Welcome to Mumbai

City of Contrast- Love or Loathe

Life is not a race but a journey to be enjoyed at each step of the way.

Shawkat Ali Sawant >>> Youtube Channel link

This blog/portal is not influenced or sponsored by any business or organisations. It was developed purely from intention of 'helping others'. As and when I come across information I feel would be useful for visitor to Mumbai I add to my blog. The blog is in portal style which will hopefully make it easier for readers to get relevant information compared to experiences I had, as getting information was not easy. 

This page is created for important information from point of arrival so that one can plan in advance to make journey easy. For easy navigation there are links to pages within the site as well as good selection of external links too.  

I have included information about Mumbai city as well as travelling from Mumbai to Delhi, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Kochi and other cities on route. Information as altitude, population, area size, distance from Mumbai and distance in-between cities, mode of transport to choose, sightseeing, malls etc. Similarly I have also created page on other countries too so that information shared would benefit others   

So your purpose of visit could be tourist, employment, student, medical, doing business, buying property, assist NGO, wedding shopping trip or to organise wedding in Mumbai. As an when I come across information it is added to various pages on this blog or when someone asks specific information I gather the information and if feel relevant update on blog, which over period is becoming useful information bank to assist others. 
------------------------------------------
Types of visa:

Transit Visa: maximum 15 days

Tourist Visa: maximum 180 days with gap of 60 days for return.

People with Indian origin can apply for OCI/PIO as permanent visa with no days restriction for Indian Diaspora.

Business Visa: exhibition participation, trade, monitoring project, post sales activities, training, technical support often applied by foreign national.

Employment visa: consultant on contract, artist, trainer, expertise as consultant, teacher, interpreter, skill base work, 

Student visa: full time education.

Research visa, Conference visa, Journalist visa etc.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transport: Pre-paid taxis on arrival: There are desks in Airport terminal arrival hall, where payment can be made for taxi journey so it is haggle free. There are 75,000 black cabs operating in city. Yellow and black cabs as well as airconditioned cabs can be booked on www.citycoolcab.in, www.tabcab.in, www.merucabs.com, www.olacabs.com, www.easycabs.com, www.bookmycab.com, Uber, 

Car Hire companies: These can be booked at airport as are there are many car hire companies counters or online in advance. It is mostly with driver. www.carzonrent.com , www.samruddhitravels.com , www.luxurylimo.in, www.avis.co.in ,

www.rushabhrentacar.com, www.aerowheels.in, www.ecorentacar.com, www.savaari.com

Driving Licence & Car purchase: AA International driving licence is valid in India. There are many driving schools who could assist in getting local provisional licence and full driving licence from transport office where local driving test is necessary. All types of new or second hand cars can be purchased. There are many new Car dealers and pre-owned car dealers and internet sites such as www.carwale.com, www.gaadi.com, www.cardekho.com. There is no annual tax on car or annual inspection of car. One has to service as appropriate. There are many online insurance companies. 

Mumbai transport page link...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For internal travel in India- Mumbai to other cities travel

Indian Railway- Tourist with overseas passports can book tickets from special quota reserved by Indian Railways. At main stations there is special counter for tourist and last minute booking can be made for inter city travel. 

Buses- Private bus companies run luxury buses to many cities from Mumbai. 

However a typical 700km to 1000km journey would be of 14 to 20 hours by bus or train.

Flights- India is well served by domestic flights and there are many flights even for same destination all day. Flying is best option as distance of over 1000 km is 2 hours flight. So Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kochi and many other cities can be reached in around 2 hours. The internal flights operators are listed on Travel page.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Communication:Mobile Phone SIM: There are many operators (Vodafone, Reliance, AirTel, DOLPHIN, Loop Mobile, IDEA, Aircel, TATA DOCOMO) offering 'post paid' (contract) and 'pre-paid' (Pay as you go) schemes for talk time and 3G data. (Police use mobile number to solve crime hence SIM cards are only issued with photos and address proof. In India mobile numbers are linked to Debit/credit card by banks and the moment any payment transaction is done or cash withdrawal at ATM immediately text message comes to phone).

Non residents Indians (NRI) and foreigners with other country passports can obtain mobile sim. There are many shops selling chips. You will require 2 photos, passport photocopy and mobile number of local contact and his/her address who will agree to act as guarantor. Once issued SIM will be operational in 48 hours. Many coffee shops have wi-fi zones.

There is android mobile application called www.freecharge.in which allows you to make pre-payment for talk time and 3G usage.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shopping Trip: There are many areas full of shops offering broad range to fit budget. Shopping trips with eating out at huge selection of eateries makes shopping fun.

