Multipolis Mumbai : Building Bombay - Business Families and the City

Dinyar Patel is an assistant professor of history at the University of South Carolina, where he teaches courses on Indian history and the British empire. He completed his PhD in history from Harvard University in 2015. He is the co-editor of two published volumes: From Ghalib’s Dilli to Lutyens’ New Delhi, with Mushirul Hasan (Oxford University Press, 2014); and Dadabhai Naoroji: Selected Private Papers (Oxford University Press, 2016). At the moment, he is turning his dissertation into a biography of the early nationalist leader Dadabhai Naoroji.

Murali Ranganathan researches the nineteenth century with a special focus on Bombay/Mumbai and western India. His current areas of interest include the Bombay Country Trade, industrial archaeology and history, print history and culture, photography, newspapers and periodicals, and public performance. His publications include Govind Narayan's Mumbai: an urban biography from 1863 (Anthem Press, 2008), which is a translation of the iconic Marathi urban biography Mumbaiche Varnan, supplemented by a biography of Govind Narayan, biographical sketches of Mumbai men and organizations of the nineteenth century, and extensive notes. He has edited and introduced the Collected works of J V Naik: reform and renaissance in nineteenth century Maharashtra (Asiatic Society of Mumbai, 2016).

"Vikram Doctor is one of India’s most respected food writers, critics and commentators. A journalist with the Economic Times in Mumbai, Doctor has specialized in writing on food issues for the past 12 years. He also has an ongoing podcast series with Audiomatic which delves into adventures of the palate, and provides insights into ingredients, recipes and contemporary food practices.

Simin Patel Historian and Blogger at Bombaywalla.org, a platform that creates awareness about Bombay’s built environment and social history. Bombaywalla operates a blog and conducts historical walks of the city’s localities and celebrated structures. Simin completed her PhD in Modern South Asian History from Balliol College, University of Oxford in 2015.