Sign up for a guided walk to learn about Mumbai's historic drinking fountains

Mumbairsquos historic drinking water fountains or as theyrsquore colloquially known pyaavs installed approximately between the 1870s and 1950s while being important structures in the city tend to get overlooked In this context conservation architect Rahul Chemburkar tells us that there are around 50 pyaavs left in the city Today three are functional after restoration namely Kesowwji Naik fountain at Masjid Bunder built in the late 1870s Ramji Setiba pyaav installed in the early 20th century at Shivaji Park and Kothari pyaav built in 1923 near the General Post Office building at Fort Six other pyaavs are currently under restoration and will be opened to the public in the near futureRahul Chemburkar at Ramji Setiba pyaav at Shivaji Park DadarPath of pyaavsOn an upcoming heritage walk called Once Upon A Pyaav with Mumbai Pyaav Project an initiative started by Chemburkar and his architecture firm Vaastu Vidhaan the 49yearold will guide the curious halting at five to six of the cityrsquos pyaavs Starting at Masjid Bunderrsquos Kesowwji Naik fountain the walk will trace a path of pyaavs till Horniman Circle at Fort The trail will cover details of the fountains such as their confluence of various architectural styles and stories behind the installation to bring to the forefront aspects of Mumbairsquos socioeconomic and cultural heritage ldquoEach pyaav has a tale to tellrdquo Chemburkar quips Shruti Railkar of passportandpizza who conducts heritage and food walks within the city adds ldquoMumbairsquos water heritage is unique yet not many know about it Uncovering these facets of our cultural past is importantrdquoDevidas Prabhudas Kothari pyaav near CSTPause spacesIf in need of some drinking water or rest while going about your day in the city where would you go Chemburkar notes that the most popular choice would be a cafeacute even the mall or a restaurant today is the designated meeting point Chemburkar who likes to be known as a heritage enthusiast highlights the lack of public spaces available in the city He continues ldquoYou want to have places where you can interact with people or rest Thatrsquos one of the reasons why itrsquos important to restore and maintain the legacy of pyaavs develop the space around them for people to use find solace while they sit down drink water and carry on with their dayrdquo For Chemburkar Mumbairsquos yesteryearrsquos pyaavs are perfect spots for what he terms cultural pause spaces A reduction in the purchase of plastic water bottles is anotable benefitShruti RailkarWindows to the pastThese structures offer a peek into the socioeconomic ethos of the past Chemburkar shares that wersquove been a city that was developed and built on trade and the influx of people from all over who came here to work He continues that this furthered the need for facilities such as marketplaces benches and street lights mdashthis included drinking water fountains as wellChemburkar adds ldquoIn digging into the history of pyaavs and documenting them an interesting fact that I would like to point out that makes me proud as a Mumbaikar is that these pyaavs were installed for all communitiesrdquo They were donated in memory of a loved one or as an act of philanthropy catering to human beings and some to birds and animals too Today the fountains are still called after the names mentioned on the plaques on the structuresRestoring the pyaavsHe continues that while many pyaavs have been lost demolished to make way for new structures or interestingly transformed for other uses itrsquos important to document restore and preserve the ones that are left The architect adds that Mumbai has been at the forefront in taking initiatives to preserve and document cultural and heritage structuresThe functioning pyaavs offer filtered water to the passersby ldquoItrsquos not sufficient to merely restore the structure itrsquos important that we breathe life into them and ensure theyrsquore functioning and maintained after restorationrdquo Chemburkar signs offOn June 25 830 amLog on to DM passportandpizza to register and for detailsCost Rs 750