Mumbai Malls, Mumbai Markets & Bazaars and Wedding shopping in Mumbai has more information about shops. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Medical: All international brands of medicine is available and there are many private diagnostic centers and medical centers.  over 150,000 people come to India (Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai) for Medical treatment. There are many private hospitals offering excellent service. In Mumbai there are www.hiranandanihospital.org, www.kokilabenhospital.com,  www.hindujahospital.com,  www.lilavatihospital.com , www.saifeehospital.com , www.jaslokhospital.net , www.fortishealthcare.com , www.nanavatihospital.org , www.kohinoorhospitals.in , www.wockhardthospitals.com ,
In addition there are many specialist consultants and many more hospitals. 
For more information on Medical trip click here...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Education- There are 160 colleges in Mumbai offering commerce & science courses, 6 Pharmacy colleges, 60 Engineering colleges, 50 Management colleges, 17 Law colleges, 25 Applied arts colleges, 8 Dental colleges, 6 Media colleges, 15 vocational institutes - over 30,000 come to study. (UK & US each attracts 10 times more students). Many come for short IT courses too.
For more information on Education visit click here...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bank Account: There are many banks offering NRE (Non Resident External) account where money can be remitted from abroad and if required can be repatriated. NRO account is 'Ordinary' account to make deposit of India income. All banks issue debit and credit cards and there are many ATMs in all cities. To avoid fluctuation in currency 'Foreign currency account' are also available in major currencies. 

If you have UK or any other country account where same bank operates (such as HSBC), you can have 'Global' access and see all connected account on same computer screen and transfer funds between account at a click of computer in real time. You could have other currency accounts linked to same. Banks are listed in Business related information 

Money transfer & Forex: There are many branches of money transfer agencies (western union etc) in Mumbai and in many other cities too. Foreign currency could be exchanged at banks and Forex agencies.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PAN Card: PAN card (Permanent Account Number- 10 digits) is issued by government as tax code. It is important document as it is required by banks for opening account, buying property, register car and also acts as proof card. It links all transactions to tax office. A foreign national working in India can apply for PAN card by using form 49AA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Hotels: List of hotels as 5 & 4 star and other in three direction of city are listed on Mumbai Hotels, 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buying property or renting: Area rates of property on Mumbai property investment (NRI & Foreign National buying in India).

Renting apartment is done on licence basis which is renewed every year. The rent varies from area to area. South Mumbai and up to bandra the rent could be between six hundred to thousand pounds for one or two bedroom apartment. As you go further north (90 minutes from old commercial district) the rent could be hundred pounds per month.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mumbai Climate: Mumbai has 15c to 36c temperature all year round (36 in direct sun in summer). Never too cold but little hot in month of May. July to September is monsoon season. (Delhi weather can be as low as 5c and could go up to 45c, Hyderabad weather can be as low as 6c and could go up to 45c, Bangalore- Altitude 3000ft weather can be as low as 15c and could go up to 36c, Srinagar- Altitude 6000ft, weather can be as low as -3c and high would be 30c, Chandigarh weather can be as low as 3c and could go up to 36c).  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Internal pages of this blog. Click on links below

Present day Mumbai, Mumbai Hotels,   Mumbai transport,   Mumbai sightseeing,  

Mumbai Malls, Historical buildings of South Bombay (Sobo),  Mumbai Markets & Bazaars, Mumbai Eateries

---------------------------------------------------------

Groups, Forums, Blogs: Click on following for more information
Expats group- Mumbai Connexions, Internations, British Expats  
Travel Forums- Team bhp, bcm touring, India mike, India travel, Virtual tourist, 
Travel India, Trip advisor. 
Development: Skyscrapercity, 
Blogs: Mumbai boss, Brown Paper Bag, Mumbai net, 
Food: Zomato, Burrp‎, Gourmet it up,  
Transport: Transport app for phone, Transport page link
Activities: Time out, Cinema halls and Multiplexes,Online tickets,  
Newspapers: Mumbai print media, 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mumbai (Greater) Ranking:

Area (Urban) Mumbai 700k^m2, Birmingham 268k^m2, London1500km^2, New York 730k^m2,
Singapore 700 k^m2, London 1500km2, Jakarta 740k^m2, Cape Town 2500k^m2.  

Population of Greater Mumbai is 20 million (third of UK (60m) population, higher than 169 
of 223 countries), (New York 8m, London 8.3m, Istanbul 14m, Singapore 5m, Birmingham
1m, Kuala Lumpur 1.2m, Cape town 3.4m). Mumbai is No. 1 city of India in opulation, 
Delhi 20m, Bangalore 8m, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai 5m, Kolkata, Surat, 
Pune 3m, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Nagpur 2m, Indore, Bhopal 

Slums: 40% live in slums- 8 million, most works as maid and drivers for others

Density (People/km²: 3^rd in density 31,700/km²  Honkong 26,000/km² ,
London 4,000/km^2,  Birmingham 4,000/km²) 

City Tag for Mumbai: The city of dreams, the city that never sleeps; this is a city of numerous tag lines. But the most apt is probably Mumbai–the commercial capital of India. But most importantly, Mumbai is India's "money-spinning zone".

Mumbai Transport & other facts

Flash Mob at CST Railway Station

Mumbai City Mobile Applications

M-indicator is mobile Application used by many to check train, bus, taxi service  , smart cards are used to swipe & purchase tickets on local train stations. Local trains are fitted with computers to avoid accidents. Indian Railways e-ticketing allows ticket booking and real time tracking of train moments. Also there is mobile application to check city  traffic.

Mumbai Railways- Local Train Distance

·    Churchgate-Borivali 34km= 25miles (same as B’ham Coventry)- every 3 minute

·    Churchgate- Virar 60km= 40miles (same as B’ham Leicester)- every 5 minute

·    Churchgate-Dhanu 124km= 77miles (more than B’ham Nottingham 84km= 52miles)- every 30 minute,

·    Mumbai Central Railways was built by the British in 1853, first train was from Victoria Terminus to Thane 34km (21 miles). And Western railway from Colaba in 1856. First steam train in India. Electification happen in 1910 onwards.

