A Proliferating Landscape

While in conversation with Nicholas Dumbell, general manager at Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre, at the Executive Lounge of the hotel’s 36th floor, I peered over the expanse of Powai Lake.

- Akanksha Maker

The view was unparalleled: an emerald sheath of water lay still as scattered clouds drifted by, altering the hues of sunlight. Dumbell pointed to an isolated island in the middle of the water body, and iterated the sighting of crocodiles in winter. “In the early 2000s when the hotel opened, our guests and staff have been known to spot leopards as well,” he said.

It was hard to believe this was Mumbai, and only earlier that morning I was struggling to get past suffocating traffic. We continued to discuss Powai’s cityscape that towered at a distance, with a group of identical buildings to the right of my vision. “And that’s Hiranandani Gardens,” he said pointing out to the skyscrapers, a few of which were embellished with green domes.

LAND POWER

Synonymous with this suburb since its inception is the Hiranandani family, who can be credited for laying the foundation of Powai. It all started in 1985, when Niranjan and Surendra Hiranandani purchased 250 acres of land here to kickstart their real-estate business. An urban township with condominiums, apartments, penthouses, bungalows and commercial complexes, Hiranandani Gardens invited denizens of Mumbai looking to breakaway from its clutter. The upmarket township successfully created a haven for young Indians and offered a high standard of living at an affordable price.