Mumbai Memories

Long before the success of Danny Boyle’s multi-Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire, based on the lives of various youngsters living in its cavernous slums, or the massive terrorist attacks a few months earlier on its historical and business landmarks that left hundreds dead or wounded and plunged the city into s rare standstill, Bombay was a city that fascinated foreigners and Indians alike with an alluring image of fabulous wealth and poverty living side by side, the endless teeming hustle and bustle of its streets, ports and nightlife, the glamour and proficiency of its film industry (now named Bollywood), as well as being a major Asian financial centre.

The name Bombay was most likely taken from the Portuguese who arrived there during the 16th century and named the area Bom Bahia (good bay), yet in the mid ‘90s the local powers-that-be decided to give it a more Indian name and renamed it Mumbai, after the Hindu patron goddess of the city. Technically both names are still permissible. Below are some quotidian images from the city:

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