Kathiwada City House doesn’t try to explain itself. It sits in Worli, shrouded in the kind of reticence you don’t expect from a city that declares itself at every intersection. There’s no grand sign outside. It is quiet about itself, almost anonymous. It waits for the few who find their way here, who walk past the gate, into a piece of Mumbai that feels suspended in another time.
You might think of Kathiwada City House as a remnant of a Mumbai that could have been, rather than the one we know. Built in the 1940s, this Art Deco Townhouse once belonged to Jehangir Nicholson, then sheriff of Mumbai. He wasn’t interested in the flash or frenzy that the city prides itself on now. He was curious about people, their stories. Maybe that’s why, when Sangita Kathiwada acquired the place years later, she didn’t try to mold it into anything other than what it already was: a place to rest, to contemplate, to shelter.
Over time, the house has become a destination. In Sangita’s hands, it grew into a space that encouraged people to linger, to create, to think. Today, Kathiwada City House is home to Circle 1434, a private club in a city where privacy feels like a rarity. It’s not a club in the traditional sense. It’s an invitation to step back from Mumbai’s pace and find yourself in the company of people who value depth, who cherish creativity.
Members of Circle 1434 come from everywhere: architects, writers, artists, even the occasional tech bro. (They’re inescapable.) You won’t find them here networking or pitching. Instead, they’re in a corner, reading, or perhaps admiring pieces by MF Hussain and FN Souza. This isn’t a place for people in a hurry. It’s a place for people who want to be in the company of something finer, softer.
And then, there’s Circle Sixty Nine. At first glance, it might seem like an art gallery, with its curated selection of sculptures, paintings, and ceramics. Aditi Dugar, the mind behind Urban Gourmet India, partnered with Sangita to create a space that not only feeds people but feeds their sense of wonder. Here, food is an art form. There’s the 69-layered lasagna, an almost absurdly elaborate take on a classic. Dishes like eggplant brûlée and goat cheese-stuffed peppers arrive like little performances.
Past the dining area, there are other rooms, each with its own purpose. There’s a library with rare vinyl records, and a wellness studio offering sound baths and craniosacral therapy. In the Prithvi Room, named after one of Kathiwada’s ancestral estates, you might find old cricket memorabilia, signed bats and jerseys.
The people who come to Kathiwada City House aren’t looking for spectacle. They’re here for connection — small, understated moments that make the day a little fuller. Mumbai might pride itself on speed, but here, at Kathiwada City House, you’re reminded of the value of stillness. It’s a place that lets you slow down. There is grace in taking your time, in savoring a conversation.
When you finally leave, you find yourself wondering about the small details. Mumbai, loud and relentless, rushes back to meet you, but for a moment, you remember the stillness, the quiet pull of that place, as though you’ve stepped out of a dream and can only just recall its edges. In a city where everything is in motion, Kathiwada City House remains, quietly, a place that invites you to pause, to look, to breathe.
Check out Kathiwada City House here.
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