This day, 2 years ago, Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi dedicated the Khaki Lab to the city of Mumbai. Since then, the Lab has hosted exhibitions, talks, workshops and more on themes related to the city and its heritage.

This day, 111 years ago, the Harbour Branch line of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway opened to freight traffic, connecting the main line at Kurla to the new cotton bunder at Reay Road, enabling the transport of cotton from the hinterland to the port.

In 1883, Sir Dinshaw Manokjee Petit bought an estate in Parel and gifted the land to the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to start an animal hospital. This day, 137 years ago, Lord Dufferin, the Viceroy of India, opened the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals to the public.

This day, 123 years ago, the City of Bombay Improvement Trust came into being. It was given the task of improving the city's sanitary conditions and making it a more liveable place.

Today is the 65th death anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the leader of the Dalit movement and the chairman of the drafting committee of the Constitution of India.

This day, 97 years ago, the Gateway of India was opened to the public by the then Viceroy of India, Rufus Isaacs. The Gateway commemorates the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to India thirteen years earlier

This day, 97 years ago, in the newly developed area of Dadar-Matunga, the Cotton Technological Research Laboratory was inaugurated by the Viceroy of India, Rufus Isaacs, Earl of Reading. 

This day, 110 years ago, King George V and Queen Mary became the first reigning British monarchs to visit India when they landed at Apollo Bunder. No Gateway of India greeted them on arrival.

This day, 139 years ago, social reformer Pandita Ramabai established the Arya Mahila Samaj in Pune, influenced by the ideals of the Brahmi Samaj and other Hindu reformers. Among the aims of the society were education of women and the abolition of child marriage...

This day, 157 years ago, the Bombay, Baroda & Central Railway (the forerunner of Western Railway) which began between Surat and Utran in 1860, finally commenced operations from and to the city. The terminating station then was Grant Road! The line was later extended all the way to Colaba.

This day, 13 years ago, ten Pakistani terrorists entered the city surreptitiously by sea, and attacked Nariman House at Colaba, Cafe Leopold, the Taj and Oberoi Hotels, the CSMT station and the Cama and Allbless Hospitals

Today is the 157th birth anniversary of Dr Rukhmabai

This day, 66 years ago, 15 people were killed and 300 injured as police resorted to firing at Oval Maidan to control a large morcha making its way to Vidhan Bhavan. The people killed were in a way the first martyrs for a Marathi-speaking state of Maharashtra.

This day, 94 years ago, Father Agnelo de Souza, a virtuous priest and a renowned preacher from Goa, collapsed at the pulpit at the end of a sermon and died. The parish priest who buried his body remarked that he had laid a saint to rest.

This day, 152 years ago, the Flora Fountain became a part of the city’s urban landscape. Designed by architect Norman Shaw and sculpted by James Forsyth, it was shipped from London and assembled here. #DidYouKnow?

This day, 55 years ago, Reita Faria, a young medical student from Matunga, was crowned Miss World in London. #DidYouKnow?

The Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute started with just two departments - the JJ School of Mechanical Engineering and the Ripon Textile School - in 1887 where the Railway Hospital is today in Byculla...

Today is the 125th birth anniversary of Dr. Salim Ali. For Mumbaikars of a certain generation,....

Today is the 4th death anniversary of Soli Arceivala, an engineer who continues to put a smile on the faces of Mumbai’s children with his timeless creation - the Old Woman’s Shoe house at Kamala Nehru Park.

This day,116 years ago, George, Prince of Wales (later King George V) laid the foundation stone for the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India (today the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya) at a site then called the Apollo Crescent... 

Today marks the 174th birth anniversary of Frederick William Stevens, the architect responsible for designing many of Mumbai’s iconic buildings

Today is the 9th death anniversary of the founder of Mumbai's iconic Gallery Chemould, Kekoo Gandhy...

Today is the 102nd birth anniversary of ‘Maharastra’s beloved personality’, Purushottam Lakshman Deshpande or simply, Pu La..

