Pinto Jerry & Fernandes Naresh

Bom Bahia or the Good Bay was the dowry that King Charles II of England received when he married Princess Catherine de Braganza of Portugal in 1661. This land was a reclaimed one that later went on to become a famed metropolis which people fondly called as Bombay. Such is the vibrancy of this harbor city that today it is bursting to its seams with people from varying cultures and concrete buildings that snake the city line haphazardly.It is about this city of contrasts and multi-cultures which has been described at-length in the book Bombay Meri Jaan by authors Jerry Pinto and Naresh Fernandes. This book is actually a compilation of poems and prose pieces penned down by some big names in the literature world such as Salman Rushdie Dilip Chitre V S Naipaul Khushwant Singh Saadat Hasan Manto and Pico Iyer. These contributors each focus on different aspects of the coastal city such as its high-rise apartments its slums the bhel puri on the beach the gully cricket the cops and the underworld women in a ladies compartment in the local train the monsoon floods the Shiv Sena Bombay’s several cinema halls and so on.The highlight of this read is that it contains not only mere text but also interesting cartoons and photographs that draw the reader’s attention. In addition it also offers readers a song and a Bombay Duck recipe as a means of capturing the true spirit of Bombay or Mumbai as it is called today.An anthology that is as varied wealthy and vibrant as the city itself Bombay Meri Jaan was published by Penguin India in 2003 and is available in paperback. Review A wonderfully eclectic collection of essays on all things MumbaiGuardianOrganising an anthology on a city like Mumbai is a bit like making the perfectbhelpuri-not too hot not too bland . . . on the whole the mix [inBombay Meri Jaan] is entirely palatable even delicious. . . . The book gives you an intelligent mix of the lived experience of contemporary Bombayites/Mumbaikars and visitors to the city through the yearsThe HinduA delightful addition to the collection of those who love BombayHindustan TimesA true bhelpuri of a book where diverse elements come together to make a mouth-watering and enlightening whole . . . Even if you're not a regular reader you will love this bookBusiness StandardA wonderful collection of writing-poetry fiction theatre social history memoirs journalism-on India's most cosmopolitan cityTelegraphA tribute to the undying spirit of the city . . . This compilation of essays poems illustrations photographs a play and a sing-along song . . . encapsulates the hope and the despair the grime and the glamour . . . of this maddening soulless but often self-fulfilling metropolisStatesmanThe word ""addiction"" stays in your mind as you begin with the first writing . . . By the time you are on to the second chapter-an exhaustive piece by Pico Iyer . . . you not only begin to fathom what this addiction is all about but also find yourself getting ensnared to read more and more about this ""richest and most corrupt"" metropolis in the subcontinent . . . There is never a dull momentTribune About the Author Jerry Pinto is a writer of prose poetry and children’s fiction in English and also a journalist. He hails from Mumbai India. Some of Pinto’s noted titles include Helen The Life And Times Of An H-Bomb Surviving Women and Asylum And Other Poems. Basically of Goan origin Pinto grew up in Mahim Mumbai and received his Liberal Arts degree from the Elphinstone College and a Law degree from the Government Law College in Mumbai.Naresh Fernandes is also a journalist from Mumbai. He is an editor of Scroll.in a digital daily and a consulting editor at National Geographic Traveler India. Fernandes has authored City Adrift A Short Biography Of Bombay and Bombay Then And Mumbai Now. The author has worked with the print media publications including The Times