Meher Marfatia
Articles
Thank you for the news and views
Presenting a flavour of responses from readers who have offered an extended take on people and places featured on these pages... [Read More]
07 April,2024 07:25 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia“The choice is between anarchy or chaos”
What role did Bombay play in the last years of MPT Acharya, one of India’s foremost anti-colonial revolutionaries? In the week of Acharya’s 70th death anniversary, we turn to Ole Birk Laursen’s definitive biography of the premier anarchist-pacifist of the 20th century... [Read More]
24 March,2024 07:55 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘Bombay is the third wheel in our friendship’
The miles between Bombay and Stockholm melt swiftly when social entrepreneur Smarinita Shetty and banker Anisha Sabharwal catch up on soul sharing... [Read More]
17 March,2024 07:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaWhere music was the food of love
As a sequel to a recent column, a family romance that celebrates the magic of music in fusing an uncommon bond... [Read More]
10 March,2024 08:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaCops, cars and singing stars
Sir Sorabji Pochkhanawala Road presents a rich mix of histories—contributing to Worli, state and country... [Read More]
24 February,2024 07:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia“Our absolute bemusement with the world is a cementing factor”
The room comes alive with a sparky energy when writer-comedian Anuvab Pal drops in on photographer-archivist Anusha Yadav...[Read More]
17 February,2024 07:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaVery, very Valentine
Retelling the romances of iconic Bombay couples who happily made their shared professional worlds—across theatre, radio and medicine—personal...[Read More]
10 February,2024 07:07 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaThe three wishes of Macbeth Lane
Did the Shakespearean tragedy truly christen this pathway? Why was it called Batak Gully before being renamed for a patriot? Presenting the stories behind a little Byculla lane’s trio of monikers...[Read More]
28 January,2024 06:12 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘Our non-judgementalism is beautiful’
Between two cities, Sohrab Ardeshir and Ranvir Shah keep an old Bombay friendship interestingly alive...[Read More]
21 January,2024 07:20 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaBelieve-it-or-not Bombay
They might well sound strange but are real all right. Some oral histories the city throws up sound almost too dramatic to ring true...[Read More]
14 January,2024 07:04 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaEnter the dragon
The Chinese calendar declares 2024 as the Year of the Dragon. In Bombay, the mythical creature has always implied wide-ranging connotations...[Read More]
31 December,2023 04:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘She’s been the wind beneath our wings’
Unusual by most standards, the friendship bridging 36 years of age between architect Clement DeSylva and homemaker Aylma Curry maps a heartwarming journey...[Read More]
24 December,2023 04:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia“Once there were green fields kissed by the sun”
As Christmas dawns upon the Bandra villages of Sherly, Rajan and Malla, its residents recall striking memories from its vanishing past...[Read More]
17 December,2023 04:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaPlenitude on my plate, in a city to love
As the spirit of the season takes hold, there is soul-searching and celebration in equal measure. What stays overwhelmingly constant is an attitude of gratitude...[Read More]
03 December,2023 07:18 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaA Latin legacy to live by
Imprinted on the walls of public buildings and private residences, as well as Mumbaikars’ minds, Latin phrases across town continue to have an edifying, sonorous impact...[Read More]
19 November,2023 07:26 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘The mountains pull very different people passionately together’
Avowed city lovers, Harish Kapadia and Vijay Kothari bond best in the clear air of the Himalaya...[Read More]
12 November,2023 07:20 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘This is hamesha home’
Celebrating its golden jubilee with an exhibition of its children’s paintings, the NSCC Children’s Complex, started in Kherwadi by Zehra Ali Yavar Jung, exemplifies her far-reaching contributions to city and country...[Read More]
05 November,2023 04:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaLaughs, gaffes and pun in the sun
A selection of our favourite funny lines, gathered from interviews for these pages over the years...[Read More]
22 October,2023 07:52 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘We both have an overdeveloped sense of fairness’
When a long-time advocate for civil society pairs with a human and cultural insights expert, the dynamic is expectedly vibrant...[Read More]
15 October,2023 07:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaWhen baraf reigned cool in Bombil Wadi
What was a central little suburban lane like with life centred around the factory naming it?...[Read More]
08 October,2023 07:11 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘This was that paradise that gave me wings’
Besant Montessori School in Juhu celebrates 75 years of gifting holistic early education to generations of young citizens...[Read More]
24 September,2023 06:56 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘Bombay is still a forgiving, less judgemental city’
Consultant chef Irfan Pabaney and education entrepreneur Rajiv Shah enjoy a relaxed yet vital vibe...[Read More]
17 September,2023 06:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaThank you for the music
Two online editions later, the Con Brio festival is back onstage next weekend—with a history waiting to be told...[Read More]
10 September,2023 06:20 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaOne hundred years of gratitude
The month of Oppenheimer and Chandrayaan brings the birth centenary of Dr Homi N Sethna, scientist extraordinaire who put India’s peaceful atomic energy on the world map 50 years ago...[Read More]
27 August,2023 09:33 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘We are compatible souls. Never quarrel, never argue’
A Western classical music colossus and a pioneer pharmaceutical chemist cherish their enduring friendship that spans concerts and continents...[Read More]
20 August,2023 08:12 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaGained in translation
A recently translated Gujarati novel, set in 19th-century Bombay, sparks a fresh look at literary transferences to English...[Read More]
