Monarchs, Pirates & a Controversial Rupee
A retelling of a 17th-century scandal in Bombay, featuring the original Captain Jack Sparrow
Bombay
The Man Behind Bombay Mint
The adventures of John Hawkins in setting up the first modern mint in the port city
Reserve Bank of India – ten-rupee banknote, issued for use in the Persian Gulf (signed by HVR Iyengar)
A rupee to stop smuggling. In 1959, the Reserve Bank of India launched a series of special notes to circulate only in the Gulf States. They were meant to stop the transfer of rupees to buy gold and smuggle it illegally into India. The rupee remained legal tender in the Arab kingdoms till 1972.
British India, King George V, Gold Fifteen Rupee coin of Bombay Mint
The rupee moves to the gold standard. During World War I, gold bullion was diverted to India from South Africa and Australia. In 1917, it was decided to coin it into ‘sovereigns’ equal to 15-rupees’ value at the Bombay mint. However,this foreign design was not popular. In 1918, a gold 15-rupee coin of the same… Read more »
Panoramic View of the Elphinstone Circle, Bombay
The Elphinstone Circle was a large garden complex in South Bombay, laid out in 1869 and completed in 1872. With the support of then-governor Lord Elphinstone, the green space known as Bombay Greens was converted into a circle surrounded by buildings, with walkways and trees planted throughout and an ornamental fountain in the center. The… Read more »
High Seas, Open Roads – Virtual Exhibition
Experience a virtual version of our travel-themed exhibition, which launched in January 2025 at Sarmaya, Mumbai
Bombay Painters & Poets Crawl
On the 25th of January, 2025, as part of the outreach of Sarmaya’s ongoing exhibition High Seas, Open Roads, we hit the town for a Bombay Painters & Poets Crawl. Conceptualised and led by Saranya Subramanian, the crawl kicked off at Flora Fountain. The group wound their way through the alleys and bylanes of Fort,… Read more »
Under The Skin – Dharavi’s Lost Leather Artisans
A third-generation ‘Bombay-Tamil’ narrates a personal history of Dharavi’s leather industry and its vanished ‘tholwadis’
‘Folk of the Salt-Spray’ by André Baptista
‘One of the lesser-known communities of Mumbai, the East Indian Christians have an intriguing history. Let’s delve into questions around their identity to understand the innate, vibrant pluralism of this community, and the many cultural nuances woven into its fabric.’ – André Baptista for Sarmaya Talks. Dr. André Baptista is an archaeologist, historian and cultural… Read more »
‘All Access Heritage: Why Mumbai needs an open-door policy’ by Fiona Fernandez
“For a metropolis that is viewed as a world city, we woefully lack access and entry to several key landmarks and places of heritage value. We need to stir curiosity and trigger engagement about our rich and diverse local history among young minds and adults alike .” – Fiona Fernandez. Fiona Fernandez is an Associate… Read more »
Object of the week: A Frenchman’s view of Princely India
Over six years spent travelling around India, Louis Rousselet learned photography and captured some of the most beautiful scenes of the Subcontinent, from the Himalayas to the Nilgiris and from coast to coast
Bombay in the Days of Queen Anne, Being an Account of the Settlement written by John Burnell
This is the 1st Ed. No. LXXII, in the Second series of the Bombay in the Days of Queen Anne. As a official of the East India Service, John Brunell arrived to the subcontinent in the latter half of the 17th century. This book has an introduction by Samuel T. Sheppard and includes Brunell’s two… Read more »
Bombay’s Jewish Communities:Diaspora, Identity and History by Sifra Lentin
This talk sheds light on the émigré community of the Baghdadi Jews in Bombay and interprets their built legacy in the context of Bombay’s economic, philanthropic and cosmopolitan milieu.
Bombay Imagined: The City of Unrealised Dreams by Robert Stephens
This intensely illustrated talk invites you to eavesdrop on previously unheard dialogues between the built and unbuilt, the city as it was and as it might have been.
Heritage walk on Mumbai’s water histories with Akanksha Gupta
A unique heritage walk led by Akanksha Gupta helped us understand Mumbai’s history, politics and culture through an exploration of the routes water takes to reach our homes
A View of the Town, Fort, and Harbour of Bombay: Taken from Malabar Hill
This aquatint from 1800 gives a sweeping view of Fort, the Bombay Harbour and other British points of interest in South Bombay as seen from the vantage point of Malabar Hills. The highest point in the south of the city, it was where the original Walkeshwar Temple was founded by the Silhara Kings, who reigned… Read more »
Plague Visitation, Bombay, 1896-1897
This album captures the arrival of the bubonic plague in Bombay in 1896 and 1897. It documents the circumstances of the time and the plague’s progression into becoming one of the deadliest pandemics of 19th century India. Acacio Gabriel Viegas, a Portuguese medical practitioner, recognized the plague in Bombay at Mandvi in September 1896. Regarded… Read more »
Mahars
This photograph of the Mahar community is by William Johnson. The Mahars traditionally belonged to the lowest caste in the Hindu caste system in the Bombay presidency. This image originally formed a part of a series called ‘Photographs of Western India’ (1855-1862) by William Johnson. It reappeared in his later publication ‘The Oriental Races and… Read more »
Karnatika Brahmans
This photograph of the Karnatika Brahmins was taken by William Johnson. This image originally formed a part of a series called ‘Photographs of Western India’ (1855-1862) by William Johnson. It reappeared in his later publication ‘The Oriental Races and Tribes, Residents and Visitors of Bombay’ (1863 and 1866). The series gives a glimpse into the… Read more »