About Colaba Causeway
Until the end of the 1830s, Colaba could only be reached at low tide. The Causeway, completed in 1838 by the East India Company, solved the problem and became a shopping street; its official name today is Shahid Bhagat Singh Road. On the sidewalks, vendors offer shawls, rugs, sandals, handicrafts and small antiques, and the shops sell everything from electronics to cosmetics, plus a bookstall on the pavement.
Two cafés show how old the street is: Leopold and Mondegar, both opened by Iranian immigrants in 1871, still serve anyone who needs a break between one stall and the next. Nearby are the Regal Cinema, the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Museum.