13 August,2023 04:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaOf Mumbai moods and melodies
Engaging stories surround Hindi film hits and other evocative songs in diverse Bombay locales...[Read More]
30 July,2023 06:05 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘We’re creative entrepreneurs with offbeat journeys’
Media entrepreneur Parthip Thyagarajan and networking platform founder Shaan Khanna stay connected with more than just each other...[Read More]
23 July,2023 06:27 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘The sense of being edged out is sad’
Shabnam Minwalla’s book, Zen, threads family and contemporary narratives in an epochal history of the city and the country...[Read More]
16 July,2023 06:40 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaChronicles of a time to Rise
The Mahindra Museum of Living History breathes compassionate storytelling into corporate history...[Read More]
02 July,2023 07:17 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘Our tapestry of friendship was woven by the magic of Byculla’
Cinematographer-film director Rafeeq Ellias and global head-hunter Ramgopal Rao on mid-city roots and madness ...[Read More]
25 June,2023 06:54 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaWomen in stone
Commemorative and ornamental, sculptures of women of substance light up roofs, paths and gardens across Bombay...[Read More]
18 June,2023 07:27 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaFor those who told us stories
Why do we listen when animals talk? The earliest anthropomorphic tales told cast a lifelong spell...[Read More]
04 June,2023 06:48 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaRound and about the circle for a king
With growing Gujarati, Kutchi and Jain populations wanting to locate close to their derasars, the predominance of communities from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala has dippe...[Read More]
21 May,2023 08:22 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘It’s amazing two people can be so comfortable together’
Solicitor Kanchan Pamnani and media man Zubin Tatna bond close and fight fair...[Read More]
14 May,2023 06:55 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaHow green is my gully
Garden Road in Colaba offers hope and help to other lanes looking to model on its lines...[Read More]
07 May,2023 06:52 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaLittle lane lost
A small but historic cul-de-sac finds itself almost fully felled by a builders’ wrecking ball ...[Read More]
23 April,2023 07:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘Life is too short for arguments’
Urban chronicler Sifra Lentin and restaurateur Sunnil Panjabi on formative years centred around food and family fun...[Read More]
16 April,2023 01:34 PM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaBombay Anonymous
Unknown. Unidentified. Unusual. Not named but newsiest, sources of splendid city lore lie waiting to be tapped...[Read More]
09 April,2023 06:22 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaWhere home is not a tower
City lovers who started mapping Bombay’s oldest houses in recent years, pick their favourite neighbourhood homes...[Read More]
26 March,2023 06:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘Street dogs contribute to our love for heritage’
Animal activist Abodh Aras and city chronicler Simin Patel bonded, in the city’s worst isolation, over feeding strays and Irani cafes...[Read More]
19 March,2023 06:17 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘Feminism is humanism, not fighting men’
We celebrate women of substance who have graced these pages over the years...[Read More]
12 March,2023 04:21 PM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaWhen Columbus came to Parel before the cops did
Why do three buildings in a Maharashtrian stronghold have sparkling Spanish names? The answer is blowing in the dust...[Read More]
26 February,2023 07:52 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘She’s the friend who shows up when you most need her’
Advertising and design legend Elsie Nanji, and creative maven Neena Naidu, share a long relationship of fun and fulfilment...[Read More]
19 February,2023 07:39 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaLadies we love in the Bombay they loved
A recent exhibition inspires musings on a fistful of women bequeathing both personal and professional influences...[Read More]
12 February,2023 07:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaCarrom and camaraderie in the colony
With Rustom Baug just hitting a century, we revisit other Parsi enclaves founded by the community’s visionaries...[Read More]
29 January,2023 07:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘We find our own path through the jungle’
Veteran writer-journalist CY Gopinath and master chef Ishtiyaque Qureshi connect intensely over gourmet gup...[Read More]
22 January,2023 06:36 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaThrough a lens, gently
The city premiere of Divya Cowasji’s film next month will showcase the best and brightest—and last—of Parsi theatre’s singing stars...[Read More]
15 January,2023 07:10 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaFlooring Bombay for a hundred years
Bharat Floorings and Tiles celebrates its centenary with an exhibition that comprehensively traces an iconic timeline...[Read More]
01 January,2023 07:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaBells and stars beyond midnight hours
What stories surround bells and stars in Bombay glinting well after Christmas? ...[Read More]
25 December,2022 08:52 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia'Our paths ran parallel to the conservation movement'
As random redevelopment ravages the city, conservation architect Vikas Dilawari and Bombayphile Saleem Ahmadullah join hands for heritage protection...[Read More]
18 December,2022 09:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaTop 20 of 2022
From the boatman of Sleater Road to the bird man of Prescott Road—we pick the year’s favourite finds on these pages...[Read More]
04 December,2022 07:32 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia‘This chaotic city tests friendships’
Social entrepreneur Rachita Vora and restaurateur Jeremie Horowitz connect creatively over food, wine and design...[Read More]
27 November,2022 07:44 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaGeet gaata chal
December 3 will be the 70th anniversary of the most beloved radio entertainment show. Happy birthday Binaca Geetmala!...[Read More]
20 November,2022 07:46 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher MarfatiaChhella shows of pehla years
India’s foreign film Oscar entry sets us thinking about single-screen cinemas of our childhood...[Read More]
06 November,2022 07:41 AM IST | Mumbai | Meher Marfatia