Author: Sujata Patel
Several Contributors/
Translator(s)/ Edito: Sujata Patel/Jim Masselos
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year: 2010
Language: English
Pages: 347
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0195677110
Description
This volume, third in the series on Bombay, is about contemporary Mumbai or, as it was known for most of its existence, Bombay. The change in the nomenclature of the city, which is an off-spring of a political decision taken by the Shiv Sena - BJP coalition government of Maharashtra in 1995 and reflected usage in the city's two major languages Marathi and Gujarati.
Does this change coincide with the transition of Bombay to a great mega city, which has qualitative differences from the former and smaller city? Has Bombay become a post-modern global city?
This is the underlying thread of enquiry, which links the papers in the volume and their author's concerns in treating a great variety of subjects and issues. Collectively the papers present a distinctive view of Mumbai. They are interpretations of scholars, commentators, and activists of what Bombay has become. In the first part, Changing City Faces, the two editors provide their own perspectives on how the city can b e viewed. In the second section, Surviving and Living, the focus is on whether the city has improved living standards and quality of life. The third section, Contention and Conflict, looks at the consequences of social fragmentation. And the final section, Imaging the Real, explores the close links of the city with Bollywood.
Reviews:
‘Here comes a book which mirrors the face of the city.’
- Indian Express
‘The Book is commendable for the information and provocation analysis it offers. There’s a mine of information here for anyone willing to delve deep.’
- Sunday Mid-Day
‘The Book is rich and rewarding, a splendid accomplishment.’
- Nigel Harris, Economic and Poetical Weekly
Contents
Preface
PART I:
CHANGING CITY FACES
Bombay and Mumbai: Identities, Politics, and Populism
SUJATA PATEL
Defining Moments/Defining events: Commonalities
Of Urban Life
JIM MASSELOS
PART II:
SURVIVING AND LIVING
Work, Wages, and Well-being: 1950s and 1990s
SUDHA DESHPANDE / LALIT DESHPANDE
Aspects of Poverty and Living standards
MADHURA SWAMINATHAN
Hospitals and city health
NEHA MADHIWALLA
PART III:
CONTENTIONS AND CONFLICTS
Emancipation and Dalit Politics
EDWARD RODRIGUES / MAHESH GAVASKAR
Politics of Locality, Community, and Marginalization
RAJENDRA VORA / SUHAS PALASHIKAR
In Search of Shelter: The Politics of the Implementation of
The Urban land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act of 1976 in
Greater Mumbai
HARINI NARAYANAN
Slums. The continuing Struggle for Housing
P. K. DAS
‘My Area, your Area’: How riots Changed the City
JYOTI PUNWANI
PART IV:
IMAGING THE REAL
Tinseltown: From Studios to Industry
AMRITY GANGAR
Satya’s Mumbai; Mumbai’s Satya
SANDEEP PENDSE
Contributors
Index