Re-reading Cities and Communities

Day 5: The next day I was lucky to meet Hamid Raj, who is currently faculty at Cept University. Hamid was born and raised in the old city, and loves it deeply. He is an explorer, who knows the city inside out. “I’ve been roaming these streets for years, but there is still so much that I discover everyday. That’s how rich the city is”, he tells me. Hamid frequently takes students to explore the hidden gems and unknown corners of the city, as part of a course on urban history.

The post production saw an infinite gush of interesting activities. The book launch on 14th January, 2015 was held at THE HIVE and was attended by a solid strength of 230. The HIVE being written about in the book was highly upheld. The ‘people’ of Mumbai, then travelled to Istanbul at INTCESS - the social sciences forum. Commencing the presentation with PIXELS, the elite crowd of Turkey was in awe for the impact the people had on the faces of the city. The month of February w

People Called Mumbai – was a compilation of the chosen moments that gently swayed in the Mumbai’s air but had the strength to freeze the gazer in its time and place. The publication was a compilation of 55 narratives that mapped the city breaking the barriers of occupations, geography and income. It was about striking the right chord. It was about bringing out a quality of a cosmopolitan that would render the place humane. It was about discovering the identity of the unsung h

Nisha was the backbone, the guide, the friend and the boss. Sahil was the only guy amongst a strong team of 6 girls. He was the buddy who always helps and is as friendly as possible. Soumya was the silently cool one who designed the graphics. An office that had transformed itself into a research cell had been nothing short of awesome. Vanessa came with her brilliant stories, Zankar with his sensational style, Mariel with her calm and adorable personality and Krupa came with h

Mumbai derives its signature characteristic through its people. With a diverse population influx each minute, every person here is a story in its own. However, their story is not theirs alone. Many a times, it belongs to a collective narrative, falling into the compartments of the city's history. It is in this context, the publication project- People Called Mumbai, by the architecture studio - Design [Variable] draws a parallel between writing and designing and views the city