Generating Landscape History through paintings

Glimpses of Mumbai - Bombay then

The city of Mumbai hmm..Bombay then, has a unique history, unlike any other place, for its growth from tiny small islands to what it is now and would be hence… The earlier visual data on Mumbai was in the form of sketches/drawings since photography was introduced in Mumbai for the first time only in 1850s, the period coinciding with the demolition of the erstwhile Bombay Fort i.e. the actual city limits at that time.

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The Bombay Fort is a big mystery to many, as far as its existence, its overall view, its limits etc. are concerned. As being in the Navy and posted at Mumbai in a office inside fort, it became a subject of great interest to me during my free time, including the weekends and the holidays. The study was focused on the literature that is available on Mumbai’s history, including the sketches, drawings and photographs of those times. I was equally concerned that I should not be replicating the work that already exists, therefore had to make several visits to   the museums, libraries, etc.  

The result of this study is the series of these paintings providing the visual impression of the Mumbai City hmm.. "Bombay then" with its Fort at one time and the seven islands.