Hundreds take bus ride through Mumbai’s past

Vidya Venkiteshwaran, 18, had never been to south Mumbai before this Saturday. But a thirty-minute heritage bus ride through town, organised by Hindustan Times on No TV Day, made up for lost time, she said.

Vidya Venkiteshwaran, 18, had never been to south Mumbai before this Saturday. But a thirty-minute heritage bus ride through town, organised by Hindustan Times on No TV Day, made up for lost time, she said.

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Hindustan Times organised a bus tour around historically-significant sites such as The Asiatic Society, Rajabai Tower and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in South Mumbai.

“I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have never been to this part of the city so this was a very good experience for me,” said Venkiteshwaran, a Santacruz resident.

On Saturday, eager participants lined up outside Jehangir Art gallery in Kala Ghoda to hop on to the bus, which took them along Oval Maidan, Flora Fountain, and Marine Drive. An estimated 400 people were part of eight rides organised throughout the day.

Navi Mumbai resident Sukej Desai, 5, had forced his mother to take him on the bus. “I was reluctant to take the ride as it was far and the bus did not have an open deck,” said Sonal, the mother. But Sukej was fascinated by the creative design on the bus. “I like bus rides, I had fun, it was very nice,” said the shy five-year-old.

The Queen’s Necklace at Marine Drive got the children so excited that the driver had to halt the bus a while before the excited bunch let him take the bus any further.

For Dr Sujit Mandal from KEM Hospital in Parel was a stress-buster. “I have been waiting for this ride for a long time, as it was something away from work and now I am headed to Nehru Planetarium for a show.” The shows at Nehru Planetarium were also part of No TV Day celebrations.