Tag Archives: mumbai

Created by an arrow: Bombay’s longest occupied settlement

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LEGEND HAS IT that when Rama was searching for Sita, who had been kidnapped,  he stopped at a spot in what is now Walkeshwar in Bombay. Thirsty, Rama asked his brother, Lakshmana, to get hom water. Thereupon, Lakshmana shot an arrow (‘baan’) into the ground, and where it landed, a stream began to flow. Although1000 miles away from the Ganges, it was considered to be a tributary of the holy river. This stream has been named the Bānganga, and its water is stored in a large rectangular stepped tank.

 

Bānganga Tank

The tank, the Bānganga Tank, was constructed in 1127 AD by by Lakshman Prabhu, a minister in the court of Silhara kings of Thane. It was restored in 1715. The area in which the tank is located, Bānganga,  is Bombay’s oldest inhabited district.

 

We have visited Bāngang often and it is always a treat. Located close to the Arabian Sea, the area around the tank is a complete contrast to the rest of Bombay. The tank is surrounded by small houses and, being a sacred spot, plenty of Hindu temples. The place is more like a quaint village than part of one of the world’s biggest cities.

 

Between the tank and the rocky sea shore, there is a large colony of ramshackle structures mostly made with sheets of corrugated iron. The inhabitants of this slum have an enviable view of the sea. One day, I  suppose, some developer will clear away these poor people’s dwellings, and replace them with swanky apartments or hotels. But developers should be wary because, so we were told, during the monsoon seasons, large areas of the slopes between the tank and the sea become inundated.

 

We made our most recent visit to Bāngang on the first day of 2026, and found it to be as delightful as ever. However,  we noticed that in addition to the pigeons and abundant waterfowl in the tank and on its steps, there was no lack of rubbish.

 

Since our last visit to Bānganga about two years ago,  the RPG Foundation has put up signs that identify various temples and provide some history of each place.  Despite these, there seemed ti be few tourists around the tank.

They fled from Persia and were given sanctuary in India

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THE PARSIS WHOSE religion is Zoroastrianism were prominent in Persia until it was invaded by Arabs. In response to this invasion, they began migrating from Persia. The first wave of migration between the eighth and tenth centuries AD. They arrived by sea on the coast of what is now Gujarat. They were given permission to settle in India, where they have prospered. Many of their descendants became prominent businessmen and politicians. Many of them were generously philanthropic.  Over the centuries, the Parsis have zealously adhered to their ancient religious traditions and rituals. During the nineteenth century,  a second wave of Zoroastrians arrived in India from Persia. This group are known as Irani Zoroastrians.

 

A room in the museum

In December 2025, we visited a wonderful museum dedicated to Zoroastrian archaeology, history, and customs. Near the Babulnath Mandur in Bombay,  it is The Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum.

 

The museum was established in 1954. Between 2018 and 2025, it was renovated. The result is superb. The fascinating exhibits are well displayed alongside interesting information panels.

 

Sadly, the number of Parsis in the world is declining. When we discussed this with an official in the museum, his view was that the decline is due to the education of Parsi women. He believed that because many Parsi women are getting good educational qualifications,  they are too busy developing their careers to give up time to have children. His view might be one reason for the fall in the Parsi population,  but there may well be others. Another thing is that traditionally unless the father is a Parsi, a couple’s children cannot be Parsi.  So, if a Parsi woman marries a non-Parsi, her children will not be considered Parsis.

 In view of the gradual fall in numbers of Parsis (and Iranis), it is fortunate that the fine museum in Bombay exists to remind us of wonderful history and achievements of these people who fled their native land and enriched the land which offered them sanctuary.

Churchill in Cornwall (England) and Maharashtra (India)

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WE OFTEN VISIT Wadebridge in Cornwall. It contains an establishment called Churchill Bars. Actually, it is also the headquarters of the local Conservative Club. Until 2025, this place had a restaurant that served well-prepared meals, which included very tasty roast pork belly. Sadly, since early 2025, the Churchill Bars have ceased serving meals.

 

Fortunately, far away from Cornwall in South Bombay, Churchill Cafe is still in business. Located in Colaba and owned by Parsis, this tiny restaurant serves superb European-style dishes, as well as a few Parsi gastronomic offerings. Decorated with photographs of London landmarks and a portrait of Winston Churchill, this bustling restaurant is well worth visiting.

Before becoming one of India’s most famous artists he worked in a bank

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KRISHEN KHANNA CELEBRATED his one hundredth birthday in July 2025. The NGMA (National Gallery of Modern Art) in Bombay is currently holding a superb exhibition showcasing his paintings. The show is beautifully displayed and the artworks are skilfully illuminated.

Khanna was born in Lyallpur, now in Pakistan. After the Partition of India in 1947, he worked as an official in Grindlays Bank in Bombay. However, before Partition, he had already begun painting. The bank job was just to help keep him and his family going after they had left/fled what became the Pakistani part of Punjab.

Soon after arriving in India, Khanna began associating with members of Bombay’s Progressive Art Group that included notable creators such as FN Souza and MF Hussain. Thereafter, his painting career took off, and his reputation soared.

The exhibition at the NGMA surveys Khanna’s extraordinary range of paintings. Their subject matter ranges from political to historical to religious … and much more. The show, which demonstrates the artist’s amazing versatility and great artistic skill, continues until 12 December 2025, and should not be missed if you are in Bombay.

A wonderful museum in Bombay (Mumbai)

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THE DR BHAU Daji Lad Museum in Bombay’s Byculla district is housed in a building with a neo-classical (Palladian) facade. However, within it there architecture is gloriously Victorian. Recently restored   its interior competes with the exhibits for the viewer’s attention.

