Juhu

Juhu is a suburb of Mumbai. It is most famous for the sprawling Juhu beach. It is surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Versova to the north, Santacruz and Vile Parle to the east and Khar to the south. Juhu is among the most affluent areas of the city and home to many Bollywood celebrities. The nearest railway stations are Santacruz, Andheri and Vile Parle on the Western Line and Harbour Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway.

R. D. Tata, the father of civil aviation in India, made his maiden voyage to Juhu Airport from Drigh Road airstrip, Karachi, via Ahmedabad, on 15 October 1932 carrying mail in a Puss Moth aircraft. In the nineteenth century, Juhu was an island: a long, narrow sand bar rising above sea level by a metre or two, just off the west coast of Salsette. It could be reached during low tides by walking across the tidal inlet.

Juhu was called “Juvem” by the Portuguese. At its north point, nestled the village of Juhu, inhabited by Bhandaris (toddy tappers), Agris (salt traders) and Kulbis (cultivators) and at its south point, opposite Bandra island, lived a small colony of fisher folk and cultivators (Koliwada). The inhabitants of Juhu were mainly East Indians and there was a small section of Goans. The Church of St. Joseph was built by the Portuguese in 1853.

The open beaches of Juhu have attracted the well-heeled and the most affluent among Mumbai’s population for almost a century. In the 1890s, Jamsetji Tata purchased land on Juhu and built a bungalow there. He planned to develop 1200 acres (5 km²) in Juhu Tara.