Museums are the windows into the history. It might sound like a boring quiet place where all you see is artefacts from the earlier times. However, when you look closely each one has its story and importance. Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum is not a huge museum when you look at the building, but it stores around 3,500 objects revolving around Mumbai’s history. The museum has photographs, books, textiles, maps, lacquer ware, manuscripts, and weaponry and exquisite pottery which engulfs you into its beauty and craftsmanship. In the first part of this three-part series, we read about the history of Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, once known as the Victoria and Albert Museum. In this part, we focus on its revival and the renaming of the museum to its current name.
history
Mumbai, once known as Bombay is the city of contrasts. It is home to the billionaires of India and also to some of the poorest who live on the streets. Here you will find people working for hours to make their ends meet. In addition, you’ll find people just sitting idle watching the crowd pass by. Mumbai provides a view of the modern India but still retains its history. In this three-part series, we explore the history of Mumbai. Before I proceed, I would like to thank the museum officials for their quick email note. In addition, for allowing me to take pictures and for providing me guided tour and sharing information. All images are courtesy of Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum and clicked without using any camera flash.
Have you ever felt this feeling that some places call you subconsciously? I mean like the moment you heard about it or seen it in pictures you get this feeling that you have to visit this place. Well, a few weeks ago, I was working on a blog post of Vasai Fort, which is now already on the site. However, when I was clicking pictures I was attracted by this towering golden structure which is visible from the Vasai Fort (at least if you have a good zoom capability camera). So, when I and Sarah were home we decided to visit this place and see if we can experience it in person. We researched on it and got in touch with the concerned authorities to help us write more on the place.
Are you looking for a fort near Mumbai for a weekend trip or one day picnic? History might seem like a boring subject, but not if you know how to share and explore it. Believe it or not, I was never a history person in my school life. I hated history books because it was all about learning dates and events, it was never engaging enough. However, as I grew up I realised that history is a fascinating subject of all because you not only get to know about the past events but also get to learn from it.
Most of my blog posts are usually about my travel experiences. However, recently I have not been traveling much mainly due to the amount of work I do. So, I and Sarah came up with the thought to write about Vasai history. Vasai is a little north of the Mumbai on the west coast. A few decades ago, Vasai was a sleepy town enjoying its own peaceful existence. Today it is one of the fastest growing towns in the suburban Mumbai.
I have been writing so much about India travel for the past couple of years that I often find challenging to introduce new ways to keep the audience engaged with something fresh and new. This post is a part of the challenge by Mary J. Melange one of my blogging buddies and while last month when I was writing on Indian Railways, she came up with a concept on writing on two-wheelers, anything from Harley bikes to bicycles. While I certainly admit that boys and men in India do love Harley Davidson bikes, but not everyone can afford it and therefore you don’t see much of those on the streets. Mary is also known as the Biker Chick and her love for the bike runs as deep as mine for the Indian Railways.

Mountain Railway India
Indian Railways play a critical role in transporting Indian passengers across the country. While the majority of the train network is covered on the plains of Indian soil, there are certain rail networks that climb up the steep mountains of India. These train networks are designed to carry up and bring down passengers and goods with safety and comfort, so speed is not really a major factor here. This post is a part of the series on Indian Railways. In my previous post I talked about how to travel conveniently by train in India followed by top 5 heritage and luxury trains in India, but this time, we go up the hills and mountains and discover how these trains evolved in the first place.

Palace on Wheel Landscape
Whenever I think of travel, I think of railways. Although I travel by buses at times, I think of railways as my first mode of transport when I am commuting for work or just taking off for the day. Trains are an integral part of Indian travel and majority of the population prefer to travel by trains. This month I along with my blog friends are focusing on trains because on May 14 the United States celebrates National Train Day. While the idea was to write something about the trains on this particular day, I have decided to celebrate it throughout the month, every Saturday.
7 Untold Stories of Peshwa Bajirao I: The Warrior Who Never Lost a Battle
History, for many of us, was the subject we endured in school, a dry recitation of dates and dusty syllabi. However, the true story of the Maratha Empire isn’t found in a textbook; it’s written in the lightning-fast cavalry charges and the stone ruins of Pune.
In my previous post on The Dabbawallahs of Mumbai, I’ve already mentioned about the fast lifestyle of the city. However, to keep that momentum going all the time, without a break you need something that works like clockwork. Yes, in this post we focus on the Mumbai suburban railway network that certainly is the lifeline of the city.
Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay is not just the financial, entertainment and commercial capital of India, but also an important city to the state of Maharashtra allowing the state to churn more money every single day. Nestled on the west coast of the country facing the Arabian Sea, the city has an estimated population of more than 20 million and the numbers grow rapidly each year making it one of the most populous urban regions in the world. People from all corners of the country visit Mumbai to explore it and to make some money that would offer them a chance to lift their lifestyle. The pressure is immense and therefore most residents here have to be on their toes at all times. Hours of commuting across the city, traffic jams, professional commitments, irritating bosses, nagging wives and girlfriends, job insecurities, financial woes and a lot more adds up to the lifestyle making life insanely hectic and stressful. To meet the demands of this hyper-active and not-a-second-to-waste lifestyle, locals need a break – a food break, to rejuvenate, to bust their stress, to have a conversation with colleagues over a cafeteria table and to pamper their taste buds.
What instantly comes to your mind when you first think of India? Let me guess, is it the famous and iconic the Taj Mahal? Or is it the slums and the abject poverty that usually gets highlighted in most Indian and international movies shot in India? Well, to start with the stark contrast between the rich and poor comes out quite clearly in India, no matter which city you choose to live in. However, I am not focusing on what is popular and not quite popular here in the country. This post is going to talk about various more reasons why you should come to my country and what you can get out of it. Let’s get started without wasting more words and time.
There are some things in life that are inexplicable and I am sure you would agree that no matter where you live today, you will always stay connected to your roots and to the city that you were born and brought up. There is this strange bond that ties you up with that city and you always feel like you are an integral part of that city. I share the same bond and feeling for Mumbai, the city where I was born and have lived all my life. Although, the city has changed in many ways and it is not the same city that it was when I was in my teenage years, I still adore it and love it with the same amount of intensity. While there are many locals that have experienced the transformation of the city, I am trying to highlight certain points that international travelers will know about it because the city has never been shown like this before.
Peace is important for our very existence and I believe without inner peace we all would have gone bonkers by now. For me, peace is like emptying myself up of all the worries, sorrows, and frustrations that I carry in myself, which multiplies over a period of time. I believe when peace comes to us, we get rid of all the negativity and become as light as empty glass, ready to fill in more that life has to offer. Amidst all the stress and worries, I and Sarah decided to take a short trip to Navsari, not too far from Mumbai where I would celebrate my Parsi New Year and would also get the much deserved break that I need.
Exploring Kala Ghoda’s History, Art, Architecture, Food and Shopping Destinations
Kala Ghoda literally means Black Horse and although the name sounds a bit odd for a location it offers a great experience especially when you are somewhere in South Mumbai. I have been a resident of South Mumbai since my birth and no other place holds a special place in my heart than Kala Ghoda. It is not only connected to my childhood days, but also during my college days. Oh, you must be thinking I am getting emotional and exaggerating about the place because I am emotionally attached to it, but that is not the case. When I write I detach myself from the topic to give a whole new perspective to my readers and audience but certainly Kala Ghoda is among the best tourist destinations in Mumbai.