 

Prince Albert

The museum was opened in 1872 as ‘The Victoria and Albert Museum’. Like its namesake in London, its exhibits are form a display of applied arts, technology, and design. Some of them  are replicas of objects that were sent from India to London as exhibits in the Great Exhibition of 1851.

 

In 1975, the museum was given its present name, which honours Dr Bhau Daji Lad (1822-1874). He was an eminent physician and surgeon,  who researched cures for leprosy.  With a keen interest in archaeology, he did much to raise funds to pay for the establishment of the museum.

 

One of the men who donated money towards the founding of the museum was the Jewish businessman David Sasoon. The museum contains a tall statue of Victoria’s Consort Prince Albert. The base of this includes the words “dedicated by David Sassoon”, and beneath them, there are some words in Hebrew.  The base of the statue also has words in Hindi, Gujarati, and Urdu scripts. In front of the statue, there is a bust of Sassoon.

 

Like the much larger Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum contains a wide variety of beautifully crafted objects: too many to describe here. Some rooms of the museum are dedicated to housing temporary exhibitions. Behind the museum, there is a courtyard,  lined by another exhibition space, a café,  a small Hindu shrine, and a museum shop.

 

Of the many wonderful places that can be seen in Bombay, the Bhau Daji Lad Museum is one of my favourites.

The geometry of ash: an exhibition in Bombay

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WE ATTENDED AN exhibition of paintings on cloth textiles by Anju Dodiya, who was born in Bombay in 1964. She studied at the Sir JJ School of Art. We were fortunate to have met her at Chemould Galleryin Bombay’s Prescott Street, where her paintings are being exhibited.

The exhibition is called “The Geometry of Ash”. The fabrics on which she has painted beautiful, slightly mysterious images come from all over the world. Some from West Africa, and one from London (it is a slightly stained British Museum tea towel).

According to the gallery’s handout:
“Anju speaks of stillness not as passivity, but as resistance. In an age of urgency, of constant outrage and digital noise, her paintings compel us to pause. They demand attention, not compulsion …”

Whetether or not you feel this when you view the exhibition is irrelevant because the paintings are beautifully executed and visually compelling. I am pleased that we were braved Bombay’s high air temperature one afternoon to walk to the show.

A street named Adam in Bombay (Mumbai)

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 THE ROYAL BOMBAY Yacht Club faces the famous Gateway of India. One side of the club’s compound runs along Adom Street. ‘Adom’ is a transliteration of a transliteration of ‘Adam’.

 

Adam at Adom Street

According to Samuel T Sheppard’s book “Bombay Place-Names and Street-Names”, the Street is named after the British architect John Adams. He taught architectural drawing at Bombay’s esteemed Sir JJ School of Art.

 

Adams designed the Royal Yacht Club’s present building that faces the Gateway of India. Although the club was founded in 1846, Adams’s edifice was opened in 1898.

 

It is appropriate that a Street running next to his building now bears his name, even though on the street  ame sign, it is now spelled Adom instead of Adam.

Revisiting an old hotel in Bombay’s Colaba district

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ALMOST EXACTLY TWO years ago (in December 2023), we spent a few nights in the Moti International hotel in a street leading off Bombay’s bustling Colaba Causeway. Despite its impressive sounding name, this hotel was curiously interesting.

It is housed in Moti Mansion, a large house built by a Parsi family in about 1900.

Moti Mansion in November 2025

We had not booked the hotel in advance, but walked in to enquire whether we could stay fir a few nights. The young man at the small reception desk asked us:
“Are you married?”

We told him that we were and then he said:
“I have to ask you because, you see, my grandfather who lives with us on the top floors, is an old fashioned orthodox Hindu.”

Our ground floor room was adequate, air-conditioned,and had a decent attached bathroom. Sadly, the windows had been painted over. So there was no daylight. When we asked for a kettle, the young man explained:
“Yes, but I must charge you an extra 100 rupees for three days of electricity.”
We were happy with that.

On our last morning, we met the boy’s mother. She showed us the buildings impressive main wooden staircase. She explained that many of the rooms in the building were occupied by long-stay guests.

Today, 19 November 2025, we walked past Moti Mansion. Its street facing facade wast partly hidden by scaffolding and almost all the windows were covered over with wooden boarding.

I wonder what the future holds for this charming edifice.

A toilet suspended above the waters of the Arabian Sea in Bombay

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THE IMPRESSIVE GATEWAY  of India stands on a short promontory surrounded on three sides by the water of the Arabian Sea.  The sea surrounding the Gateway is crowded with small, colourful vessels. Seeing  one of these craft reminded me of a story told to me by a friend many years ago.

 

In Bombay

My friend had just returned from Kenya. During his stay there he spent several days at sea on a local trading ship. It was a very basic vessel.  He told me that he could not find a toilet on board. Eventually,  he could no longer resist the urge, and asked the crew where he could relieve himself. He was directed to the rear of the vessel and shown a toilet seat that was suspended from it over the waters below. With some difficulty he managed to sit on the swinging toilet seat, and to his great embarrassment, the entire crew came to the back of the ship to watch him in action.

 

That really happened a long time ago.  Today, 17 November 2025, while visiting the Gateway of India,  I spotted a small boat. Projecting from its rear and hanging over the water, there was a small, square based cubicle with a door. On the door,  there was the word “TOILET”. Seeing this reminded me of my friend’s story. Users of this cabin are shielded from sight, unlike that swinging loo seat on the Kenyan boat.