Bombay and the Reader

"Bombay and the Reader" is a threefold exploration of the city, the reader, and their intricate interaction. Readers are woven into the very fabric of Bombay, occupying its nooks and corners, cafés and parks, perched beneath shady trees or on sea-facing pavements with books balanced precariously in hand or resting on their lap. One might argue that a reader understands a city better than any other resident, observing and dissecting it through the lens of literature.

Mumbai is a city of literature, richly documented and embedded in the collective imagination of India. Journeying through Mumbai often feels like a déjà vu, a place where you always feel you belong. Its historical structures and public parks have long offered refuge to readers, who find themselves and their book characters reflected in the city's landscape.

This photo essay is not merely a documentation of readers but a testament to how the city stands as a silent witness to generations of readers, who have claimed its public spaces to read—privately, communally, and with celebration. The essay seeks to explore the reader through the lens of the city and the city through the lens of the reader.