36 Years Later: Ex-CM Returns to Iconic Park

Bandra's iconic Joggers Park marked its 36th anniversary on Friday, drawing a nostalgic crowd including former Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde. Shinde had originally inaugurated the park in 1990. Now, he returned not as a chief guest, but as a regular walker among the hundreds who frequent the seaside park.

The celebration brought together joggers and residents to recall decades of memories, friendships, and evolving lifestyles. "Back then, walking in parks was not common," recalled Asif Farooqui, an early park associate. "Today, people who walked here in the 1990s are coming with their children and grandchildren. It has become shared heritage."

Developed on a former dumping ground along the Bandra seafront, Joggers Park was among the city's first parks designed specifically for walking and jogging. Late corporator Oliver Andrade is credited with transforming the space, with support from actor Sunil Dutt and Shinde, who was then the urban development minister.

Attendees noted the park's transformation into a vital social and cultural hub, fostering friendships and community bonds over its nearly four-decade history. Many long-time walkers were present, some having maintained their daily routines for decades.