Society

The business and busy-ness of surviving in Mumbai leaves little time for city-based trivia. However, learning about how the city's streets and neighbourhoods are named isn’t solely about familiarization. By understanding our past, we can attempt to make better sense of our present. With the help of two rare and rather forgotten books, I did a cursory study of names of different spaces in Bombay. One book looks at the meanings of local names ordained to nooks and corners in Bombay. The other conducts a formal investigation into the official story of how this archipelago came to be. My short…

On the one hand, it is good news. The Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) is looking at creating a museum at the Kilpauk Water Works. The Police Commissioner’s Office in the city is setting up a museum at its old office in Egmore. The Corporation is debating the possibility of a city museum in Victoria Public Hall. Three great institutions of the city almost simultaneously working on museums for themselves! What more could we ask for? The question is how sustainable will these be in the long run given that they will almost certainly be run by…

ಸುಧಾ ವಿ ಉತ್ತರಹಳ್ಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹೂವಿನ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಇತ್ತೀಚೆಗಷ್ಟೆ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರವೇಶ ಪಡೆದಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಚಿತ್ರ: ಪ್ರಗತಿ ರವಿ Translated by Madhusudhan Rao ಸುಧಾ ವಿ, ತನ್ನ ಹೂವಿನ ಗಾಡಿಗೆ ತುಂಬಾ ಹತ್ತಿರದಲ್ಲಿ ಓಡಾಡುವ ಹಸುಗಳನ್ನು ಓಡಿಸುತ್ತಾ, ಉತ್ತರಹಳ್ಳಿಯ ಪ್ರಮುಖ ರಸ್ತೆಯೊಂದರಲ್ಲಿ ಬೀದಿವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಮಕರ ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯ ದಿನದಂದು ಗ್ರಾಹಕರ ಹೆಚ್ಚಳ ಇದ್ದರೆ, ಮರುದಿನ ಕಥೆಯೇ ಬೇರೆಯಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಹಿಂದಿನ ದಿನ ತಾಜಾತನ ತುಂಬಿದ್ದ ಕೆಂಪು ಗುಲಾಬಿಗಳನ್ನು ಕೇಳುವವರೇ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಸಾಲದ್ದಕ್ಕೆ, ಅದೇ ರಸ್ತೆಯ ಬಳಿ ಮಾರಾಟ ಮಾಡುವ ಇತರ ಮೂರು ಹೂಗಾಡಿಗಳ ಜೊತೆ ತೀವ್ರ ಪೈಪೋಟಿ ಎದುರಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಕೋವಿಡ್ ಪಿಡುಗಿನಿಂದ ಉದ್ಯೋಗಗಳು ನಷ್ಟವಾದಾಗ, ಅನೇಕರು ಅನೌಪಚಾರಿಕ ವಲಯಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರಳಿದ್ದು, ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ದುಡಿಮೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು, ಅದು ಮೂಲ ಸಂಪನ್ಮೂಲಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಅವಲಂಬಿತ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸುವುದು ಸುಲಭ ಅನ್ನುವ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕೆ. ರಸ್ತೆ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ, ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ, ನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಗಮನಾರ್ಹವಾಗಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿದೆ. ಮನೆ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಸುಧಾ, ಲಾಕ್‌ಡೌನ್ ನಿಂದ ತಾನು ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಅರ್ಧಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಮನೆಗಳ…

This summary of a research project -- carried out by a group of students at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements -- brings out how the rich and powerful residents of an exclusive and quiet locality in the city influence the use of their public spaces by street vendors. While street vendors are a common sight in any urban neighbourhood, Sadashivanagar is not just any other neighbourhood. The daunting presence of government officials and politicians -- its chief residents -- fills the silence and emptiness of the inner streets of this locality. Sadashivanagar, cocooned in between Sankey Tank, Palace Grounds…

The population of Jews in India is on the decline but the iconic physical structures they have built in Bombay will preserve the community’s memory for a long time. “Bombay holds a very special place in the hearts of all Jewish people in India,” said writer Sifra Lentin, in a recent event  titled ‘Uncovering Urban Legacies: The Jewish Diaspora in Bombay’.  A proud member of the community herself, Lentin gave the audience a rich introduction to Bombay’s Jewish heritage, the community’s social and religious life, and their contributions to trade, education, architecture, cinema and literature. The event was moderated by…

In consolidation of what is an established and flourishing trend in the Chennai art arena, more than 2000 memes were released on social media, to coincide with the recent release of the Vijay-starrer Master. Indeed, the release of any star-studded, big-budget film in Tamil Nadu is now inevitably accompanied by the creation and promotion of hundreds of creative memes. But did you know that the creators of these memes slog at it for at least two months before each release? Memes are hugely popular today and Chennai has pretty much established itself as the meme capital of Tamil Nadu. Evolution…

In a recent online talk, Sidharth Bhatia, founder editor of The Wire, took us on a tour of the street that introduced public dining to the city of Bombay.  Shortly after sunset, author Bhatia began to unravel the colourful history of Churchgate Street, which now goes by the name of Veer Nariman Road in honour of lawyer-activist Khurshed Framji Nariman (1883-1948) who later became the mayor of Mumbai . “Bombay is a city of full-time nostalgists. History buffs concentrate too much on colonial Bombay, especially the 19th century. What fascinates me is the mid-20th century, and that’s what I’m going…

For long, I was intrigued by this derelict locomotive lying in the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park opposite the Jawahar Lal Nehru Planetarium. I would have a fleeting glance of it while passing the gate. I had once seen it from up close and did not see any markings on it. Truly, it was a mystery locomotive. A few years back I went to the park to do a detailed documentation of the locomotive. The more I looked at it, the prettier it seemed. The first thing that one usually does when confronted with locomotives that don't bear any markings,…

Wearing a loose khaki shirt over a polyester saree, Shanthi D starts her auto on what promises to be yet another challenging day. She has been an auto driver for almost 16 years now. Shanthi started her career at a time when very few women had the courage to choose this path. Years have gone by, and while the number of women colleagues in the profession has increased, even now, she is greeted with amusement or shock by many. Strong and determined Women auto drivers in Chennai are a growing tribe. While their choices do reflect a degree of empowerment,…

Newspaper reading has been a habit quite lost in the recent years. However, in a city where thousands of people spend many hours commuting, newspapers are a way to kill time. Here's a how people used to read newspapers in the 'old normal' or before the pandemic struck and lockdown was imposed. Kurla 2019. (Pic: M. Gopal) Bandra 2018. (Pic: M. Gopal) Chembur 2017. (Pic: M. Gopal) Chembur 2017. (Pic: M. Gopal) Chembur 2016. (Pic: M. Gopal) Andheri 2018.(Pic: M. Gopal) Lalbag 2020. (Pic: M. Gopal) Kurla 2019. (Pic: M. Gopal) Harbour Line 2019. (Pic: M. Gopal) GTN Nagar 2020.…