Down Study Lane
A small alleyway in Mumbai has shaped the careers of thousands of students for decades now, offering them a quiet, undisturbed refuge to study
Every evening, Sudhir Suhas Adelkar, a resident of the BDD chawls in Mumbai, heads with his books to a narrow lane in Worli located behind the R.A. Podar Ayurved Medical College building. By the time he reaches the Sudam Kalu Ahire road, many other youngsters are already there, each occupying small portions of the tree-lined pavement. Hailing from various parts of the city, these children, mostly from chawls, slums and thousands of lower-income families that populate the city, gather here for a sincere undertaking: studying. In a space-starved metropolis like Mumbai, the ‘abhyas galli’ (study lane) is the only dedicated place for them to study—a luxury they can’t find in the matchbox houses they share with their families, nor in the noisy neighbourhoods they come from. They stay till wee hours of the night, discussing with their peers various topics, exchanging notes, or just reading by themselves. Over decades, from this very street have risen lawyers, doctors or police officers. Adelkar, who comes from a tiny 180 sq. ft house, has been studying here since Class 8. “Now, I’m preparing for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission exams. There is no space at my home. This is a quiet place for me to study,” says Adelkar.
Locals say that the history of ‘abhyas galli’ goes back at least three to four generations. D.V. Pawar, principal of the Kirti M. Doongursee College of Arts, Science and Commerce, recalls studying here after he came to Mumbai from Bhor in Pune district as a child. “I used to stay in the police lines in the BDD chawls as my elder brother was in the police force. Ours was a joint family and the house was just 10x10 ft, which made it difficult for me to study. Hence, I used to study at the lane.” Pawar graduated from college in 1981, and he later joined it to teach economics and rural development. Then there’s Abhijit Patil, a Worli resident and leader of the Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), who says that even his grandfather frequented ‘abhyas galli’ as a child.
Though students can be found studying here round the clock, the numbers rise after dusk. The road sees a gradual drop in footfall and traffic after midnight, ensuring that the youngsters can study till early morning, when Mumbai wakes up and the daily humdrum begins. While many of them come from nearby chawl clusters, a few also come from areas as far as Chembur. Nikhil Nilesh Thakur, who lives in Worli Koliwada,
says he goes to ‘abhyas galli’ as it lets him study with a group and take the help of his peers.
Successive governments have taken steps to make the place comfortable for students. Shiv Sena leader and former state environment minister Aaditya Thackeray, who represents Worli in the state legislative assembly, initiated the beautification of the lane through his MLA funds. The lane has a water cooler and a doublestoreyed toilet for students. The road has been concretised, and the footpath on which the youngsters sit has been refurbished. A network of CCTV cameras is also in place. There’s enough lighting, thanks to Halogen lamps, and platforms have been built for students to sit and study. The walls on the road now have graffiti that details career options after Class 12, and QR codes have been put up for students to provide information that may help them choose among subjects like law, chartered accountancy, armed forces or medicine. Patil adds that during the exam season, they distributed tea for free at night.
However, a few niggling problems remain. For instance, one side of the road is dotted with vehicles, including goods transport and heavy vehicles, which are parked illegally. Patil complains that this leads to an accumulation of garbage. Couples also use the space behind the vehicles to snatch a few quiet moments, as do some drunkards and those involved in substance abuse. “Daas pan chavtat,
aani mansa pan [Mosquitoes trouble us, and so do some people],” says Rupali Salve, a Mahalaxmi resident who comes here to study for her higher secondary exam. She usually lights a mosquito repellent coil near her. But it’s unruly couples, drunkards, drug addicts and people shooting Instagram videos that she finds more irksome. “We have to spend our time asking them to behave themselves,” she complains, pointing to how the platforms built for the students are often misused by these people. Regular police patrols may help reduce such incidents, says Salve. Akshay Pawar, a third-year student of commerce, has another suggestion: the lane should be closed to traffic in the evenings so that students can study in peace.
The administration would do well to take note of such complaints. Over the years, the ‘abhyas galli’ has been etched in Mumbai’s history and has shaped the careers of thousands of students. It remains yet another symbol of grit and perseverance in the City of Dreams. ■
“Ours was a joint family and the house was just 10x10 ft, which made it difficult for me to study. So I used to study at abhyas galli”
— D.V. PAWAR, Principal, Kirti M. Doongursee College of Arts, Science and Commerce