·    In 1900, 45 trains of Western Railway in each direction were carrying over one million passengers annually.

·    Mumbai Railway carries 7 million passenger every day which is more than population of 124 countries of 223 countries of world. (1 million ladies)

·    1928 The first electric train runs between Churchgate and Borivali.

·    Each direction trains run 124km, 75 miles plus (in 3 directions and carries 7 million passengers). Around 115 stations spread over 465 km (300 miles) in 3 directions. 2342 train operate from 4 am to 1 am = every 6 minutes average on each line.

·    Trains operate as Slow and Fast trains (limited stops) as well as Ladies only special in peak office going hours

·    A 12-car train can seat 1,168 and 2,336 standees that is a total of 3,504, in 2009 few 15 compartment trains introduced.

·    Maximum fare for distance- second class 50 pence, Monthly pass £4, First class £2 and Monthly pass £15

·    80% of population use public transport.  There are dedicated ladies compartments on every train. Refer to train by time as 8.30 or 8.42 train referring to time it leaves any specific station. Even if arrives late it will show the time it suppose to be on board as reference point. People mention time of train to refer to specific train.
     Trains are fitted with computers to avoid collusion. 

·    Mumbai Suburban Railway employs 1.5 million people

·    Yearly more than 3,500 people die on the railway track due to unsafe riding on trains or trespassing or suicides- (10 daily)

·    Platforms act as shelters for run away kids, next to tracks space is used by poor families to build slums

·    Literally outside every railway station there is local market, some big some small. Hawkers sell on train,

Mumbai Mono Rail (Elevated) connecting Chember to Saat Rasta. MMRDA have developed Monorail.

Mumbai Metro have started to ease traffic and connect east and west localities of cities, as trains run north to south. More metro routes are under consideration. www.mumbai-metro.com, www.mumbaimetroone.com,  

Metro Rail in India with air conditioned compartments have started in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai. Bangalore and Jaipur, Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Indore, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Nasik, Patna, Pune, Surat, Guwahati are under construction, Malls are often situated near Metro stations like MG road in Gurgaon, Delhi and similar in other cities too).

Taxis- Black & Yellow cabs arrived in 1911 to complement horse wagons. There are about 75,000 taxis registered to operate by meter in Greater Mumbai. 7 mile journey would cost £3. (www.bookmycab.com) 022 61234567. AC Blue colour Cool cabs also operate on meter and cost more. (www.citycoolcab.in). 

App based & Radio cab services have been introduced by some private companies. These taxis are brand new air-conditioned cars fitted with GPS and electronic metres. These taxis need to be booked in advance by calling their callcentre number. The total number of fleet taxis in is 6,000. Meru Cabs has fleet of 2,500 vehicles in Mumbai but its nearest competitor, TabCab has fleet of 2,500 taxis. Meru- www.merucabs.com, (022) 44 22 44 22, Tabcab- www.tabcab.in (022) 6363 6363, Uber Cabs, Ola- www.olacabs.com  (022) 3355 3355 also do hourly rentals and outstation bookings.

For City and Outstation trips, car with driver/ Tourist Taxis: Cars with Tourist licence to operate in city and outstation. Avis Outstation  Mobivoyage, Ecorentacar, Comfort Travel, Carsonrent, Fred travels, Carjee, Sudarshan cars, Milan Travels, Savaari, 

• Full day city travel example: Rs 3000 per day with driver for 8 hours or 80 km, additional km would be @ Rs 17 per km.
• Outstation example for 6 seater, full day (6 am to 11 pm) with driver and fuel will cost Rs 4,250 plus GST @ 5%, (250km x Rs 17 per day. Additional km @ Rs 17 per km. If overnight stay, driver allowance Rs 400. Toll charges and parking fees at cost.  

Luxury car rental: Super Luxury car rental, Kings of car hire, Luxury Limo, Antaeusindia, 

Self Drive car hire: Zoomcar, Mychoize, Drivezy, Avis, Selfdrive, Momondo, 

Auto rickshaws started for masses in 1985. There are total 246,458 auto rickshaws in Mumbai. Auto rickshaws do not operate in South Mumbai. All auto rickshaws use CNG

Mumbai Buses: Bombay Tramway Company was set up in 1873 at Colonial time under Bombay Presidency by British. Trams were drawn by one or two horses. In 1905, a newly formed concern, The Bombay Electric Supply & Tramways Company Limited, bought the Bombay Tramway Company and the first electrically operated tram-car appeared on Bombay's roads in 1907. double decker trams were introduced in September, 1920. Bombay saw its first bus run in 1926 between Afghan Church and Crawford Market. Double deck buses were introduced in 1937.

There are 4,000 buses carrying half million passengers daily on 335 fixed routes from early morning to late night. 7 miles journey cost 30 pence. There are dedicated seats for ladies, elderly & disabled in buses. Buses , Taxis and Auto rickshaws use CNG as the fuel

Cars registered 1,877,000. Most cars are manufactured here and exported too. There are show rooms for most makes, even of Bentley and Ferrari too. Also Jaguar and Land Rover which is owned by TATA. Even Porsche has showroom in Mumbai, Car dealers in Mumbai,   Rolls Royce, Porsche, Lamborghini, Jaguar, Land Rover, Audi, Mercedes and most other manufacturers have their showrooms in Mumbai.       

