FASS students experience the history and culture of Mumbai

In January 2025 Associate Professor Cindy McCreery (History) and a group of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) undergraduates will begin a new educational journey: FASS2805 Mumbai Moments. This will be the second cohort of students to participate in this fabulous opportunity – in 2024 Cindy led students from Archaeology, History, Linguistics, Politics and International Relations, Education, Media and Communications and Sociology as well as Finance in this immersive in-country unit of study.

An interdisciplinary unit open to all FASS second-year undergraduates (with room in their degree for an elective), Mumbai Moments uses object-based learning to explore the history, present and future of India’s largest city.  

Imogen Ladmore, a second-year FASS student enrolled in the Bachelor of Media and Communications, became Sydney Abroad’s Digital Media Ambassador: telling the story of her Mumbai Moments journey through text and photographs.

With a population of 26 million, Mumbai is not only India’s financial centre: it is home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites, two of which focus on a rich corpus of nineteenth-century buildings and monuments. We as students learn to look up close at individual ‘objects’ –  monuments, buildings and streetscapes – and consider the ways that Mumbaikers have responded to the city’s environmental, economic, political and social challenges.  

Our first week was in Sydney, with a tour of the University and hands-on “Object-based learning” at the University’s Chau Chak Wing Museum, examining objects linked to Mumbai (e.g. historic photographs of 19c. Mumbai buildings). This allowed me to frame the unit as a comparative study between Sydney and Mumbai, and to think of objects – and urban buildings and infrastructure – as tools for learning.

The next two weeks took us to Mumbai itself. For most, it was our first encounter with India – exciting but a little daunting. This object-based unit allowed me to look closely at specific buildings, architectural elements, photographs, artworks, and other objects, making the historically complex city of Mumbai more approachable. 

One of the most memorable excursions was to the north of the city, at the Kanheri caves in Sanjay Gandhi National Park. After a week in the densely built urban environment, it was an intriguing contrast to travel through the sprawling forest, which our guide Mr Medhull Dedhia described as ‘the lungs of Mumbai.’

The caves consist of over one hundred 2nd-century carved Buddhist dwellings and grand rooms, with intricate artworks decorating many of the walls. I was stunned by the sheer scale and fantastic condition of the carvings. These works were probably the most impressive historic structures we saw, and our understanding was enhanced by the expertise of Mark Allon, an expert in Buddhist Studies at USyd. Mark and his colleague Richard Salomon (University of Washington, USA) spent the whole day with us at Kanheri Caves and contextualizing the meanings of the Buddhist carvings. 

Back in Mumbai, while visiting the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) museum we toured an exhibit in the prints and drawings gallery with one of the curators, Dr. Mrinalini Pathak. I was intrigued by the early 20th-century illustrations and postcards because they depicted scenes of Mumbai I recognised from our exploration of the city. 

On our final days in Mumbai, we visited St Xavier’s College, meeting with local academics and third-year postcolonial literature students., and heard a fascinating panel discussion with conservation architect Vikas Dilawari, urban and maritime historian Mariam Dossal, and city planner Shirish Patel. Having spent two weeks in the city, it was gratifying being recognise some of the places discussed, such as Mr Dilawari’s work on Flora Fountain and Mr Patel’s discussion of the Navi Mumbai (New Mumbai) sea link. This panel was a valuable aspect of the trip, providing depth and context to what we had seen of Mumbai. 

I was surprised to learn that Mumbai struggles to preserve and restore its historic architecture due to new developments, forcing me, to reconsider the condition of Mumbai’s’ historic buildings, and the prevalence of new construction.

Mumbai Moments was a fascinating introduction to this incredible city. From navigating its bustling streets to exploring breathtaking cultural heritage sites, each moment broadened my understanding of the dynamic and complex city. It gained much of its momentum from the energy and curiosity of the students in the inaugural group. FASS looks forward to another great year of object-based learning in this heritage-rich city in 2025.