Today is the 106th death anniversary of 'The Lion of Bombay', Sir Pherozeshah Mehta. He was a founding member of the Indian National Congress, the founder of The Bombay Chronicle,an important nationalist newspaper, and also drafted the Bombay Municipal Act of 1872....

Today is the 176th birth anniversary of Vasudev Balwant Phadke, the person after whom the intersection at Metro cinema is named.He was born in a village near Panvel on this day in 1845. In 1875, he put together a band of revolutionaries from members of lower-caste and tribal communities and attacked British treasuries to raise funds and build an army...

This day in 1838, Raobahadur Narayan Dinanath Velkar started a biweekly newspaper called The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce....

Stuck in the middle of a traffic jam in Bhuleshwar, Khaki founder Bharat Gothoskar couldn't get a good view of the area's heritage buildings from his car window..

This day, 112 years ago, scientist Dr Homi J Bhabha was born in a bungalow called Kenilworth on Peddar Road..

This day, 52 years ago, the crew of the Apollo 11, the first successful manned mission to the moon - Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins - landed in Mumbai to a tumultous welcome...

The good thing about Indian festivals is that each one can celebrate it in their own way and celebrate it for a reason that makes them happy. As far as I can remember Karwa Chauth always meant celebrating love. I have childhood memories where my dad would make my mom drink water and feed her food after her day-long fast. They would exchange cute glances amidst a big joint family..

This day, 66 years ago, Pandit Dattattreya Vishnu Paluskar died of encephalitis in Mumbai at the young age of 34..

Ganpati is an event when the whole family comes together. It is awaited eagerly by everyone. The festival has been celebrated for over a century now in a very traditional manner.A unique aspect about the festival at our place is that the size and design of our Ganesh Murti has never been changed since the beginning. Although the murti maker due to certain unavoidable circumstances had to been changed, we insisted that the size and design remain the same.

The 1857 mutiny mostly unfolded in North India. But a little footnote took place in Mumbai. Superintendent of Police Charles Forjett uncovered a conspiracy by the sepoys of the East India Company’s army to foment a rebellion in the city, and had the principal players - Mangal Gadiya and Sayyed Hussain - executed on the Esplanade (the Azad Maidan today) by tying them to cannons and blowing them away, this day, 164 years ago. The Amar Jawan memorial opposite the CSMT station commemorates these two soldiers.

I grew up in a joint family of Vasihanavas. My aunts and uncles, being ardent Bhakts of “Krishna” and ‘Ram’. An idol of ‘Bal Gopal’ adorned our temple. Now, to truly understand the significance of Janmashtami for us, one must understand what having a baby Kanha in one’s home implies . It’s like having a permanent baby in our home for whom we lovingly do ‘seva’ everyday and fulfill all responsibilities that one would normally do for a child. ‘Kanha’ is bathed and dressed every morning before doing puja and ‘bhog’ is offered thrice a day since a baby should never remain hungry. Hence for every meal in our house, at least one dish is cooked without onions which can be offered as ‘bhog’.

Vat Purnima is one of the holy traditions followed by married women especially in Maharashtra, where we offer prayers to a Banyan Tree (Vat/Vad in marathi) for the long life of our husbands. 

"We as a family have always been celebrating Tulsi Vivah. Being a Sindhi, we observe Badi Ekadashi as it is said that Lord Vishnu awakens from his four month sleep. It is believed that doors of  Vaikunth - the abode of the Lord - are thrown open to all on that day. Some groups even do bhajans at crematoriums in the evening.

While some fast, many relish the Satvik food consisting of Dodoh (Rajgiri Flat Bread) along with curry made of potato and lotus stem without spices. We also make fritters made of sabudana, rajgiri, sama rice and potatoes and end our day with sweet potatoes. 

