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Mumbai with Homi J. Bhabha
Portraying India
Perceptions of India, inspired by the lives of those who embody its most authentic spirit
In this edition, we look at Mumbai from the perspective of visionary scientist and art connoisseur Homi J. Bhabha.
Homi Bhabha was a man of many talents. Known as the “father of the Indian nuclear programme”, he set post-independence India on the path of great scientific progress that was crucial in the global power it exudes today. Growing up amongst influence, he created opportunities not just for himself, but for the entire nation to showcase its talent and capacity for intelligensia on a global stage.
As most revered scientists have known through ages, he held arts at par with science. An avid art collector and painter, he did much to patronise painters who went on to exhibit at salons across the world. While introducing him at the 1941 Annual Meeting of the Indian Academy of Sciences, C.V. Raman described the 32-year-old Bhabha as “the modern equivalent of Leonardo da Vinci”.
Born with a Silver Spoon
Homi Bhabha was surrounded by influence growing up. He was named Hormusji after his paternal grandfather, Hormusji Bhabha, who was Inspector-General of Education in Mysore. Through his uncle, Dorabji Tata, one of the wealthiest men at the time, he had access to the behind the scene of the independence movement as well as business dealings in industries like steel, heavy chemicals and hydroelectric power which the Tata Group invested in. His family believed in a well-rounded education, and he was formally trained in music and painting while pursuing academics.
Homi Bhabha went to the University of Cambridge, England, in 1927, originally to study mechanical engineering, but once there he developed a strong interest in physics and in multiple letters convinced his family to let him pursue it. During World War II, at the behest of physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (Bengaluru), he joined the institute as a reader in physics in 1940.
Promoting Science in India
Perhaps Homi Bhabha’s most significant contribution to the country’s advancement in science was the establishment of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 1945. Initially set up in Bangalore, it was moved to Bombay, where it eventually pioneered the country’s nuclear research and even established an art gallery, reflecting the multitudes of its director’s life.
In 1954, Homi Bhabha proposed to Jawaharlal Nehru that the Government of India establish a Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to fund, create and operate all the facilities required for the nation’s atomic energy programme. The Department was set up in Bombay in the same year and functioned directly under the Prime Minister, a model that is still followed today. As a significant figure in international scientific circles, serving as president of the United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1955 and as president of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics from 1960 to 1963, he put India on the world map for science.
In 1954, Homi Bhabha proposed to Jawaharlal Nehru that the Government of India establish a Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to fund, create and operate all the facilities required for the nation’s atomic energy programme. The Department was set up in Bombay in the same year and functioned directly under the Prime Minister, a model that is still followed today. As a significant figure in international scientific circles, serving as president of the United Nations Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy in 1955 and as president of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics from 1960 to 1963, he put India on the world map for science.
“Science has at last opened up the possibility of freedom for all from long hours of manual drudgery and today we stand at the beginning of an age when every person will have the opportunity to develop himself spiritually to his fullest stature. With the mastery of atomic energy and the accelerating progress of science in other fields, the world in a hundred years time will look as different from today as today is different from the Middle Ages.”
A Patron of Art
Inspired by his grandfather and father’s vast collection of rare books and his uncle’s collection of records, Homi Bhabha developed a keen sense of aesthetics at a very young age. Having listened to records of western classical music and opera since a young age, he pushed for Vienna to be the headquarters of the IAEA in part to be able to attend the state opera when attending IAEA meetings.
An avid painter, he decorated his house with the many abstracts he painted. A staunch supporter of developing cultural capital, he was a key patron of the Progressive Artists’ Group, that produced artists like F. N. Souza, M. F. Husain, Tyeb Mehta, K. H. Ara and S. H. Raza. Homi Bhabha collected the artists’ early works expressing India’s post-colonial identity. Over exhibitions and private viewing, some of these works are still shown as a part of the TIFR gallery
Discovering Mumbai
Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralya
Formerly named The Prince of Wales museum, CSMVS is arguably the best museum of the city. With its mix of historical artefacts, world class exhibits curated with a keen eye towards the world happenings and a rigorous programming to stay relevant, the museum has redefined the landscape of museums for the city. Even the Indo-Saracenic architecture of the building is a thing to behold.
Sassoon Docks
Mumbai has been a major port for trading and fishing throughout Indian history. The fishing docks, dating to 1875, are the oldest and largest wholesale fish market in Mumbai. Beginning at 5 AM, the indigenous Koli women of the area sell fresh, seasonal fish including delicacies like Bombil and Pomfret. From the sound of commerce to the explosion of colors, it is a way to begin your mornings like the locals.
Mani Bhavan
Mumbai played a very prominent part in India’s struggle for freedom. Gandhiji was rightly proud of the patriotic and cosmopolitan citizens of Mumbai. It was at Mani Bhavan, a heritage house now dedicated as a museum to Gandhi and his work on the freedom struggle, served for about seventeen eventful years as the nerve centre in Bombay for Gandhiji’s activities.
Dhobi Ghat
The cavalcade of life that is Mumbai city today is most evident in its local trains. On the Mahalaxmi station in particular, washers, known as dhobis, work in the open to clean clothes and linens from Mumbai’s hotels and hospitals. It is a sight to behold as you witness the coexistence of multiple narratives in the city, all supporting one another.
While you’re in Mumbai
Though a tiny island, Mumbai is the pulse of the nation, and just a few days walking around the city are enough to understand why. Don’t forget to visit some of the oldest art galleries in the countries from NGMA to Chatterjee & Lal. If you enjoy architecture, walk around the Kala Ghoda area for everything from Indo-Saracenic to Art Deco. Don’t miss the beautiful Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus, designed in Italian Gothic style by a British engineer. Take a trip to pre-historic times in the Elephanta Caves a short boat ride away from the Gateway of India, one of the main ports of entry to India.
Recommendations for Further Exploration
To Read
Homi J Bhabha : A Renaissance Man among Scientists by Biman Nath
India’s Nuclear Titans: Biographical Tales edited by Soumya Awasthi and Shrabana Barua
Homi Bhabha and the TIFR Art Collection
Homi J Bhabha : A Renaissance Man among Scientists by Biman Nath
India’s Nuclear Titans: Biographical Tales edited by Soumya Awasthi and Shrabana Barua
Homi Bhabha and the TIFR Art Collection
At Tushita, we marvel at India with you. After 45 years of travelling the country, we’re still enamoured by its beauty every day. From Ladakh, where Tushita was anointed by a Buddhist monk in 1977, to Tamil Nadu, where we worked with locals to showcase one of the oldest cultures in the world, we are partners in your journey to discover our part of the world.
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