Grand Paradi Towers, Malabar Hill, Mumbai

The Grand Paradi Towers which consists of three towers at Kemps Corner, Malabar Hill, South Mumbai was constructed in 1975. The towers consists of 28 storeys each, in one of the most affluent areas of Mumbai. It is one of the oldest and biggest residential societies in the city, well known for its elegant architecture and a spectacular panoramic view of the city. An apartment in the Grand Paradi is an indicator of property and status - few years back, a flat in Grand Paradi Towers were valued more than Rs. 40,000 per square feet. The Grand Paradi is the residence of some of the most wealthy and well known personalities of the city including diamond merchants and businessmen of Gujrati, Marwari and Sindhi communities.

The Grand Paradi is considered one of the most coveted and begrudged locations in Mumbai since a long time. Behind the facade of this architectural beauty exists a sordid saga of hatred, suffering, and suicides. Being a stinking rich locality, there might be lots of financial issues in the pipeline even for the most affluent families. The nemesis behind the multiple suicides in the society was once an anomaly, then it became a trend and now it's a full-fledged jinx. What secret is concealed underneath the Grand Paradi that instigates quite a few of its residents to kiss of death?

There has been a succession of suicides by the residents of the Grand Paradi within the society as well as outside the society. The events started with the death of a young girl who jumped to her death in the later seventies.

Mr. Vasudeo Dalal and his wife Tara Dalal committed suicide by roping themselves and jumping off the balcony of their eighth floor apartment on Sunday, June 14, 1998. Mr. Dalal had even left a suicide note alleging that they were disgusted and depressed by their lives due to continuous harassment by their son and daughter in law. The police arrested Balkrishna (48) and his wife Sonal Dalal (45) couple of days later on the charges of abatement of the elderly couple. During the court proceedings, the manager of Grand Paradi testified that Balkrishna and his wife wanted to get the flat transferred in their name. Nalini, Vasudeo's sister, also testified that Balkrishna and his wife used to abuse her brother.

During the seven years of trial, the Dalals were financially insecure. Their spare parts business was not doing well, and they might had been in debt. After defending themselves for seven long years, on the judgement day on Monday, March 28, 2005, at 6:30 AM, the Dalal's - Balkrishna, his wife Sonal and their 19 year old daughter Pooja committed suicide by jumping from the same apartment in the same manner as their parents did. It is quite possible that the Dalal's decided to take this extreme step because Balkrishna feared that he and his wife would be convicted and may hear an adverse verdict in the case. A ceremony was later performed to get rid of evil spirits from the eighth floor apartment, and the apartment in which three generations of the same family leaped to their death is sealed off.

On Thursday, April 26, 2001, 36 years old Narayan Ramchander who was a domestic help of the Sanghvis, threatened to jump of the parapet of the 19th floor of the Grand Paradi complex. It was a 10 hour long suicide drama which started when he was accused of stealing. At 9:00 AM he yelled at the watchmen from the window ledge, and the panicked watchmen rushed to the Sanghvis. All efforts of the Sanghvis (who were acquainted to him since last 15 years) to allure him into the flat went in vain as he dodged them and settled on the edge of the parapet. Eventually, the police was informed and the four engines of the fire brigade came. However, the snorkel (a hydraulically elevated platform used for firefighting) cannot be used because it was small and there were lots of high trees around the building. A huge padded circular cloth was also unfurled below by a group of fire officers to catch Narayan in case he jumped. Narayan was offered water, and a paan (beetle) which he gulped, but refused to back off. In despair, at 11:00 PM all the policemen and fire officers pretended to leave. The curious public was also asked to leave in hope that he would retreat from his precarious position. However, when this attempt failed, most of the policemen actually left off sparing a few who kept communicating to him for about six and a half hour. At 6:30 in the morning, when Narayan asked for water and stretched his hands, he was grabbed and pulled in. He was later detained by the police where he alleged that he was mentally tortured by his employers and was extremely tensed.

Charisma Anil Kadakia, daughter of Anil Kadakia (honorary consul general of Brazil) a resident of the Grand Paradi, committed suicide on Saturday, October 28, 2006 in public. She was a 24 year old girl who jumped from the railing along the edge of the balcony of the fifth floor of Navyug Sagar building at Teen Baati, Walkeshwarat, Malbar Hill. She had been in depression since past 6 years and was undergoing treatment. She had earlier made two unsuccessful suicide attempts, once by cutting her wrist veins. On Saturday, she left her house at 12 noon to meet her boyfriend Nipun Doshi, who lived in a flat at the fifth floor of Navyug Sagar building. The Kadakia's were not in favour of an alliance with the Doshi's due to their middle class background. Charisma suddenly went out to the balcony and jumped before Nipun had even a clue of what was going on!

Mr. Jain who was also a resident of the Grand Paradi, and worked in a brewing company committed suicide sometime in 2000. He was in his early forties.

There had been more than 20 horrendous and fatal accidents and suicides at the triple towers since the building was constructed in 1975. Many of these accidents involved children. Even a housemaid was involved in an accident and its still not clear if she leaped or fell out from the window. These freakish incidents have created a uneasiness in the society and many believe the towers to be frightening, mysterious and haunted. There have been a succession of havans and puja conducted in the flat on the eighth floor, in which three generations of the same family leaped to their death. The flat is sealed off and still remains to be occupied.