Thread by @bawmbe

Moving out of the city & into the Garden Suburbs, this time for a place where, me #BimblingInBombay goes back to my school days.

Presenting a #ThenAndNow of Belvedere in Chembur with these photos from 1962 & 2020.

cc: @mumbaiheritage @mumnowandthen

The bungalow remains the same. The boundary wall too. The road height has significantly been raised, but you can still see one tower of the OLPS church building in the background. Also, really happy that the tree at the gate has thankfully managed to stay throughout the years.

Belvedere, the quaint little house located on Chembur's Central Avenue Rd. is a Grade 2B structure and home to the Soares family.

Prof. Aloysius Soares - the first editor of Goan Tribune & an activist in the Goan freedom movement, built this home in 1933.

Born in Bardez, studied in Mapusa, formed the Goan Liberation Union, and well, there's a lot more to the life of Prof. Aloysius Soares (1891-1971) - who was a versatile educationist and an eminent Goan figure.

Photo from his book titled 'Down the Corridors of Time'

Besides Belvedere, another piece of history attached to him still exists as Aloysius Soares Marg in Chembur, Mumbai (that cuts through and is located near the Bombay Presidency Golf Club).

I've spent years passing by this house and finding this old photograph was just ❤️. I'm sure it'll bring in the nostalgia for others too. Especially, anyone who is an alumni of St. Anthony's or O.L.P.S. High School in Chembur, Mumbai.

Actually, I'm going to go ahead and tag some here. See if they have more stories about it. @vidya_balan @shreyaghoshal @devduttmyth @AnilKapoor @Shankar_Live @TheShilpaShetty

Photo Credits: Film photographs from 1962 (I believe from the Soares family collection). Attaching two more photos that I found via FB and Twitter. Colored photo from the original tweet by me, Hrishikesh Singh.

@girishmallya Fun fact for your daily run👆🏻. Also, please send photo in case you do this route sometime soon.