Driving Licence & Car purchase: AA International driving licence is valid in India. There are many driving schools who could assist in getting local provisional licence and full driving licence from transport office where local driving test is necessary. All types of new or second hand cars can be purchased. There are many new Car dealers and pre-owned car dealers and internet sites such as www.carwale.com, www.gaadi.com, www.cardekho.com. There is no annual tax on car or annual inspection of car. One has to service as appropriate. There are many online insurance companies. 

scooters and bikes- 1,100,000 registered. Royal Enfield, Harley davidson, Bikewala..

Mumbai Roads were widened and some road side encroachments are re-housed to make traffic move. 55 flyovers were built on Eastern and Western expressway. Some are over 3km long. Mumbai has excellent mode of travelling. May it be Auto Rickshaw, BEST bus, local trains or Taxi you find them every time, everywhere, including AC buses on selective routes & AC taxis too.

Think Local: sometimes bread earner has to travel daily on 90 minutes journey of 124km (max), Most people stay in own areas as all areas are self sufficient, lively and buzzing also travelling can be a problem in peak hours

--------------------------------------------------------

Mumbai History- Timeline

Mumbai has evolved over years from tiny fishing village of seven islands to present day mega city. The Maurya Empire gained control of the islands during the 3rd century BCE, Later, between the 2nd century BC and 9th century BC, the islands came under the control of successive indigenous dynasties: Satavahanas, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Kalachuris, Konkan Mauryas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas, before being ruled by the Silharas from 810 to 1260.

The present day city was built on what was originally seven islands of Bombay Island (largest), Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli, and Old Woman's Island (Little Colaba). Colaba to Mahim was connected. In 1782, William Hornby, Governor of Bombay merged islands into a single landmass by the Hornby Vellard project. 1802 The construction of the Sion Causeway was completed by Governor Duncan, Bombay Island to Kurla, Salsette. 1845 Mahim Causeway, to connect Mahim to Bandra completed. Colaba to Mahim was new landmass created.

Presence of European settlement

1498, Vasco da Gama became the first European in India via a sea route.

Portuguies 1505–1961: 1536 Diu, 1558 Daman, 1533 Bassein/Bombay later given to British as gift, 1610 Goa  (until 1961), 1498 Calicut, 1500 Cochin,

French 1769–1954: 1674 Pondechari

Dutch 1605–1825: 1669 Cochin, 1658 Nagapatam, 1600  Policat/ Madras (Dutch East India Company), 1615 Masulipatam,

Danish 1620–1869: 1675 Serampure near Calcutta, 1620 Karur

British 1612–1947: Landed in 1612 in Surat, 1638 Bombay, 1639 Madras, 1690 Calcutta, East India Company 1612–1757, Company rule in India 1757–1858, British Raj 1858–1947. 335 years in total & 190 years in power.

India never invaded another country. It fought wars with Pakistan to defend.

Mumbai European Invasion History

·     1526, the Portuguese established their factory at Bassein. During 1528 Lopo Vaz de Sampaio seized the fort of Mahim from the Gujarat Sultanate. Many Churches were built during this period. The Portuguese encouraged intermarriage with the local population, and strongly supported the Roman Catholic Church.

·    1600 December, Elizabeth, of the United Kingdom, gave concent to the demand of merchants that a royal charter be given to a new trading company trading into the East-Indies.

·    1601-13, merchants of the East India Company took twelve voyages to India.

·    1609 William Hawkins arrived at the court of Jahangir to seek permission to establish a British presence in India.

·    1612 Battle of Swally was fought between the British and the Portuguese at Surat in for the possession of Bombay

History of Bandra

·    1568 Antonio Pesoa and the Portuguese Crown granted Bandra to the Jesuits (Jesus missionary society) as a revenue source to support their work.

·    1583 the first place of public Catholic worship Santa Anna on Mahim creek. for a pakhadi of cultivators parish. Koli portion of the Bandra Catholic population was assigned to the Church of St Andrew

·    1616 the Catholic population was around 6,000

·    1700s documented 24 pakhadis (villages) that made up Bandra

·    Bazaar Road began at Ghodbunder Rd (now S V Rd) opposite Mosque and ran through the market keeping close to the coast, now the Bandra Reclamation. There was port near the mosque.

Mumbai (Bombay) was given as Dowery by Portuguese to British

·    1661 Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza brings Bom (Good) Bahia (Bay) (Bombay) to King Charles II of England as part of her marriage dowry.

·    1668 British East India Company leased the seven islands of Bombay from Charles II for an annual rent of £10.

British East India Company

·    1668 George Oxenden became the first Governor of Bombay under the British East India Company

·    The Company immediately set about the task of opening up the islands by constructing a quay and warehouses. A customs house was also built. Bombay was placed at the head of all the East India Company

·    1669 Gerald Aungier, who was appointed Governor of Bombay. He offered various business incentives, which attracted Parsis, Armenians, Jews, Dawoodi Bohras, Gujarati Banias from Surat and Diu, and Brahmins from Salsette.

·    1674 Rickloffe van Goen, the Governor-General of Dutch India attacked Bombay, but the attack was resisted by Gerald Aungier. The Treaty of Westminster concluded between England and the Netherlands in 1674, relieved the British settlements in Bombay of further attacks from Dutch.

