120-year-old fountain in south Mumbai to open this week

Mumbai city news: The drinking water fountain on Mint Road was built by Ruttonsee Mulji in memory of his son, Mulji Dharamsi, a book-lover

A memorial to his son by a grief-stricken father will have a rebirth in Mumbai soon. The 120-year-old Mulji Jheta fountain on Mint Road in South Mumbai has been brought to life again, with conservationists painstakingly removing multiple layers of paint and grime accumulated over decades. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Kala Ghoda Association (KGA) will formally re-unveil it this week.

The sculpture has been restored by renowned conservation architect Vikas Dilwari who is also working on the restoration of the iconic Flora Fountain. (HT File Photo)

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The fountain is a memorial to Dharamsi Mulji, the only son of businessman-philanthropist Ruttonsee Mulji. The businessman created the drinking water fountain as the boy died at a very young age. Since he loved reading books, the sculpture atop the fountain is of a young boy with a book.

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The sculpture has been restored by renowned conservation architect Vikas Dilwari who is also working on the restoration of the iconic Flora Fountain. Not only have the multiple layers of paints been removed, stones like Porbander, basalt and granite have been used to bring back its original glory. “The fountain, unlike Flora, has not been in use for years now. We have restored its plumbing to make it functional again,” Dilawari said.