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Bombay Journal Entries

Navroz

Each year, the spring equinox – when day and night are equal length – marks a transition in earth’s relationship with the sun. This event, sacred to many cultures throughout history, today thrives as a new year celebration for hundreds of millions.
In Bombay, London, and throughout the South Asian diaspora, you’ll find many folks of the Zoroastrian faith (amongst others) celebrating this new year, or Navroz as we like to call it.

Stories of a new nation

“Long years ago, we made a tryst with destiny; and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom...

Bombay’s ‘hot’ Jazz scene

In September 2017, we met top musician, composer and all-round cool cat, Dom James. Countless late-night jazz sessions later, Dom went on to curate the rather excellent music for our one-off, immersive theatre production – ‘Night at the Bombay Roxy‘.

Parsi theatre personalities Sam Kerawalla, Shireen Hirjee and Villoo Panthaky

Laughter in the Cafè

Where it stands says so much about a café. Built to hug Bombay’s busiest street corners, iconic restaurants still left gracing a few such prime plots were once considered inauspicious by superstitious sections of the Hindu community.

Ganesh Chaturthi

Lord Ganesh sits quietly at the entrance of every Dishoom. The guardian of the door to Parvati’s bath, our much-loved Hindu deity is as brave as he is kind.

Creating Slip-Disc

Personally I have always loved piecing together music. Segue-ing tracks or styles together, or juxtaposing different sounds to create something that feels exciting, or surprising. I started doing it in my early teens.

The Combustibles

Our research for Dishoom Carnaby took us down many unexpected avenues. We started to investigate the world of rock’n’roll Bombay in the ’60s and made lots of new friends.

History of Raksha Bandhan

On the window of Dishoom King’s Cross, we painted the iconic and resounding words of the great Rabindranath Tagore

A Story of Independence

An old Irani gentleman and his granddaughter sit in the shade of his café, underneath the least erratic fan. The little girl turns to her grandfather with a quizzical look on her face, and asks him a question

On Not Belonging, Then Belonging

As a young girl with Indian roots, growing up in nineties Britain wasn’t actually too bad.

Diwali 2012

Diwali – the Festival of Light

Bombay. This magnificent yet (at times) mad “maximum city” is heaving with people of all backgrounds, races and religions.

Bombay to London

From Bombay to London

Locations made familiar in Bollywood films, Victoria carriages, a melting pot of communities… and for the days I felt homesick I had Wembley, Southall and Brick Lane.

Goodbye Chowpatty Beach

‘What if an old Bombay Café were to take a gentle stroll down to Chowpatty Beach in about 1965 and drop a mild acid tab?’

Dishoom Chowpatty Beach Bar

On the Southbank (May 13th – Oct 4th 2011)

Leopold's Café and Bar

A literary destination for Indians and tourists

Bademiya – The Great Bombay Grill

Every Bombayite knows Bademiya

Britannia Café – A Vintage Classic

A lot has happened between these walls