Mumbai (previously Bombay), the megapolis, was formed by conglomeration of seven islands, given by Gujrat’s Bahadur Shah to the Portuguese. They gave these as a dowry of Princes Catherine to England’s Charles II in 1662. It was favourable for the East India Company who could trade from the Mumbai harbours, away from mainland and out of reach of the Marathas and Mughals. Mumbai’s cosmopolitan culture dates back to the history of immigration from Armenians to Baghdadi Jews, besides Portuguese and English. Parsis are an unparalleled success story in Mumbai and there are people from various states of India, who have made Mumbai their home. Mumbai is the city of dreams. The success stories, stating how Mumbai turned their dreams to reality, of DhirubhaiAmbani, Amitabh Bachhan, Shahrukh Khan,and many others, never fail to inspire us.
