The city's iconic Khadi Bhandar on D N Road is set to be reimagined as a cultural hub and experiential centre showcasing sustainable products and hand-made art and craft.

The three-year-long project, a joint initiative by Mumbai Village Industries Association (MVIA), which runs the store, and the Mumbai chapter of INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), is expected to cost Rs 30 crores. The project was announced on October 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, whose association with Swadeshi or locally made products, and khadi is a legacy that the seven-decade-old institution continues to promote.

The space, formerly a colonial-era emporium called Whiteway and Laidlaw where Mumbai's British residents shopped for products from back home, was converted into a centre for swadeshi products in 1953. The store occupies the ground and mezzanine floor of the 120-year-old Jeevan Udyog, formerly the Metropolitan Insurance Building. Constructed in the classical architectural style, the building is listed as a Grade II structure under Mumbai's urban heritage list. The construction of the METRO under D N Road has compromised the structure's integrity and critical intervention is needed to restore the building, said architects.

Kirtida Unwalla, the architect who will do the conservation work, said the building is probably the first footprint on D N Road. The road, which was later lined with buildings constructed in architecturally diverse styles, was laid out on the space created after the demolition of the walls of Bombay Fort, explained Unwalla who is working on the project pro bono.

“The vision is to culturally uplift the place and turn it to a modern venue for events and also facilitate income through various activities: not just khadi, but other products from the villages, seminars, workshops, a kitchen,” said Unwalla.

The restoration will preserve the architectural features that the building retains, like the exposed water pipes under the ceiling for fire fighting, the unique 'flip open' oval and oblong apertures and the rare hand-blown curved glasses that cover the display windows. The store will also get air-conditioning. Other plans include enlisting fashion designers to reinvent khadi for a more young crowd.

Katyayani Agarwal, convenor of INTACH's Mumbai chapter, said that the idea of reimagining Khadi Bhandar came from a meeting on Gandhi Jayanti two years ago at the home of freedom fighter and Gandhian Dr G G Parikh, chairman of the MVIA Board of Trustees. She said that those at the meeting spoke about Gandhi's iconic presence and how to bring Swadeshi back to people's consciousness. “It is a huge project and we have just started the journey. The conservation of the structure is the first thing to look at and we are already working with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on this,” said Agarwal.

Parikh, a centenarian, was present at Wednesday's function. Sonal Shah, his daughter who leads the restoration plans, said the movement to promote khadi and village industries was started by eminent Gandhians in 1946 before the government was formed. “So we are hoping to revive this whole culture. It is supported by volunteer friends; everybody who wants to do something lovely for our city. This is such a go-to space,” said Shah.

Shah said that the store was called the Mumbai Khadi and Village Industries. “Now the word Khadi cannot be used. So there were now Mumbai Village Industries. We are going to call it Bhandar, but later on, we hope we can use the old name.”