A book digs into The Times’s extensive archives to chronicle Mumbai’s spirit at Literary Fest

When a cluster of Koli fishing villages metamorphosed into a busy mercantile centre in the 18th century, it became important to bring out news about the enterprising businessmen of Bombay. A syndicate of firms, barristers, a doctor and a lone Indian businessman started 'The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce' (now, The Times of India ) in 1838, closely binding together the growth of Mumbai and India's national newspaper.

"In modern life, the newspaper replaces morning prayer. In that sense, the Times of India and its archive give you a sense of the city," said historian Gyan Prakash at the launch of senior journalist Bachi Karkaria's book on Mumbai.

Mills, Molls, Moolah, which uses the newspaper's extensive archives to trace the historical, cultural, economic and political narratives of the city, is the sixth such work brought out by TOI as part of its 175th year celebrations.

"It all started in Bombay, 112 years before the newspaper started in Delhi," said Karkaria, who shunned a chronological narration of Mumbai's history. Instead, she traced the city through various strands—from being parcelled off as dowry to King Charles II to remaining a place with indomitable spirit despite numerous terror attacks.

"The 1993 blasts were a tipping point for the city, one which made all of us question what it means to be in Bombay," said Karkaria, reading out an article she had written in the aftermath of the attack. The city was bloody and battered, but was soon back on its feet.

The optimism in the book could disappear unless Mumbai is saved from the excesses of real estate development, said noted architect and urban planner Charles Correa. "We want to turn our city into Manhattan, which is a breakwater like Bombay. But we forget that Manhattan is a city which has an extensive public transport system. We want to be like them and keep three cars," said Correa in his address titled 'How we lost the plot'.

Along with augmenting the public transport system, urgent attention should be paid to providing crucial infrastructure facilities such as schools and hospitals. By increasing FSI (floor space index), developers get more people to live in cramped surroundings. "We need to have development within a structure. Otherwise, more people will leave the city for the suburbs because they can't afford basic amenities," he said; if you push the middle class away, the city's stability will crumble. "That's how cities die," said Correa.

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