Rajabai tower, Bombay HC building to be opened to public – Times of India

MUMBAI: Two iconic structures in south Mumbai Rajabai Tower on Mumbai University’s campus and Bombay High Court building will be thrown open to tourists from next week. On World Tourism Day, the state government announced and signed MoUs to open these structures for guided heritage walks. Another Gothic structure on the university’s campus, Cowasji Jehangir Convocation Hall, will be part of the heritage walk. Since January, heritage walks have been organised inside the BMC building too.
These walks will be organised on public holidays and on the second and fourth Saturdays every month. Tourists can book it on Book My Show for a nominal fee of Rs100, while foreigners can book it for Rs300. “The heritage walk on the campus will include the library, massive reading hall housed in Rajabai Tower and convocation hall. We plan to do it carefully, by taking precautions, with not more than 15 people in a group,” said university registrar Baliram Gaikwad. The proposal was floated by the state’s ministry of tourism in December and was a long-pending demand from Shiv Sena’s youth wing, Yuva Sena.
The university will also explore internship opportunities for history and tourism students from their campus and affiliated colleges in these guided tours.
The MoU was signed between Directorate of Tourism, the university, and Tourist Guide Association (TOGA). A large chunk of the fees collected will go to the association, which will be conducting these heritage walks, an official said.
Both Gothic structures on the university’s campus were built in the 19th century and were designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. The 85-metre tall Rajabai Tower was modeled on Big Ben, the clock tower in London. Arvind Ganacharya, historian, and a former HoD of university’s history department, said the architectural marvel depicted British imperialism and a lot of similar designs can be seen in structures in England too. A decade ago, the library was open for diplomats, said Ganacharya.
The tower is part of the Victorian and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai, which was added to the list of World Heritage Sites in 2018. It was built in a fusion of Venetian and Gothic style.
A multilingual website and a mobile app were launched by MTDC for bookings. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said Maharashtra has a huge tourism potential.