In Your Neighbourhood: Inside one of Mumbai’s last remaining old-world gun shops in Dhobi Talao | Mumbai News

Hidden in the lanes of Dhobi Talao, lined with ordinary grocery and stationery shops, stands Tahir Arms and Ammunition – a store quietly selling guns in the heart of Mumbai for nearly 90 years. (Express Photo by Nidhi Jacob)

“Back in the days before Independence, royal families would come here and buy hundreds of guns in one go and leave for their private police fleets,” said Hakim.

Originally located on Abdul Rehman Street, the business was once jointly owned by eight brothers of Tahir Bandukwala. Over the decades, both the city and the business have changed dramatically.

“Today, we only sell guns suitable for sport shooting and only to people with valid licences,” shared Hakim.

The history of the shop offers a glimpse into a time when recreational shooting was seen as a legitimate hobby rather than a heavily restricted activity. “Today, people barely have the time or space for it,” Hakim noted, adding, “Shooting as a hobby is expensive and requires patience. Every bullet costs money and can only be used once. With open spaces disappearing and wildlife becoming endangered, the sport now comes with many restrictions.”

Now largely limited to shooting clubs, the sport has steadily become more niche over the years. That shift has also affected the business of shops like Tahir Arms and Ammunition.

Founded in 1935 by Tahir Bandukwala, the store originally catered to royal families and aristocrats. (Express Photo by Nidhi Jacob)

Run more out of family pride than commercial ambition, the business has been quietly declining. “We still see children and grandchildren of our old royal clientele coming in as loyal customers,” said Suhail. “And whenever India performs well in shooting at events like the Olympics, mothers come in wanting to buy equipment for their children and invest in the sport.”

The brothers also recall a very different Mumbai from decades ago. “We had celebrities like Raj Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor visiting often,” Hakim said. “They were loyal customers and would simply walk into the shop and buy.”

After Independence, however, changing government regulations around weapon ownership transformed the trade. “Earlier, Mumbai and other princely states were hubs for this business,” said Suhail. “If someone wanted good-quality guns, they had to come here. Today, shops have expanded into smaller towns and villages where shooting is practiced more widely.”

According to the brothers, gun ownership in rural India is often tied to agriculture, with farmers using weapons to protect crops from animals. “There used to be eight or ten such shops in Mumbai,” said Hakim. “Now there are barely four or five left. Of these, only two are properly operational, two run from homes, and one is on the verge of shutting down.”

Interestingly, most of these shops continue to remain clustered around the Commissioner’s Office because of the extensive paperwork involved in the business, much of which is still processed manually.

Like the business itself, ownership has traditionally remained within the family and passed down through generations of sons. “A lot of partners eventually stepped away because they only had daughters,” said a fourth-generation member of the family now involved in running the shop. Even so, the new generation remains confident about its future and hopes to carry forward its legacy while adapting to changing times. The business now has a website and a YouTube channel as it slowly builds an online presence.

Oshin Rakshit is an intern with the Indian Express.