Mariam Dossal's laborious project, Mumbai: Theatre of Conflict, City of Hope - 1660 To Present Times uses old records, maps and rare visuals to track the transformation of the city from a time when British colonists paid communities to leave their native place and settle in the island city
Mariam Dossal's laborious project, Mumbai: Theatre of Conflict, City of Hope - 1660 To Present Times uses old records, maps and rare visuals to track the transformation of the city from a time when British colonists paid communities to leave their native place and settle in the island city
Imagine Mazagaon (Massegoung), an area that today is teeming with traffic, as a great fishing town famous for a fish called Bumbelo (Bombay Duck), batty (a coarse rice variety) and a wine made from cocoe called toddy.
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Seventeenth century Bombay was a collection of islands, from Salsette in the north to Old Woman's Island in the south, packed with coconut plantations, paddy fields and fishing villages. By the nineteenth century, it gave way to docks, railways and mills. Today, skyscrapers, flyovers, slums and malls have taken over this urban jungle.
DICKINSON EFFECT
Would you believe that it was not until 1812, nearly two centuries after the British got the seven islands as dowry, that Bombay had its first-ever detailed land survey? The credit for this mammoth effort goes to Captain Thomas Dickinson. Dossal, Professor of History, University of Mumbai is all praise for Dickinson and his contribution to our city's character and geography. Dickinson conducted the first ever-detailed survey; no wonder it took him nearly 16 years. His research included collecting old records, studying land patterns and issues, dating back to the 1600s. "It would be a wonderful archive for us to understand how the islands were acquired as dowry, and in what condition; the power yielded by the local communities and the systems that existed when the British took it over in the 1660s. Dickinson's real effort was to make the land saleable," she explains. His survey highlighted how land use had evolved, serving as a benchmark for surveys that
followed.
It was while Dossal was doing her PhD thesis on Imperial Design, Indian Realities: The Planning of Mumbai City (1991) that she stumbled on the fact that no comprehensive survey of Bombay existed prior to 1915-1918. She got access to the Land Records Office at Old Custom's House, thanks to DT Joseph, former Secretary, Urban Development, Government of Maharashtra. Gradually, she realised that land records were a sensitive issue and she was sitting on a goldmine of resources and historic records.
Once her research began, the in-house archivist, a certain Mr Mane introduced her to Captain Dickinson's extensive survey.
THIS LAND IS OUR LAND
In the 1600s, when the government tried to introduce uniform land reforms, the existing local communities like the Bhandaris, Kolis and Pathare Prabhus referred to their customary rights and used these references to protect themselves. For more than 100 years of their rule, the British were insecure and had to eventually sign an agreement in 1672 promising not to interfere in such land-related issues. The first successful attempt was under Dickinson who persuaded these communities to agree, and thus began the Herculean survey (1812-1827).
MAKING OF A GREAT CITY
There were two remarkable revelations that Dossal stumbled on during research. The first instance is what she believes should be referred to as the Magna Carta of Bombay. August 8, 1672 is a red letter day because it was when British law formally replaced Portuguese law on Bombay island and George Wilcox was appointed as the first Judge of the Bombay Judicature. On the same day, Governor Gerald Aungier promised equality before the law, to all inhabitants 'without fear, favour, in respect of persons.'u00a0
Secondly, it was the Bombay Government's initiative to "excite these useful men... to settle in Bombay." By the mid-1800s, the Government offered incentives to attract artisans, weavers, traders, labourers and financiers to leave their "native place" (Deccan, parts of Gujarat in particular) and settle in Bombay to populate, promote trade and agriculture and to develop the city into a profitable venture.
COLLECTOR'S CHOICE
Visuals of censuses, land revenue reports, rare records are insightful as are the community-wise break-ups, scattered through the book. With 91 black and white visuals including maps, plans, illustrations and photographs, and 27 colour plates, this is a must-have for every student of the city.
Dossal had barely skimmed the surface during her research. "I wanted this to be a tribute to our city. Like any big city, it has a wonderful history. Yet, Mumbai is distinctive with its mix of people."
*Mumbai has been used to refer to the city of the present day. Bombay has been used in a historical sense.
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