Taraporewala Aquarium: New, but not so new
Mumbai’s renovated Taraporewala Aquarium to open on 3 March
First, the good news for heritage lovers: the renovations to Mumbai’s 64-year-old Taraporewala Aquarium, which was slated to reopen this month, are significantly less extensive than previously advertised. The tanks are slightly bigger than the old ones and the glass that has been used to build them is of a better, clearer quality.
Now, the not-so-good news: The layout and the finish of the interiors is not much different from 2013, when the aquarium was closed for refurbishment.
At the entrance, the oceanarium is billed as the first of its kind in India, and intends to give one the feeling of being under the sea. Unfortunately, this experience will only last a few seconds, since the oceanarium is exactly three strides long. The touch pool, where visitors will be able to touch harmless marine animals, is not ready yet, and the plan to build a foot spa, where Garra rufa fish would exfoliate visitors’ feet, has been abandoned.
When we visited the aquarium on 25 February, most of the tanks, including the oceanarium, were empty—the majority of the fish were in quarantine. The floors were covered with a layer of dust, and there was still work being done on the facade. It did not look like an establishment ready to entertain visitors in two day. The aquarium will reopen on 3 March, according to the office of the fisheries department commissioner M.B. Gaikwad.
The aquarium has been shut for a year and a half now, and the renovation has cost around ₹ 20 crore, according to reports in The Times of India, DNA and other newspapers. Yet, the new version is far from the world-class tourist site that was promised. The small size of the premises and lack of novel attractions means most visitors will not spend more than 20-30 minutes—a little more if they decide to watch a documentary or educational film at the 50-seat amphitheatre.
There will be around 400 species of fish at the renovated aquarium, including some from China, Singapore and Malaysia, says Gaikwad. Officials informed us that approximately 60% of the foreign fish have arrived, while the rest will be flown over in the coming months. One hopes that the fish will be exotic and beautiful enough to keep visitors engaged.
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