Mumbai: A City Through Objects - 101 Stories from the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum

This book is an outstanding piece of publication. For starters it has superb publication values. Its the kind of book you proudly display on your library shelves and coffee table. The illustrations are phenomenal.The book showcases one of the oldest and least well known museums of Mumbai. This is a BMC run museu which was in the doldrums till it was bootstrapped into the 21st century by a huge INTACH initiative.The amazing collection, much of which is in storage due to a paucity of display space, has been brilliantly showcased in this volume. Verily tis a museum in a book. Kudos to Team BDL and Dr Tasneem Mehta.

“Imagine standing in a room in a large museum. As you look around the dimly lit gallery, you begin to recognize shapes: a basket, an arrow, a beautifully decorated carving, a shield. Some of the objects are unrecognizable to you. What if these objects could speak? What would they tell you about themselves? How have they been used? Where did they come from? How did they get to this museum? Whom do they belong to?The above stated line reflects heavily upon a sense of curiosity which we all have and something which makes us think of the origins of the same.The underlying theme of the literary work at hand primarily revolves around Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum and the objects it holds within its ambit as each of them remain to be a gateway to the civilisation to which they belonged.As one may easily surmise from the title of the book, it remains to be something that is to be literally interpreted throughout the 372 pages long book which has been divided into several chapters and each of them feature a unique story about something very unique and these stories encompass all the facets of it, especially one that will interest the readers and this happens to be throughout the book.The book has been presented in a rather simplistic fashion and this can be seen from its writing style which features easy to understand language and focuses more on letting the readers take cognizance of the stories behind such objects.Further, the book touches upon a subject matter of contemporary relevance as museums and their brilliance tend to get obscured in today’s day and time owing to various factors, however reflecting upon its accolades and its historical prowess adds to the interesting nature of the book, thus making it a must read for anyone willing to realize the importance of preservation and museums.

“A visit to a museum is a search for beauty, truth, and meaning in our lives. Go to museums as often as you can.”– Maira Kalman~Perceiving the past through remnants, artefacts or relics is a charming way to discover and unravel evolution and growth, through time. Having said this, Museums play the role of a repository that preserve the transition in time.Mumbai: A City Through Objects is a treasure that has the essence of a bygone time enclosed in beautiful images and stories from THE DR. BHAU DAJI LAD MUSEUM (previously Victoria and Albert Museum) that holds charming and enlightening anecdotes and remains that made Mumbai what it is today.This gorgeous book portrays the history of the magnificent global city that Mumbai is, through its versatility from the objects at the museum. The success of the city is the result of the labour and toil of the many people who made it their home or place of work. One can get a peek into the diverse craftsmanship and changing times through this marvellous book!I will never tire of anything that gives me a glimpse of what makes Mumbai a dynamic den and this book has just taken my crazy obsession a notch higher.

When Tasneem Mehta curates a book on the collections of Bhau Daji Lad museum, it is absolutely essential for Bombay-philes to get their hands on the book. This is a journey through the beloved city through objects that go back into its history. A unique take on Bombay, and a unique way to look at museum dioramas and their legacy. Highly recommend getting this book - a Bombay collector's delight, if there were such a thing!

I liked the old pictures of Bombay in this book!