·    1675 Population risen to 60,000 (1661 Mumbai population 10,000)

·    1689 Moughal Yakut Khan landed at Sewri and razed the Mazagon Fort, after a payment made by the British to Aurangzeb, the ruler of the Mughal Empire, Yakut evacuated Bombay on 1690

·    1690 the arrival of many Indian and British merchants led to the development of Bombay's trade. Soon it was trading in salt, rice, ivory, cloth, lead and sword blades with many Indian ports and other countries.

·    1735 Start of shipbuilding industry (Wadia docks, Duncan docks)

·    1750, the city emerged as an important trading town, with maritime trade contacts with Mecca and Basra.

·    1774 Due to in-fight of Moghuls, Maharajas, Sutans, Nawabs British managed to takeover India and act as colonial government.

·    1817, the British East India Company under Mountstuart Elphinstone defeated Bajirao II, the Peshwa of the Maratha Empire, in the Battle of Kirkee which took place on the Deccan Plateau. The success of the British campaign in the Deccan witnessed the freedom of Bombay from all attacks by native powers. The educational and economic progress of the city began with the Company's military successes in the Deccan.

·    1838, the British rulers introduced a 'grazing fee' which several cattle-owners could not afford.Therefore, Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy spent Rs 20,000 from his own purse for purchasing grasslands near the seafront at Thakurdwar and saw that the starving cattle grazed without a fee in that area. In time the area became to be known as "Charni" meaning grazing and Charni Road. Gaiwadi area is nearby. Later land was allocated as Gymkhanas by Governer Harris.

·     1858 to 1947 classed as official British Empire

Connecting Seven Islands History

·    The present day city was built on what was originally an individual seven islands of Bombay Island (largest), Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli, and Old Woman's Island (Little Colaba).

·    1782, William Hornby, Governor of Bombay the islands were coalesced into a single landmass by the Hornby Vellard engineering project.

·    1802 The construction of the Sion Causeway was completed by Governor Jonathan Duncan. It connected Bombay Island to Kurla in Salsette.

·    The inroads of the sea at Worli, Mahim, and Mahalaxmi turned the ground between the islands into swamps making Bombay an extremely unhealthy place at that time. Many commuters going to the Fort by boat between islands lost their lives when there was a storm during the monsoons. During the next 40 years much was done to improve matters.

·    1845 Mahim Causeway, to connect Mahim to Bandra completed

City Development- Nineteenth Century

·    1803, a fire raged through the town, razing many localities around the Old Fort, subsequently the British had to plan a new town with wider roads.

·    1819 The Wellington Pier (Apollo Bunder) was opened for passenger traffic

·    1822 Elphinstone High School was established

·    1825 English replaces Persian as the chief language in India

·    1825 The construction of the new mint commenced.

·    1830 during the regimes of Mountstuart Elphinstone construction of a good road up the Bhor Ghat gave better access of the Bombay to the Deccan.

·    1830 regular communication with England started by steamers navigating the Red and Mediterranean Sea.

·    1833 The Asiatic Society of Bombay (Town Hall) was completed

·    1835 Elphinstone College was built

·    1836 Chamber of Commerce was established.

·    1838 the islands of Colaba and Little Colaba was connected to Bombay by the Colaba Causeway.

·    1838 Times Of India newspaper was founded by Robert Knight, present circulation of over 3.14 million ranking it as the 3rd largest selling newspaper in the world

·    1840 The Bank of Bombay was established,

·    1845 The Commercial Bank of India established, issued notes with an interblend of Western and Eastern Motifs.

·    1845 the Grant Medical College and hospital, the third in the country, was founded by Governor Robert Grant.

·    1850 onwards saw feverish construction of buildings in Bombay, many of which such as, the Victoria Terminus, the General Post Office, Municipal Corporation, the Prince of Wales Museum, Rajabai Tower and Bombay University, Elphinstone College and the Cawasji Jehangir Hall, the Crawford Market, the Old Secretariat (Old Customs House) and the Public Works Department (PWD) Building, still stand today as major landmarks.

·    India started playing Cricket in 1721 but was granted the official test status in 1932. They played their first test cricket match from 25th June to 28th June in the year 1932 against England at Lords. India was lead by CK Nayudu at that time. India was sixth team then to play the test cricket.

Bombay Presidency

·    1852 The first political organization of the ‘Bombay Presidency’ responsible for Maharashtra, Gujrat and Sindh

·    1853 (16 April) The first-ever Indian railway line began operations between Bombay and neighbouring Thane over a distance of 21 miles.

·    1854 The Bombay Spinning and Weaving Company was the first cotton mill to be established at Tardeo in Central Bombay.

·    1854 Eastern Railway from HOWRAH to HOOGLY, a stretch of 25 Kms. The train had a capacity to carry 300 passengers.

·    1855 The Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway (BB&CI) started Colaba to Virar train. Electrified up to Borivali 1n 1928, Colaba to Churchgate stations were dismantled in 1933. Tracks divided bandra areas of Bairam pada in two halfs.

·    1857 University of Bombay was the first university established in India

·    1857 The Commercial Bank, the Chartered Mercantile, the Chartered and the Central Bank of Western India, The Chartered Bank of India were established in Bombay attracting a considerable industrial population.

