#Workshop 1: Housing Mumbai's Communities by Abigail McGowan

Since the beginnings of the modern city of Mumbai, different groups have lived together in community enclaves with homes, businesses and places of worship located close to each other. Initially, such arrangements were informal, through the clustering of a particular group in a single chawl, set of buildings, street or neighbourhood. But by the early twentieth century, it also took planned form, through well-publicised projects to build housing for poor Parsis, Chitrapur Saraswats, Catholics, and others. These efforts to shape the urban landscape to reflect community priorities, needs and desires can be seen in the cityscape today. In this workshop, historian Abigail McGowan will explore the history of community housing in Mumbai and how it shaped the development of the city. You don't need to be a historian nor an architect to attend. Just an interest in Mumbai's housing and development. Through a combination of talking, discussing, and working with plans and documents from early twentieth century community housing projects, together we will explore what this heritage means for the city.

About the presenter:

Abigail McGowan is Associate Professor of History and Associate Dean at the University of Vermont, USA. An historian of South Asian material culture in the late colonial period, she has published widely on craft development (Crafting the Nation in Colonial India, 2009), the gendered politics of consumption, and the histories of design, domesticity, housing, retail, and domestic furnishings in India. She is currently researching the history of mid-century interior design in India and finishing a book exploring how changing ideas about home and domestic space shaped the city of Bombay.

Workshop Schedule 

Introductory lecture:

Historical background: different community neighborhoods in Mumbai

19th century origins of planned community housing: Parsi benevolent societies

Early 20th century planned community housing: Parsi baugs, cooperative housing

Hands-on work with early documents #1:

1889 Times of India article, extolling early Parsi housing efforts

1910s and 1930s site plans for Saraswat cooperative housing societies

Mini lecture #1: 

community building within community housing:

Spaces and places for community: halls, temples, activity centers

Events and activities: orchestras, sports clubs, education days, ladies’ clubs

Hands-on work with documents #2:

Speeches at the anniversary celebrations of the Saraswat Cooperative Housing Society

Mini lecture #2: 

Land markets and community housing over time

Bandra Catholic Cooperative Housing Society, sale rights, and land reuse

Final discussion: 

Community housing and heritage

- Age limit: 12 and above.

- The right of admission is reserved with the organizer.

- The organizer does not take responsibility for the loss or theft of any personal belongings or any injury that the ticket holder may accrue at the event.

- Smoking and drinking is strictly prohibited.

- Any inappropriate behavior by any of the participants shall lead to eviction from the event.

- We recommend that you arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the starting time.

- The event organizer has the right to reschedule the event.