Has Mumbai's iconic Mahalaxmi Racecourse run its course?
As the game comes to a close, the crowded mumbai stadium is filled with a thundering clamour. The whole environment is fired up. The city's elite are gathered in the stands. However, the visuals are from the mumbai Derby, one of the largest horse racing events held annually at Mumbai's Mahalaxmi Racecourse, rather than a cricket match at Wankhede Stadium.
Aside from cricket, horse racing is a sport that attracts millions of fans and brings together the city's elite socialites, businesspeople, and bollywood stars. The click of the turnstiles, gates bursting open, and the boom of hooves as muscular horses race down the track at great speeds create an adrenaline-pumping environment.
However, this 140-year-old tradition may soon be a thing of the past, as the Royal Western india Turf Club (RWITC), which operates Mumbai's famed Mahalaxmi Racecourse, is currently at odds with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over its 225-acre grounds.
The club's 99-year contract on the ground expires in 2013. Since then, the racecourse, which is located in one of Mumbai's most exclusive areas, has been on fire. Recently, the BMC and the maharashtra government rekindled plans to build a theme park in the region and relocate the racetrack.
The BMC's proposal has been met with strong opposition from a portion of the RWITC, politicians (including Aadtiya thackeray of the shiv sena (UBT)), and activists who have referred to it as Mumbai's sole "green lung".
What makes the Mahalaxmi Racecourse region such a desirable location in Mumbai? What exactly is the point of contention? We describe the issue's deep nuances.
First, a quick history of how the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, which previously welcomed international dignitaries such as Britain's queen Elizabeth II and Saudi Arabia's King, came about.
How the racecourse came to be in Mahalaxmi.
The british brought horse racing to india, much as they did cricket. India's first racetrack, located in Guindy, chennai (formerly Madras), opened in 1777.
Years later, in 1802, four british officials—Captain G Hall, Sir Charles Forbes, P Hadow, and A Campbell—founded the bombay Turf Club and picked Byculla as the location for horse racing. Annual races are still named after them to remember their contributions to mumbai racing.
Later, businessman Cusrow N Wadia, who ran the bombay Dyeing textile industry, proposed relocating the racetrack from Byculla to a 225-acre area in Mahalaxmi, which was then marshland.
Aside from cricket, horse racing is a sport that attracts millions of fans and brings together the city's elite socialites, businesspeople, and bollywood stars. The click of the turnstiles, gates bursting open, and the boom of hooves as muscular horses race down the track at great speeds create an adrenaline-pumping environment.
However, this 140-year-old tradition may soon be a thing of the past, as the Royal Western india Turf Club (RWITC), which operates Mumbai's famed Mahalaxmi Racecourse, is currently at odds with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over its 225-acre grounds.
The club's 99-year contract on the ground expires in 2013. Since then, the racecourse, which is located in one of Mumbai's most exclusive areas, has been on fire. Recently, the BMC and the maharashtra government rekindled plans to build a theme park in the region and relocate the racetrack.
The BMC's proposal has been met with strong opposition from a portion of the RWITC, politicians (including Aadtiya thackeray of the shiv sena (UBT)), and activists who have referred to it as Mumbai's sole "green lung".
What makes the Mahalaxmi Racecourse region such a desirable location in Mumbai? What exactly is the point of contention? We describe the issue's deep nuances.
First, a quick history of how the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, which previously welcomed international dignitaries such as Britain's queen Elizabeth II and Saudi Arabia's King, came about.
How the racecourse came to be in Mahalaxmi.
The british brought horse racing to india, much as they did cricket. India's first racetrack, located in Guindy, chennai (formerly Madras), opened in 1777.
Years later, in 1802, four british officials—Captain G Hall, Sir Charles Forbes, P Hadow, and A Campbell—founded the bombay Turf Club and picked Byculla as the location for horse racing. Annual races are still named after them to remember their contributions to mumbai racing.
Later, businessman Cusrow N Wadia, who ran the bombay Dyeing textile industry, proposed relocating the racetrack from Byculla to a 225-acre area in Mahalaxmi, which was then marshland.