Calling immersive readers, who love to imagine themselves in the characters’ shoes. Here are four new books on Mumbai to feel one with the city
The Ballard Pier Mole Station was the terminating station of the Frontier Mail and where British passengers would disembark before heading to steamers to England. Pic/Wikimedia Commons
The ayah’s journey
Step back in time at Ballard Pier with Uma Lohray’s work of historical fiction, The One-Way Ships. The novel delves into a little-known chapter of the Colonial era — the young Indian women hired as “ayahs” for the children of British memsahibs, and eventually abandoned in foreign lands. In this book, we join the protagonist Asha at Ballard Pier, as she disembarks from the Frontier Mail (now the Golden Temple Mail) train at the historic Ballard Pier Mole Station. While the station no longer exists, readers who want to immerse themselves in Asha’s journey, can head to Ballard Bunder, where there is a plaque. commemorating its role in the city’s history.
Built in 1875, Sassoon Dock is the city’s oldest operational dock. File pic
Marathi memory
From the famous Mumbai vada pav and sandwich and vegetable shopping on the streets of Mahim, to long drives down Marine Drive and the fishy essence in the air at Sassoon Dock, Jeet Thayil’s new book, The Elsewhereans, is part novel, part memoir and a well of nostalgia for the Bombay of yore. For an extra dash of realism, head to Colaba and sample a sugarcane juice from the streetside handcarts, just like Thayil’s mother, Ammu. Maybe, like her, you too might hear the juice vendor demand that you speak Marathi.
Aurora theatre is tipped to be replaced by a mall or multiplex
Partition past
Displaced by the Partition, Sion is where Bhawana Somaaya’s family planted its roots anew. In The author recalls growing up in the central suburb, flanked on one side by the famous Shanmukhananda Hall, and on the other, Aurora Cinema. Shanmukhananda remains a popular arts venue, but Aurora has since fallen into disrepair.
Chaat to chai tapris
For those who like to explore on their feet, Meera Ganapathi’s How to Forget is the perfect read. Follow the author on her walks through the temple-flower-scented aisles of Dadar flower market, the aroma of chaat at Chowpatty, and the chai tapris of Lokhandwala. Walk at Bandra Bandstand, where Ganapathi marvels at how rare it is to see Indian women walk alone.
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