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STUDIO . BOMBAY IMAGINED
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STUDIO . BOMBAY IMAGINED
Beginning in 1670, Bombay Imagined: An Illustrated History of the Unbuilt City tells the story of 201 unrealised urban visions — aspirations of an evolved metropolis boasting everything from humane housing and expanded parks to sanitation systems and more. Ideas that never saw the light of day are richly illustrated with archival drawings, contemporary speculations and artistic overlays, illuminating long-lost futures from the city’s never-before-seen past.
Bombay Imagined is a testimony to the audacious dreams of city-lovers, a chronicle of untold narratives across centuries and an insight into the tides that have shaped present-day Mumbai.
NARESH FERNANDES
Author of City Adrift: A Short Biography of Bombay
"A loving tribute to the eccentrics and altruists, hucksters and geniuses who have called Bombay home."
NARESH FERNANDES
Author of City Adrift, a Short History of Bombay
"The sheer weight of the book, the beautiful illustrations, volumes of untold history….possibly the most deeply researched book I have read in years."
Tushar Kanade
"The book is more than what I imagined it to be. Truly incredible work."
Ashwin Mallya
“Love the idea behind this book and can only imagine the efforts that went behind bringing this to life.”
Sam Kulavoor
"One of the most fascinating, gently humorous and eye-opening books on the city. Filled with wonderful narratives on the city that might have been. A beautifully crafted treasure trove. "
Sunhil Sippy
"Written with brevity, humour, even fun, it left me amused, amazed and inspired. Trust me, this is a Bombay book for everyone!”
Alisha Sadikot, public historian
"I love people who make books. I am impressed by people who complete book projects. I am simply in awe of people who complete books as ambitious as this one."
Sanne van der Kaaij-Gandhi
"It is almost as if the book translates Bombay’s urbanscape into figurative poetry of a collective history. Thank you for writing such a wonderful book! Hope you write more of these. "
Arushi Bhargava
Chowpatty Cliff Zoo, 1888
"It is by far,
the most beautiful book I own."
SURABHI OHJA
"It is endlessly immersive and I keep making connections to the city as it is. This book will be an essential part of the canon of writings on Bombay's Urbanism..."
MUSTANSIR DALVI
“Intense research + beautiful documentation = Bombay Imagined.”
NAMRATA TIDKE
A Living Archive
The entire Bombay Imagined research archive, comprising more than 400 rare books, maps, pamphlets and photographs is located at the Urbs Indis Library in Bengaluru.
The collection is publicly-accessible Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.
"Exceptional.
A refreshing take on what could have been. We need more publishing like this instead of staid stories of past glories."
Amita Kini SingH
Frequently Asked Questions
Much to our delight, all 1,500 copies of the first edition have sold out since the book was released in March 2022. If you were one of the many individuals who acquired a copy, thank you! It has been a great joy meeting so many people and making new friends, all thanks to Mumbai’s past futures. This second edition will also be limited to 1,500 prints.
The second edition is a robust paperback with french flaps, while the first edition featured a heavy-duty hardcover. The internal paper thickness has reduced slightly, which makes the 464-page book much lighter, 1.3 kilograms, compared to the 2.5 kg first edition.
Yes, one! The Mumbai Coastal Forest of 2025. This imagination holds special meaning because it is an early project I undertook (at the invitation of and in deep collaboration with a citizen’s group) after starting my own architecture studio in 2024. It is also unique because the ground upon which the proposal is envisioned is yet a live project. Who knows, perhaps some of the ideas and principles may yet germinate in some way along Mumbai’s west coast. Time will tell.
I showed the new cover design to my mother about a month ago, and these were her exact words, “I like it! It is colorful and catches the eye!” The image that graces the cover is a speculation, a visualization of a dream that an Anonymous city resident had of Bombay in 1921, about how the city might look in 1971.
But the real fun on the cover are the crumbs we have left to reveal my personal inspirations. On the front flap there is Le Corbusier’s Modular Man standing tall in the garden at Malabar Hill and then in the sky above is Patrick Geddes’ personal symbol of three doves, symbolizing Sympathy, Synthesis and Synergy. On the front cover the largest taxi plate number is “6767” which, if you don’t know, “67” is Dictionary.com’s Word of the Year for 2025, so the cover is dated, without putting a date. Lastly, on the back cover is the Urbs Indis stamp and my signature, inspired from a monograph by Juliaan Lampens, one of my favourite architects.
The Team
Bombay Imagined would not be possible without the incredible team behind it.
Robert Stephens
Writing/Research
Robert Stephens is a Bengaluru-based architect, husband, father and introvert. Creating experiences and spaces that are deeply rooted in India's urban history is his passion.
Fauwaz Khan
Project Management and Overlays
Fauwaz Khan is a practising architect with a strong interest in history. He is currently working at the urban and rural scale in and around Mumbai. Fauwaz graduated in 2019 from Balwant Sheth School of Architecture, Mumbai.
Studio Anugraha
Book Design
Deshna Mehta is the co-founder of Studio Anugraha, a Mumbai-based design firm established in 2012. She studied Applied Art at the Sir JJ School of Applied Art, Mumbai, Graphic Design at the London College of Communication and Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art, London. Her design mentor is Michael Wolff, founder of Wolff Ollins.
Carol Nair, a Mumbai-based visual artist, joined Studio Anugraha in 2013. Her primary interests are in the fields of book design, illustration, visual identities, exhibition catalogues and information design. She studied Applied Art at Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai.
Aniket Umaria
Speculation Art
After beginning his career creating 3D assets for mobile games, Aniket Umaria transitioned to the field of architectural renderings. He worked with Sameep Padora & Associates for four and a half years before commencing his own Mumbai-based visualisation studio in 2019.
GRAU Visuals
Speculation Art
Since 2015 GRAU Visuals has been creating imagery for unique projects in the fields of architecture and art. Based out of Berlin and Athens, Yannis Efstathiou and Lambros Papathanasiou seek modern means of expression that engage with contemporary questions.
Akhil Alukkaran
Speculation Art
Originally from Wayanad, Kerala, Akhil Alukkaran is an architect and computer graphics artist. He studied at Avani Institute of Design, Kerala, and is currently working with Stapati in Calicut. Since 2019, Akhil has been collaborating with various architects and artists to tell intriguing stories.
Kshitij Mahashabde
Cartography
Kshitij Mahashabde is a Pune-based architect, photographer and cartographer. His interests are centered on visual aesthetics, maps and various other forms of spatial representations. Kshitij studied at Balwant Sheth School of Architecture in Mumbai, followed by an internship at Cityfoerster: Architecture & Urbanism in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Rimshi Agrawal
Relief Map Research
After completing her undergraduate degree from Balwant Sheth School of Architecture, Rimshi Agrawal worked with Architecture Foundation in Mumbai, the research wing of RMA Architects. She is currently practising with the same firm.
Khorshed Deboo
Cartography
Khorshed Deboo is an independent writer and text editor based in Mumbai with an interest in art, history and culture. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Caravan, Himal Southasian, The Hindu and Scroll among others. As text editor, she has worked with organisations such as DOMUS India, Charles Correa Foundation and RMA Architects.
Kate Chaillat
Copy Editing/Indexing
Kate Chaillat is a graduate of English language and literature from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. She moved to India in 2012 and works on film and multimedia projects with both Indian and foreign crews.
Tina Nandi
Communication
Tina Nandi is a self-taught photographer, filmmaker, and graphic designer with a deep love for lifelong learning