1. Edited by
Manjiri Kamat
The city of Mumbai is poised to be a global
metropolis and like other cities in the world
faces enormous challenges in the new
millennium. As the commercial capital of
India, it is expected to play a leading role in the
national and global economy which is in the
midst of a recession.The social and economic
character of the city has changed over the
decades from the 1930s to 1990s due to the
decline of manufacturing and the growth of
global processes. The city is today one of the
biggesturban agglomerationsin theworld.
The underlying theme of this book is the
transformation of Mumbai in an effort to
understand its present. It highlights the
changing concerns of the city as it transited
throughthecolonial toa global era.
The essays in this book coverdiverse areas of
research. They begin with a historical overview
of Mumbai and range from the decline of
Mumbai's 'hidden' Portuguese connection in
the early nineteenth century to the transit of
the city in the course of the twentieth century.
The other areas covered in the book are
tramways and urban development, public
health challenges in colonial Mumbai,
industrial decline in the city, housing and
changing patterns of land use, and the
ecological impact of urban expansion.
Perhaps, the diversity of their approaches and
the questions they raise will encourage scholars
to undertake multidisciplinary research on
Mumbaiand othercitiesof thesubcontinent.
It is hoped that the insights offered in this book
will benefit students and researchers as well as
urban planners and policymakers. The book
will be a valuable contribution to the study of
the past, present and future of one of the
fastestgrowingcitiesin theworld.
Manjiri Kamat is Associate Professor at the
Department of History, University of Mumbai.
Her field of specialization is Modern Indian
History and her research interests include urban
history, history of labour and history of medicine.
She holds a doctorate in History from the
University of Cambridge. She has published
articles in national and international journals as
well as contributed chapters to edited books. She
was the recipient of the Professor B.B. Chaudhuri
Prize at the Indian History Congress in 2006. She
is a Member of the Board of Governors of the
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Heritage
Conservation Society, External Associate at the
Centre for Global Health Histories, University of
York and a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of
GreatBritainand Ireland.
Nehru Centre, Mumbai was conceived in 1972
as a living testament to India's first Prime Minister,
Jawaharlal Nehru and to his ideals of enlightened
curiosity,thescientifictemperand secularvalues.
Contributors
Frank F. Conlon
Darryl D’monte
Mariam Dossal
Amar Farooqui
Douglas E. Haynes
Manjiri Kamat
Jim Masselos
Mridula Ramanna
Dietmar Rothermund
email: info@indussource.com
www.indussource.com
` 000.00
ISBN: 978-81-88569-43-4
MumbaiPastandPresent
Historical Perspectives and
Contemporary Challenges
MumbaiPast
and
Present
Editedby
ManjiriKamat
The city of Mumbai is poised to be a global metropolis and like other cities in the world faces enormous
challenges in the new millennium. As the commercial capital of India, it is expected to play a leading role
in the national and global economy which is in the midst of a recession.The social and economic
character of the city has changed over the decades from the 1930s to 1990s due to the decline of
manufacturing and the growth of global processes. The city is today one of the biggest urban
agglomerationsin theworld.
The underlying theme of this book is the transformation of Mumbai in an effort to understand its
present.Ithighlightsthechanging concerns of thecityas ittransitedthroughthecolonial toa global era.
The essays in this book coverdiverseareas of research. They begin with a historical overviewof Mumbai
and range from the decline of Mumbai's 'hidden' Portuguese connection in the early nineteenth century
to the transit of the city in the course of the twentieth century. The other areas covered in the book are
tramways and urban development, public health challenges in colonial Mumbai, industrial decline in the
city, housing and changing patterns of land use, and the ecological impact of urban expansion. Perhaps,
the diversity of their approaches and the questions they raise will encourage scholars to undertake
multidisciplinaryresearch on Mumbaiand othercitiesof thesubcontinent.
It is hoped that the insights offered in this book will benefit students and researchers as well as urban
planners and policymakers. The book will be a valuable contribution to the study of the past, present
and futureof one of thefastestgrowingcitiesin theworld.
Manjiri KamatisAssociateProfessorattheDepartmentof History,Universityof Mumbai.
Contributors
Frank F. Conlon, Darryl D’monte, Mariam Dossal, Amar Farooqui
Douglas E. Haynes, Manjiri Kamat, Jim Masselos, Mridula Ramanna
Dietmar Rothermund
Cover image : Changing skyline of central Mumbai
Cover design : N. V. Kamat
Photo courtesy : Rajesh Vora