·    1860 piped water supply from Tulsi and Vehar, Tansa lake was inaugurated

·    1862 Victoria Gardens (Rani Baug) was opened to the public

·    1863 Bombay Shipping and Iron Shipping Companies were started to make Bombay merchants independent of the English.
      1863 John Watson built first 5 star, Watson Hotel, which was white only (even serving employees were white) hotel near Gateway of India, fabricated in England and constructed on site. Later in 1903 Jamshedji Tata built Taj Mahal Hotel Palace.

·    1866 The Bombay Coast and River Steam Navigation Company was established for the maintenance of steam ferries

·    1869 opening of the Suez Canal revolutionized the marine trade of Bombay.

·    1870 Bombay Port Trust formed for the development port.

·    1872 The Bombay Municipal Corporation was established providing a modern framework of governance for the rapidly-growing city.

·    1873 Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) original tramway

·    1875 by Albert David Sassoon, Baghdadi Jew built dock on reclaimed land.

     1875 Bombay Gymkhana was formed
     1875 Bombay Stock Exchange, the oldest stock exchange in Asia,

·    1882 Electricity arrived in Bombay, Crawford Market was the first to be lit up

·    1885 Indian National Congress formed at Gowalia Tank Maidan.

·    1887 Bombay Fire Brigade was established

·    1888 Victoria Terminus of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway, one of the finest stations in the world, was completed
·    1890 concept of Dabbawalas (lunch box delivery man) originated in the when British people who came to Bombay did not like the local food

·    1890 Allocation of land to Muslim, Hindu, Catholic to use as gymkhana as community sports facility by the then Governor of Bombay, Lord Harris

·    1863 John Watson built Watson Hotel, which was white only (even serving employees) hotel near Gateway of India, metal beams fabricated in England

·    1885-1890 Gymkhanas to communities by Bombay Governor, Lord Harris

·    1895 Lord Sandhurst governer of Bombay passed the Act which constituted the City Improvement Trust (CIT).

·    1898 Under CIT Waldemar Haffkine, Dadar-Matunga-Wadala-Sion scheme, the first planned suburban scheme in Bombay to relieve congestion in the centre of the town. Also Victorian Gothic architecture of the Fort area and other building and roads of South Bombay were developed.

     Twentieth Century

·    1901 to 1945 Rolls Royce exported 800 cars to India. There was Rolls Royce show room near Metro Cinema in Mumbai.

·    1903 Jamshedji Tata built Taj Mahal Hotel Palace

·    1905 Partition of Bengal by British as Hindus and Muslims areas

·    1908, Lokmanya Tilak, the principal advocate of the Swadeshi movement in Bombay. Many British products (Cloth, Cars etc) were sold in India.

·    1911 Gateway of India was built to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder, when they visited India to attend Delhi Darbar which was meeting of Maharajs of India.

·    1911 Rolls Royce cars were lined during visit of King George V and Queen Mary to promote brand as India was biggest customer for brand. There was Rolls Royce show room near Metro Cinema. Between 1901 to 1945 Rolls Royce exported 800 cars to India.

·    1913 Sydenham College established. First College of Commerce in Asia.

·    1915 Gandhi returns to India from South Africa at Mumbai

·    1915 Port Trust Railway from Ballard Pier to Wadala was opened

·    1915 first overhead transmission lines of the Tata Power Company

·    1921 Sandhurst Road railway station (upper level) was built

·    1925 first electric trains in India between Victoria Terminus to Kurla

·    1927 the first electric locomotives manufactured by Metropolitan Vickers of England were put into service for passenger trains up to Poona and Igatpuri

World Wars 1 & 2

·    (1914-1918) World War I, which saw large movement of India troops, supplies, arms and industrial goods from city was followed in 1920 to 1922 Non-cooperation movement

·    1930s, the nationwide Civil disobedience movement against the British Salt tax spread to Bombay

·    1932 industrialist and aviator J.R.D. Tata pioneered civil aviation in Bombay by flying a plane from Karachi to Bombay

·    (1939-45) World War II, the movements of thousands of troops, military and industrial goods and the fleet of the Royal Indian Navy made Bombay an important military base for the battles fought in West Asia and South East Asia

Home Rule and Quit India movement

·    1942 Quit India Movement declaration passed at Gowalia Tank Maidan.

·    1946 Royal Indian Navy Mutiny in Bombay marked the first and most serious revolt by the Indian sailors of the Royal Indian Navy against British

·    15 August 1947 India became Independent from British Rule

·    1947 it is estimated that no fewer than 11 million Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs crossed borders from Pakistan, which to this day remains the single largest episode of migration in history.

·    1947 over 100,000 Sindhi refugees from the newly created Pakistan were relocated in the military camps five kilometres from Kalyan, Bombay. It was converted into a township in 1949, and named Ulhasnagar.

Modern History- Post Independence

·    1948 last British troops left through Gateway of India in Bombay ending the 282 year long period of the British presence in Bombay

·    Mumbai was also headquarter of 'Bombay Presidency' in British Raj administrating Maharashtra & Gujarat. Both states were together even after independence until 1^st May 1960.
    1960 May 1, Maharashtra State was formed with Bombay as its capital and Gujrat was created as a separate state 

·    In the early 1960s, the Gujarati and Marwaris communities owned majority of the industry and trade enterprises in the city, while the white-collar jobs were mainly sought by the South Indian migrants to the city.

