Viva Versova!

About 10 years ago, I moved from Delhi to Mumbai and since then, I have been residing in Versova. Apart from my home, Versova also has many studios, which makes the commute much easier for me—especially in a city like Mumbai where finding a workplace next to your house is a privilege not many are blessed with.

Versova has its own charm and it's a small world in itself. Today, it is the base for the music and film industry; it has become famous with so many film and TV personalities as well as models residing in the area. Earlier, I believe it was just a tiny village with beautiful Portugal-style architecture and some breath taking churches. Unfortunately, all of that has gone away now but the essence, I feel, is still intact.

Versova boasts of a well-maintained locality with lots of greenery, including parks and plenty walking spaces. Besides, the area is extremely friendly, calm and peaceful. What most people don't know is that residents of Versova have access to surrounding beaches like Madh Island and Aksa—a great stress-buster if you want a quick getaway—you don't even have to drive to reach there. There are ferries that can take you to these beach islands, which offer lovely resorts and restaurants serving good local cuisine.

However, every place has a few disadvantages and so does Versova. The roads are quite narrow here and often create traffic jams. The BMC has maintained the place well and planted lots of trees, but the flip side is that often some of the branches fall on the roads on a strong windy day, which sometimes can be dangerous, making the area prone to accidents.