The facade of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is the only part that remains
of what once was the Sir Cowasji Jehangir Public Hall. Its interiors, once upon a time
being elegant horseshoe shaped balconies, are now semicircular galleries with a central
stairway leading up to different levels. British architect George Wittet built the complex
of the Hall, which was donated to the city in 1911 by Sir Cowasji Jehangir.
Then, the only other public hall in Bombay was the Town Hall. Up until the 1950s, the
Hall became the city’s premier location for concerts, political meetings and art activities
