A die hard Mumbaikar, but honestly don’t like the name Mumbai
and prefer the old name Bombay. From my
blog, readers will be able to discern that everything old, quaint and
traditional attracts me and therefore have named my blog Retro- Reflections.
A social
anthropologist and a historian by profession, my special areas of interest are
cultural studies and maritime history. I
am a peoples’ person and therefore all kinds of cultures fascinate me. Tribal
cultures definitely hold a special place since they are either gradually dying
or amalgamating into urban cultures. We consciously need to preserve their
distinct identity and maintain a balance.
Never one to be chained to one place, passion for travel is
intense. Travelling has been a passion since childhood especially having
parents who also had the urge and love for travel. From Kanyakumari to Srinagar
in an old Citroën was the first thrilling adventure I experienced as a child.
It was almost travelling the whole expanse of India. Since then there has been no looking back. The
final find was a life partner who also seems to have wings and spurs.
I am an avid reader--
of classics, crime fiction, historical essays, oriental and Nazi literature they,
enthral me equally. Watching good and meaningful cinema is another passion and
always a visual delight. Music of different genres be it Retro, classical, jazz,
country folk and fusion hold me spellbound. I am unable to relate to the modern
trends in music especially the lyrics which seem meaningless not to mention
sound and rhythm. But of course each to his or her own taste.
I love the whole range of art and craft India offers and hope
I can travel to all these remote corners of India someday where they are manufactured.
I am sensitive to people’s needs and have been doing voluntary
work at an adoption institute for the last 20 years. This also is an area which
gives me a high.
This is me in a nutshell!
Note: A press /media kit will soon be made available on this blog, meanwhile a Creative Commons License is in place and therefore any reproduction without prior written consent will be considered as theft and a violation of Intellectual Property Rights.(BOO... bet that sounds scary)
Note: A press /media kit will soon be made available on this blog, meanwhile a Creative Commons License is in place and therefore any reproduction without prior written consent will be considered as theft and a violation of Intellectual Property Rights.(BOO... bet that sounds scary)
Hi there, One day I had a hard think about the new name Mumbai. I suddenly realised that there was nothing new about it !! I have impeccable credentials to say that, I was born here, a 100% Marathi-Manus (now, that is indeed a new word).and heard this "new" word Mumbai since I was a tot, many moons ago of course. When speaking in Marathi - one said (in Marathi of course) I am going to Mumbai, translated it meant, I am going downtown. Now in any language it means I am going "down-the-drain-town". Bombay died of cancer in front of our very eyes and much like "Psycho" we kept the body in a cupboard and allowed it to decompose and when the stench got unbearable, we just gave it a new name.
ReplyDeleteHi Omeash,
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly why I have removed the dead body from the cupboard and am calling it Bombay.I prefer it to be called by its colonial name !
Mrinal
Hello Mrinal!
ReplyDeleteI read your article about Irani Bakeries on the link below. I liked it very much. I'm planning to open a blog myself with translations of the articles I've liked as well as my own articles. I was wondering if I could translate your article into spanish and post it there once the blog is built. Please let me know. I can be reached at ponentesincausa at gmail
Article here: http://sliceoffme.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/irani-bakeries-still-soldiering-on/
Best regards,
Alejandra, Mexico.