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The first inhabitants
of Mumbai or Bombay are the Kolis.
These fishermen worshipped the goddess
Mumbadevi Mumbai from which it derives
its name. Over the centuries, the
seven islands, which together form
Mumbai, were mostly under the Hindu
dynasties. They met a Muslim invasion
in the 14th century before being handed
over to Portuguese settlers by Bahadur
Shah, Sultan of Gujarat in 1534. In
1661 the largest island was included
in the dowry of Catherine of Braganza,
when she married Charles II of England.
Although the British government owned
all seven islands in 1665, they were
leased to the East India Company in
1668 for an annual rent of 10 pounds.
The development of Bombay or Mumbai
as a booming port owes much to this
exchange of hands. In promising land
and religious freedom, the East India
Company attracted a large number of
Gujaratis, Parsis and Hindus who wanted
desperately to escape religious persecution
by Portuguese.
In the next 20 years Bombay or Mumbai
had become so successful that the
presidency of the East India Company
moved here from Surat. The English
have built Bombay. With the 1720 's.
reclamation projects to join the seven
islands into a singular land began
with great enthusiasm. An important
development in Bombay was the construction
of the first railway in Asia from
Bombay to Thane in 1853. Ironically,
it was another country’s 'war
for independence - The Civil War,
which contributed to Bombay’s
cotton boom, as it interrupted Britain’s
supply of cotton. In 1964, Bombay
saw a huge surge in expansion and
construction. The inauguration of
the Suez Canal in 1869 again proved
to be a major boon for Bombay. Post
1857 and the first war of independence
of India, the British crown took on
the Bombay East India Company because
of mismanagement.
The first Indian National Congress
was held in Bombay in 1885 and the
Quit India movement was launched in
1942.After independence, Bombay became
the capital of what was then called
the presidency of Bombay, but this
area was then divided into Maharashtra
and Gujarat in 1960. This division
which took place on the basis of language,
led to the proliferation of a new
pro Marathi right wing movement led
by the Shiv Sena which radically and
dangerously weakened the cultural
diversity of Bombay by discriminating
against all non -- Maharashtrians
and Muslims. The multicultural pride
and multi-ethnicity was challenged
as it witnessed intense riots in 1992
after the destruction of the Babri
mosque in Ayodhya and a series of
13 bombings in one day occurred in
March 1993.
The transition from Bombay to Mumbai
was complete and the city was officially
renamed Mumbai in 1996. Today, Mumbai
is becoming the most populous city
in the world by 2020 when the population
is estimated at 28.5 million. Although
how the city will be able to accommodate
this huge number is what the current
18 million wonder.
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