·    1966 Shiv Sena party was established by Bombay cartoonist Bal Thackeray, out of a feeling of resentment about the relative marginalization of the native Marathi people in their native state Maharashtra. In the 1960s and 1970s, Shiv Sena cadres became involved in various attacks against the South Indian communities, vandalising South Indian restaurants and pressuring employers to hire Marathis.

·    In August 1972, a sister township of New Bombay was founded by City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) across Thane and Raigad districts to help the dispersal and control of Bombay's population referred as Navi Mumbai. The length of the city is almost the same as that of Mumbai in Thane and Raigad districts up to Uran.

·    1996 the newly-elected Shiv Sena-led government renamed the city of Bombay to the native name Mumbai, after the Koli Goddess Mumbadevi. Soon colonial British names were shed to local names such as Victoria Terminus being renamed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, after the 17th century Marathi King Shivaji.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cotton Trade & Cotton Mills History

·     Mumbai city was developed on Cotton trade, sending raw cotton bails to mills in Lancashire from  warehouses at Cotton Greens.

      Raw cotton was exported and finished fabric was imported from Lancanshire mills, Textile imports stood at Rs. 19.3 million.

·    1844 The Cotton Exchange was established in Cotton Green.

·    1854 Bombay Spinning Mill was opened by Cowasji Nanabhai Davar as first mill in city. Opposition from the Lancashire mill owners was eventually offset by the support of British textile machinery manufac

·    1861 The outbreak of the American Civil War increased the demand for cotton in the West, and led to an enormous increase in cotton-trade.

·    1865 Bombay had earned 70 million pounds sterling in the cotton trade which led to land reclamation schemes and the dock yards attracting huge investments.

·    By January 1865 Bombay had 31 banks, 8 reclamation companies, 16 cotton pressing companies, 10 shipping companies, 20 insurance companies and 62 joint stock companies.

·    1870 there were 13 mills in Bombay, 1925 there were 81 mills (14 were British owned). Of the 386 directorships recorded only 44 were English.

·    The rapid growth in mills started large migration of mainly Marathi speaking workers into the city. Mill workers use to live in Chawls around mills in areas of Girgaon, nicknamed as Bombay's "village of mills",and Parel. Many of today's slums are the by products of the cotton boom.

·    After World War II, under strong competition from Japan, the mills declined. 1953 there were 53 mills

·    1982, when Datta Samant led the textile strike, over 240,000 people worked in Girgaon. Strikes killed industry. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi considered him a serious political threat (similar to British coal industry strikes of 1984 led by Arthur Scargill, Margaret Thatcher saw him as serious political threat to industry)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Various Communities in Mumbai

Parsee in Bombay

·    Parsis descend from a group of Zoroastrians of Iran who immigrated to Gujarat in western India during the 8th (765 AD) to avoid persecution by Muslim invaders who were in the process of conquering Persia

·    They live chiefly in Bombay and in a few towns and villages mostly to the north of Bombay, but also in Karachi (Pakistan) and Bangalore

·    They settled first at Diu in Kathiawar but soon moved to south Gujarāt (Navsari), where they remained for about 800 years as a small agricultural community. Chiku farms are still owned by them.

·    British schools provided the new Parsi youth with the means to read and write, but also to be educated in the greater sense of the term and become familiar with the quirks of the British establishment. These latter qualities were enormously useful to Parsis since it allowed them to "represent themselves as being like the British," which they did "more diligently and effectively than perhaps any other South Asian community". While the British saw the other Indians, "as passive, ignorant, irrational, outwardly submissive but inwardly guileful"

·    The Parsis are intimately connected with the history of Bombay. The cotton boom was largely fuelled by Parsi entrepreneurs. The oldest newspaper in Bombay, "Bombay Samachar", was run by Parsis. Congress stalwarts like Dadabhai Naoroji, Pherozeshah Mehta and Dinshaw Wacha were Parsis.

·    In 1672, the British handed over a piece of land in Malabar Hill to the Parsi community for their first Dakhma, Tower of Silence.

·    1822 and 1838, cattle from the congested fort area used to graze freely at the Camp Maidan (now called Azad Maidan), an open ground opposite the Victoria Terminus. In 1838, the British rulers introduced a 'grazing fee' which several cattle-owners could not afford. Therefore, Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy spent Rs. 20,000 from his own purse for purchasing some grasslands near the seafront at Thakurdwar and saw that the starving cattle grazed without a fee in that area. In time the area became to be known as "Charni" meaning grazing. When a railway station on the BB&CI railway was constructed there it was called Charni Road. There is Gaiwadi nearby.

·    1892- 95 Dadabhai Noroji, was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom House of Commons, and the first Asian to be a British MP.

Iranis in Mumbai- 1860 draught in Yezd, Iran led to influx of many Iranis to India and many settled in Mumbai. Many started bakery and restaurants. In 1950 there more 350 Irani restaurants in Mumbai and Bun, Brun, Gutli Pav & Irani Chai was very popular. Now there are 15 such restaurants left in city.

Jews in Mumbai- Christians and Jews have been living in India since 52 A.D and 200 B.C. respectively. The first "Baghdadi" Jew, Joseph Semah, moved to Mumbai from Surat in 1730 and the first member of the Bene Israel community to move from the Konkan villages (near Alibaug) to south of Mumbai city arrived in 1749. Between 4,500 and 5,000 Jews live in Mumbai, there are eight synagogues in the city.

