3.5 stars

Shortly after the blasts, it ran a short segment titled ‘A Tribute to the Spirit of Bombay’. It was deeply moving; friends told me that the programme made them weep. Since then, however, Bombay’s indomitable will has been hailed by its politicians and socialites with such regularity, it has become obvious that they’ve used this resilience as an excuse to absolve themselves of the need to take the difficult decisions necessary to actually make the city more liveable. The incessant invocation of Bombay’s spirit is just an attempt to ignore the numbing of another little bit of its soul.

Real estate developers—many of whom had taken to describing themselves as ‘infrastructure firms’, as if this affords them a higher sense of purpose than mere land-sharking—are making too much money to even pretend to be bothered by the damage their projects are inflicting on the urban fabric. Anticipating these disasters should be the responsibility of the bureaucrats and politicians who are framing the rules. But they didn’t seem to devote much thought to this either. Perhaps it’s because, as a series of exposés have demonstrated, many of the administrators who are framing the regulations and the politicians who are approving them have stakes in real estate firms. If this seems to constitute a conflict of interest, no one is unduly bothered.

These two quotes, for me, sum up the source of all of Mumbai's problems - no one cares. In a city where everyone is busy surviving and the only thing with a voice is money, there is no room for sentimentality. In a city constantly on the move, there is no time for due process or auditing.

As a second-generation Mumbaikar who has only lived in the city flittingly, but has been able to view it throughout the years from a distance, I can understand Naresh Fernandes' pain at the idea of his city Bombay being stripped down and sold to the highest bidder, while the Apathy of Mumbai, so often called the Spirit of Mumbai, only stands by and watches.

I liked the author's anecdotal recounting of the city's history and how it developed from a small group of fishing villages and islands to the bustling megapolis it is today. At around 170 pages, it was a swift read - however, I wish it was longer and more thorough. I would have loved to see the author take a deeper dive into the city's past, with better research and referencing, which seemed to be missing in this short biography.

When it comes to Mumbai its bound to invoke special feelings for people who have lived there even for a brief period of time. Now the book is divided into two major parts. The first part deals with the history of the city. The short essay deals with indigenous history, colonial administration and then to the current phase. The second part is mostly about the changing nature of Bombay. The author showcases resentment towards the planning which went into building of the modern city. Some of the interesting chapters were Gandhi and Bombay, extensive discussion on shiv sena's role and riots which were witnessed. As a whole it's a short read but it is worth it.

This review might be biased for it is the story of the city I love.

A narrative that reminds me of the movie Man from Earth- but just on the 'beautiful city yet horrible place' of Bombay. The author's story of the city is short, crisp and fluid. The pre-Independence part 1 of the book makes you want to go re-discover your city now armed with the remarkable narratives of some areas. None of the weekend excursions that I planned in my head as I read along was more compelling than my wish to go to Nalasopara to visit the remains of a Mauryan Age stupa.

The second part of the book takes on a political tone (bound to polarize readers) but the shift in voice too is indicative of the transformation our city went through. This is however Naresh Fernandes' story of the city and he delivers it as his ringside spectator view of the city through centuries.

Absolutely love it. The style and candour draws you in. Unexpected prose on expected subjects. A marvellous read on Beloved Bombay.