सभी का स्वागत
All Welcome
All Welcome
In Dishoom King’s Cross, we pay homage to a particularly special, pioneering woman whose aim was to capture the world through her camera so that important moments in history might always be remembered and preserved.
Homai Vyarawalla was born into a humble Parsi family in 1913 and began working as a photojournalist in 1938. Despite whispers of disapproval and the forces of an orthodox society working against her, she went on to become India’s first female photojournalist and a champion chronicler of history.
Her extraordinary lifework spans three decades from the late 1930s to 1970, during which time she captured iconic moments from India’s history, such as the meeting of Gandhi and the Congress Committee to determine the vote for partition in 1947; the first Independence Day celebration; and the funerals of political leaders, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru.
We love her images. They are poignant and captivating and allow us a glimpse of the most historic moments in India’s history. She captured both the euphoria and the disappointment that defined the independence and post-independence eras, with pictures that convey palpable human emotion.
Homai is without doubt, one of the most significant chroniclers Indian Independence and her pictures are indelible treasures that both current and future generations will be able to keep forever.
In our own small act of remembrance, we admire the images taken by this talented lady, who touched the lives of millions with her photos.
Gandhi addressing the All India Congress Committee delegates, 14th June 1947
A show of hands: voting for Partition, 14th June 1947
First Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru Swearing-In ceremony, 15th August, 1947
Mountbatten among the jubilant crowds outside the Parliament House on 15th August, 1947.
Crowds congregating at the Red Fort, 16th August 1947, with the Jama Masjid in the background
Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the day before he left for Pakistan, 1947
Gandhiji’s body at Birla House, 31st January 1948
The Mountbatten family at Gandhi’s cremation at Rajghat, 31st January 1948
Nehru’s Cabinet, 1948
Homai Vyarawalla – India’s first woman photojournalist
Photos and captions courtesy of “India in Focus. Camera Chronicles of Homai Vyarawalla,” by Sabeena Gadihoke.
With each new café that we open, we write a story deeply rooted in Bombay history or culture. This story, known to us as the founding myth, informs all aspects of the restaurant’s design. We spend months researching the Bombay of the period and combing the city for the right furniture, both vintage and new. In a way, you walk across our thresholds into our stories.
Bedecked in their annual finery of baubles, tinsel and lights, our cafés are ready to receive you for your Christmas celebration. So too are our chefs, who have assembled a most excellent array of festive fare for your table.
Our soft launch will run from 27th November to 2.30pm on 5th December. And to express our gratitude for being among our first guests, all food can be enjoyed at 50% off across breakfast, lunch and dinner – yes, really.
Stop by any Bombay tapri (street stall), café, or home, and you will likely find yourself with a gently steaming glass of chai in hand. Before the invention of chai, Bombayites drank kadha, an ayurvedic remedy for coughs and colds made of boiled water and spices like cardamom, cloves and nutmeg. Eventually locals started adding tea leaves, milk, honey and sugar to their ‘kadha’. Chai was born.