Anglo Indians- Portuguese, British & Dutch & French progenies- Portuguese authority in India encouraged his countrymen to marry Indian women. The offspring of these mixed marriages between the Portuguese and Indians were known as Luso-Indians. Owing to the fact that the English missed the companionship of their women, and suffered from the monotony and tedium of life in a strange and tropical land, many of them formed alliances (legitimate or otherwise) with the Luso-Indian and Indian women.

Moreover the English who discovered that the offspring of mixed marriages, the Anglo-Indians, were of great service to them in many ways. They were offered jobs in East India company admin and Railways and had their loyalty. Estimates of their number in India in the years leading to Independence range from 200,000 to half a million. Most were offered jobs in railways and administration. After Independence many moved abroad.

Syrian Christians arrival as group of Syrian Christians (Knanaites) from Urhoy (Edessa) in AD 345.

French were in Pondichery, East coast of India.

Armenians were in India since 17^th century. Population decreased after 1947

African- Arived in 10^th century, there are Sidhi communities in Kuch area of Gujrat and south of Bijapore in Haliyal who are of African origins.

Turks- Osmani turks community in Dhrub, Mundra, Kuch area. Arrived 400 years ago have ancestors links to Ottoman Turks who once ruled north.

Sindhis are refugees who came from Pakistan at the time of independence. 1947 over 100,000 Sindhi refugees from the newly created Pakistan were relocated in the military camps five kilometres from Kalyan, Bombay. It was converted into a township in 1949, and named Ulhasnagar.

Muslims in Mumbai 2.5m (India 138m- 14%, Pakistan 160m, Indonesia 242m), 1,000 mosques in Mumbai / 300,000 in India..

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

British History of 282 years

British East India Company- 1600

Landed in Surat in 1612 (Akbar’s son Jahangir was on throne), Bombay 1638, Madras 1639, Calcutta 1690, Visagapatnam 1682

British India 1765–1947- (East India Company was formed with Mughal Emperors permission in 1765.

British Emperors of India (1877-1947): British Emperors of India (1877-1947), Queen-Empress Victoria (1877-1901), King-Emperor Edward VII (1901-1910), King-Emperor George V (1910-1936), King-Emperor Edward VIII (Jan-Dec 1936), King-Emperor George VI (1936-1947).

During British presence Cotton was exported to England and British made fabric was sold in India and all over world. Rolls Royce cars, Locomotive engines, Steam engines and many British products were sold in India.

Vessels with eligible ladies were sent to settle with English officers working for British Empire in India. (Not criminals, who were sent to Australia)

Marwana (Afeem) illegal substance in England in Victorian time was grown in India and sold to China. England fought Opium war with China and gained control over Hong Kong

Governor General of India

1828 BENTINCK, Lord Wm. Cavendish, 1835 METCALFE, Lord Charles, 1836 AUCKLAND, Lord, 1842 ELLENBOROUGH, Lord Law, 1844 BIRD, Wm. Wilberforce, 1844 HARDINGE, Viscount Henry, 1848 DALHOUSIE, Lord

Viceroy of India

1855 CANNING, Viscount, 1861 BRUCE, James Eighth, 1863 LAWRENCE, Sir John, 1868 BURKE, Richard, 1872 NORTHBROOK, Lord Edward,C, 1876 LYTTON, Lord Edward, Bulwer, 1880 RIPON, Marquis Robinson, 1884 DUFFERIN, Frederick Hamilton, 1888 LANSDOWNE, Henry Charles, 1893 ELGIN, Victor Alexander, 1898 CURZON, George Nathaniel, 1905 MINTO, Gilbert John Elliott 1910 HARDINGE, Charles, 1916 CHELMSFORD, Frederic 1921 READING, Rufus Isaacs, 1926 IRWIN, Edward Lindley, 1929 GOSCHEN, George Joachim 1931 WILLINGDON, Freeman, 1936 LINLITHGOW, Victor, 1943 WAVELL, Archibald, 1947 MOUNTBATTEN Louis

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cricket in Mumbai

George Robert Canning Harris was a British politician, cricketer and cricket administrator. Lord Harris was the second-ever captain of the English cricket team. He served as Governor of the Presidency of Bombay in British India from 1890 to 1895. Harris with almost single-handedly introducing and developing the sport in India.

Bombay Presidency annual match played between the European members of the Bombay Gymkhana and the Parsis of the Zoroastrian Cricket Club. The first such game was played in 1877, when the Bombay Gymkhana accepted a request for a two-day match from the Parsis.

1907 saw the first Triangular tournament featuring teams from the Bombay and Hindu Gymkhanas as well as the Zoroastrian Cricket Club.

1912, the Muslims of the Mohammedan Gymkhana were invited to the now famous Bombay tournament, making it a Quadrangular.

Bombay Pentangular 1937, a fifth team, called The Rest, was admitted to the tournament. It comprised Buddhists, Jews, and Indian Christians.

Gymkhanas were created in: 
1875 Bomabay Gymkhana, 
1884 Parsi Gymkhana, 
1894 Hidu Gymkhana, 
1912 Islam Gymkhana, 
1937 Catholic Gymkhana.

------------------------------------------------------------------------