t ...
lies neighboring the Vakola and Kalina region.
The road stretching from the Western Express Highway to the Military Camp is called Nehru Road.
A tributary of the
Mithi River, called as the Vakola Nallah flows through Vakola. This river overflowed during
the statewide floods of 2005 on 26 July 2005 and caused massive damage to slums and housing societies along its banks. Some buildings were under ten feet of water.
The neighbourhood of Vakola is the setting for the 2011 novel ''
Last Man in Tower'', by Booker Prize–winning Indian author
Aravind Adiga.
Kalina
Kalina is home to a number of schools and colleges besides the Kalina Campus of the
University of Mumbai
University of Mumbai is a public state university in Mumbai. It is one of the largest university systems in the world with over 549,000 students on its campuses and affiliated colleges. , the university had 711 affiliated colleges.
It was est ...
and the prestigious Bombay College of Pharmacy India.
Other notable schools in the vicinity are Mary Immaculate High School, a school run by sisters of
Ajmer
Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...
, the Kalina Education Society School, which was set up by the late M.L.A, Mr. Hans Bhugra and Air India Modern School.
During the statewide
floods in 2005, Air India Colony was flooded with water five to six metres deep. In many buildings, the water had entered in the ground floor and first floor level houses and the people had to take shelter on the upper floors. Rescue boats of Navy were requisitioned deployed in the area. Immediately after the deluge, restoration programme was implemented and portable pumps were installed at Air India colony, helping the early discharge of flood water.
Willingdon Colony
The Bombay Catholic Cooperative Housing Society constructed in 1930 a low-cost housing estate for the Catholic community, known as Willingdon Colony. It included pre-existing bungalows that the Cooperative had built as early as 1917.
The colony was spread over and managed by the Cooperative. The members of the cooperative voted in 1966 to redevelop the colony, with 673 new flats to be built. The redevelopment was planned to provide permanent accommodation for 230 members, with the excess flats to be offered for sale. An additional, separate, building on the land was to provide capacity to temporarily house a further 530 people displaced by slum redevelopments, through the Slum Rehabilitation Authority. A small number of cooperative members opposed the redevelopment, and it was delayed by litigation for nearly 50 years.
Despite heritage preservation concerns, and over the objections of the twenty remaining resident families, their final challenge was dismissed by the
Supreme Court
In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
in 2014, allowing redevelopment to proceed. Demolition of historic bungalows commenced soon after. Further pauses occurred throughout 2014, as stays for proceedings continued.
Despite the court's rejection of the challenge to redevelopment, the same group began a new round of legal actions in 2015, with a petition to the
High Court, challenging the validity of the permit issued to the developer to transplant 103 trees from the site. The petitioners were not successful in having the tree removal permit withdrawn.
Amenities and places of interest
Cultural
*
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) is a spiritual and philanthropic organisation headquartered in Belur Math, West Bengal. The mission is named after the Indian Hindu spiritual guru and mystic Ramakrishna. The mission was founde ...
(though strictly in Khar) has a yearly fest between October (for the
Durga Puja
Durga Puja (ISO 15919, ISO: , ), also known as Durgotsava or Shaaradotsava, is an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which pays homage to the Hinduism, Hindu goddess Durga, and is also celebrated because of Durga's victo ...
festival) and December. It is widely attended for its mix of eclectic stalls selling cultural wares, clothes, religious and spiritual books, devotional music and eateries. The food stalls outside the hospital are famous in Mumbai for ''
Chaat
Chaat, or chāt (IAST: ''cāṭ)'' () is a family of savoury snacks that originated in India, typically served as an hors d'oeuvre or at roadside tracks from stalls or food carts across South Asia in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. ...
''
*
The Yoga Institute (TYI), founded in 1918, is widely reported to be the oldest organised yoga center in the world. It was the first to offer courses to men, women and children of any caste or creed, for free. Initially located at
Versova, Bombay, its permanent home was established at Santacruz in 1948. TYI's founder,
Shri Yogendra (1897–1989), played a key role in developing medical hatha yoga, a step in the history of yoga that would later lead to the development of
Yoga therapy.
Education
University campuses
*
SNDT Women's University
SNDT Women's University, also called by its full name Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University, is a women's university in the city of Mumbai, India. The university headquarters are at Churchgate in South Mumbai, while the ma ...
, with Juhu campus on the Juhu Tara Road, which houses approximately 15 institutions, mostly for Postgraduate
*
The Kalina Campus of the University of Mumbai
Schools
* St. Anthony High School, Nehru Road, Vakola, Santacruz (East): for boys from preschool to Standard-X levels; named 'high school' even though it also offers primary and pre-primary education
* St. Anthony Girls' High School, St. Anthony's Road, Chembur (West)
* Billabong High International School, Santacruz West, a coeducational school from pre-primary to class 12, offering
(Cambridge) curriculum
*
R. N. Podar School, a
-board school offering education from junior kindergarten to class 12.
*Panbai International School - IGCSE
* Flamingo Kids International Pre primary School - Santacruz East
* Panbai International College - A levels, Santacruz, Mumbai
Parks and gardens
* Juhu Garden, Juhu-Tara Road, Santacruz (West), known for its large-scale aircraft replica in the children's playground, and consequently popularly called the "Aeroplane Garden". The original version, a concrete replica of a Boeing 707-437 was donated by
Air India
Air India is the flag carrier of India with its main hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, and secondary hubs at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, alo ...
in the 1960s, and generations of local children played in its cabin and "cockpit". Its partial collapse in 2009 was the cause of a fatality, after which public access was closed; its demolition followed in 2011. A replacement version was installed and opened to the public in 2013.
Churches, temples and other religious sites
*
Sacred Heart Church, Santacruz (West)
*
Our Lady of Egypt Church, Kalina
Hospitals
*
Nanavati Hospital
References
{{Mumbai metropolitan area
Mumbai Suburban district
Suburbs of Mumbai