Mumbai has a new claim to fame: a stretch of road that actually plays music as cars drive over it. What sounds like a fun engineering novelty has instead turned into a daily headache for people living nearby. The idea was to make India’s first musical road one that plays the tune of “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire when vehicles travel over a buried pattern of grooves at the right speed but residents now say it’s done more harm than good.
Here’s the thing: a concept that’s been implemented in places like Japan and Hungary usually in remote areas has landed smack in the middle of a dense, upscale part of Mumbai. Instead of quieting speeding cars, many locals say it’s just brought constant noise, stress and a fresh set of civic complaints.
How a Road Became a Music Player
The musical road idea isn’t new. Back in 2007, Japanese engineer Shizuo Shinoda accidentally discovered that grooves in a road could produce musical tones when vehicles passed over them at specific intervals and speeds. Since then, similar stretches have popped up in countries from South Korea to the United States.
In Mumbai, officials carved precise grooves sometimes called rumble strips into a 500‑metre stretch of the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road. At the right speed, usually 70–80 km/h, vibrations between the car tyres and the grooves create sound waves that internal car speakers (not loud external speakers) interpret as the melody of “Jai Ho,” the Oscar‑winning song composed by A.R. Rahman with lyrics by Gulzar for the film Slumdog Millionaire.
The idea, according to civic bodies, was dual purpose: encourage drivers to maintain a safe speed while adding a quirky cultural element to the road. Officials even put up signposts well before the stretch to guide drivers.
A Neighbourhood’s Symphony of Complaints
In Breach Candy, one of South Mumbai’s most affluent and densely populated neighbourhoods, reaction has been swift and vocal. More than 650 families have signed a formal letter to municipal authorities including Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation chief Bhushan Gagrani and additional municipal commissioner Avinash Dhakne describing the effect as pervasive noise that enters their homes all day and night.
“The sound is really disturbing,” says Kavita Chawla, a resident of Vaibhav Apartments near Tata Gardens, adding that children studying for exams and senior citizens trying to sleep are especially affected.
Another resident, Namrata Sanghai, says it’s become “very, very irritating and very, very disturbing,” especially for family members sensitive to noise. “Stop it. Immediately. Absolutely. Stop it.”
Authorities Defend the Project
Municipal officials have acknowledged the complaints but downplayed the disturbance. Gagrani told The Independent that the stretch is hardly 500 metres long and that authorities “don’t find any disturbance as such.” Still, he said the grievances would be considered.
Some civic voices argue the project is a clever way to nudge drivers into safer speeds without traditional enforcement. But critics point out a mismatch between intent and context: where most musical roads abroad were placed on rural or isolated stretches, Mumbai’s version runs through a high‑density residential zone.
Broader Urban Debates: Priorities and Inclusion
This musical stretch is part of the larger Mumbai Coastal Road project, a roughly $1.6bn expressway built mostly on reclaimed land. Its supporters say it has cut travel times significantly between key city points. Critics, however, argue it mostly benefits car owners a relatively small portion of Mumbai’s population without addressing bigger challenges like public transport congestion and equitable infrastructure development.
Residents have also raised safety concerns of their own: auditory distractions on a high‑speed road could, in some cases, create new risks. And while the musical experience takes place inside cars, the hum and rhythmic vibrations outside have still seeped into homes, amplifying existing traffic noise.
Sanghai, for one, says funds might be better spent on greening the area or enhancing public amenities rather than gimmicks that don’t serve the everyday needs of local people.
What Comes Next
There’s no clear plan yet to dismantle the melody road, though civic bodies have said they’ll review complaints. For now, residents continue to grapple with a feature that was supposed to be lighthearted and safety‑oriented but has instead become a persistent background score in their lives.
Whether this becomes a cautionary tale about civic planning, or a misunderstood experiment that could have been handled differently, remains to be seen. What’s clear is this: infrastructure that delights some can quickly disturb others if context and community impact aren’t part of the design.