Bombay is Mumbai

MY THOUGHTS

As a parent, one of my pet peeves is the fact that our kids know about places and heritage monuments of countries far, far away, but have little to no knowledge of the city they live and grow up in. Over time, this leads them to think their own city, with its old monuments, is far inferior to those they read about, or visit on vacations abroad.

That’s why I love books like Bombay is Mumbai. This is a book that traces the origins of Bombay through the eyes of the first inhabitants – the Kolis. We follow a pink sari-clad Koli woman around Bombay and learn interesting things about its prominent neighbourhoods and landmarks. Visit Marine Drive, Colaba, Gateway of India, and Rajabhai Tower through the book.

Author Veena Rao makes this book so interesting! This can be a great read-aloud book or one you can pull out to read on a lazy weekend afternoon. She writes the story from the viewpoint of the Kolis and the change they have seen in their city from being a bunch of disjointed islands to the bustling megapolis it is today. The last few pages have us wondering what the city will look like in the next few years. The single greatest thing about the book is that it piques the curiosity of young readers, inviting them to know more, to explore further, to be tourists in their own city. I’m a huge fan of Shivam Choudhary’s gorgeous oil-pastel-like sketches, and he embraces the chaos of Mumbai in all its glory. Each spread is a riot of colour, and he packs so much detail into each page that it leaves you gasping for breath. The Koli women dressed in their bright and colourful Maharashtrian saris, bedecked in jewellery, with an all-knowing smile that mirrors the culture and warmth of Mumbai, is one of my favourite spreads.

Bombay is Mumbai is perfect for middle-grade readers, but honestly, this is yet another picture book that I would proudly display on my coffee-table not just for how gorgeous the pictures are but because anyone reading can pick up a thing or two from this book.