In the mid-17th century, Portugal was at war with Spain and needed military support. And so a wedding was brokered between Catholic Portugal and Protestant England. On this day, 360 years ago, the terms of the marriage between Princess Catherine de Braganza and

Radio came to India 13 years before All India Radio was formed! The first-ever Indian radio broadcast was by the Bombay Presidency Radio Club in June 1923. In 1927, the Indian Broadcasting Company began operations with two radio stations, but it went into liquidation

The day of Mahatma Gandhi's return from South Africa is observed as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or NRI Day! And that among the earliest NRIs to UK were ayahs! They would be

Thanks to his satyagrahas in South Africa, Mahatma Gandhi had become a familiar name in India, even though he had been away for most of his adult life. This day, 106 years ago, hundreds of people gathered at Apollo Bunder (the Gateway of India was under

Barely a month after riots broke out in the city post the Babri Masjid demolition, riots erupted afresh, this day, 27 years ago, when six members of a family were burnt alive at Jogeshwari's Radhabai Chawl. The city continued to burn till 12th January, before an

This day, 92 years ago, Western Railway (then Bombay, Baroda & Central India Railway) got electrified, and the first electric local train ran between Colaba (yes, there was a station called Colaba then) and Andheri. The first railway line in Mumbai to get electrified, however,

"Guru Nanak Jayanti is the most revered festival for Sikhs. We celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanti by visiting the Gurudwara and lighting candles both at home and at the gurudwara - it is a holy day and lots of prayers are recited.

"Karthigai deepam is a festival of lights very similar to Diwali. This festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the Karthigai month and is dedicated to Lord Shiva and his son Lord Karthikeya. He is also known as Lord Shanmugam or Arumugam as he had six faces with each face having a different meaning. 

Similar to Raksha Bandhan this day too celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. 

Diwali has always been a homely affair for my family, my grandmother being the most enthusiastic of all. She ensured that all of us got up early and had a bath with Utna (a herbal scrub) and oil on the day of Narak Chaturdashi. On this day, we also smash a Karit (a bitter fruit) with our feet. This symbolises the victory of Lord Krishna over Narakasura

Once upon a time, the city of Mumbai was littered with pyaavs or public drinking water fountains. These ranged from the simple to the ornate and were built by wealthy merchants as an act of charity. Right opposite the General Post Office at the beginning of Mint Road stands one of the ornate kind, complete with minarets, bas-reliefs and stone brackets, in the Indo-Saracenic style. Built by

In the 17th century, the Kapol Baniya community migrated from Diu to Mumbai to trade with the East India Company. In their native land, this community had trade ties with the Portuguese. Sir Mangaldas Nathubhoy, a philanthropist and mill owner, was among the most prominent Kapol businessmen of 19th century Mumbai. Many iconic buildings, such as

After the plague of 1896, Mumbai had to be re-engineered in order to improve its ventilation. To this end, new roads were built to let the sea breeze from the west flow to the east, as well as to connect new developments in the north to the city in the south. It was during this time that Sandhurst Road and Hughes Road were built.

It may seem today like the Tatas have been based I out of Bombay House forever, but it's actually been only 95 years. Bombay House was built only in 1924 while the Tata group was formed way back in 1868. And, just like Bombay House, the group's earlier office buildings still stand to this day. From 1904 to 1924, the Tata's headquarters was at Navsari Buildings and

In 1881, two French travellers published detailed images of the ruins of Persepolis, the ancient ceremonial capital of the Persian empire. The images made their way to India and the parsis of Mumbai began adopting the sculptural details as symbols of Zoroastrianism. "Lamassus" (winged bulls) and "faravahars" (winged discs) were added to the designs of fire temples as well as buildings made by parsis.

Trams were introduced to Mumbai 145 years ago when the Bombay Tramway Co. began horse-drawn services in the city. The stables and stores were located on a plot on Colaba Causeway. Its office building - today's Electric House - was constructed on the plot in 1883. In 1905, the company’s operations were taken over by

When Bombay (now Mumbai) was a fledgling trading post of the East India Company in 1715 CE, Governor Charles Boone took a call to protect this town against potential threats by local and European powers with a fortification. This project was partly funded by the wealthy traders in the town who realized peace and stability was key to their prosperity. During the ‘Kille Vasai Mohim’ or Conquest of Vasai (1737-39),