Statues make it to the news in Mumbai mostly when miscreants use them to stoke trouble in the city. At other times, they stand on busy road junctions or watch dusty playgrounds, derelict and often covered in bird guano. But for a group called the Bombay Parsi Association (BPA), the city’s statues are more than… Continue reading Making statues smile
Category: Mumbai
New Construction Near Doongerwadi
A proposal to build a multi-storey residential building near the Towers of Silence on Malabar Hill has caused concern among a section of Parsis. They worry that residents of the upper floors of these buildings will be able to see the bodies laid to rest in the towers. The building is to come up inside… Continue reading New Construction Near Doongerwadi
Khada Parsi may stand elsewhere
Away from the noise and pollution in Byculla, BMC plans to shift the century-old statue to Five Gardens The landmark Khada Parsi statue may find a new home at Five Gardens near Dadar. The statue now stands between two flyovers in Byculla.The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to shift the century-old statue of Shet Cursetjee… Continue reading Khada Parsi may stand elsewhere
A conversation with Kekoo Gandhi
We explore the avant-garde Progressive Art Group as veteran art collector Kekoo Gandhy unearths its history Many art veterans believe that the formation of the ‘Progressive Art Group’ is one of the most significant moments in the history of Indian art. The group boasts of people including MF Husain, SH Raza, KH Ara, FN Souza… Continue reading A conversation with Kekoo Gandhi
Is Mumbai Really Secular ?
Lawmakers may have given Mumbaikars a loud speaker deadline of 10 pm, but I guess laws are meant to be broken. True there have been cases wherein Mumbai’s event organisers never cross the set time limit to avoid legal complications, and as is clearly evident, it’s always the minorities who would follow them. It looks… Continue reading Is Mumbai Really Secular ?
Parsi fascination
I first went to Bombay when I was 14 or 15. An uncle worked for an antique store inside the Taj, then the grandest hotel in India, and lived in a rented flat in Bandra. The journalistic offerings of the city fascinated me: the film magazines, the tabloids, the society glossies. I remember reading quite… Continue reading Parsi fascination
The battle of Mumbai
Original article by Deepak Lokhande in the Mid-Day Should I be wasting another 400 words on what went on in our city during the last week? I should. For over two weeks, the city remained hostage to Raj Thackeray and his men, to Amar Singh, Abu Asim Azmi and their men and to an extent… Continue reading The battle of Mumbai