Bombay

Elephants in Stone: Sir Mangaldas Nathubhai and Bombay’s Cultural Legacy

Walk through Bombay’s old neighbourhoods and you will still find elephants in stone. At Lamington Road and in Kalbadevi, they guard the façades of two of the city’s most storied theatres — Imperial and Bhangwadi. To most passersby, they are striking ornaments. In truth, they are the emblem of Sir Mangaldas Nathubhai and his family, whose motto “Wisdom over Riches” guided a life of philanthropy and civic reform in nineteenth-century Bombay.

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Sir Mangaldas Nathubhai: The Renaissance Man of Bombay

Sir Mangaldas Nathubhai was one of the most dedicated reformers and philanthropists of nineteenth-century Bombay. Among the earliest Indians knighted by the British Crown for his service to education, healthcare, and civic reform, his legacy stands apart. More than a prosperous merchant, he belonged to the circle of Bombay’s emerging intelligentsia and played a significant role in the city’s wider social and political awakening.

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Bhulabhai Desai Memorial Institute

Bhulabhai Desai Memorial Institute (BDMI) was a center for innumerable artists of diverse fields and practices. An institute with the same structure and bohemian style has never been established again, giving rise to various experiments, collaborations, and discussions. The impact of the atmosphere created at the BDMI has touched the practice of artists visiting the space for various reasons.

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The Progressive Artists Group

Post-Independence India was a new revolution in India’s history. As the struggle for freedom was finally achieved, new mindsets were formed. The new free India respected and worshiped humanity at its best along with promoting freedom of expression. At this point, a group of supreme artists came together who shared a common art type: modern art for the new free India and called themselves the Bombay Progressives Art Group!

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