THE ASIATIC SOCIETY OF MUMBAI
The Mumbai Research Centre
“Bombay Railways: Origins”
A special Walkthrough with Mrinal Kapadia
Friday, 2nd May 2025

The Mumbai Research Centre of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai is pleased to invite you to Bombay Railways: Origins, a special walkthrough with Mrinal Kapadia
Bombay Railways: Conceptualization to Electrification (c. 1850-1925)
From the formation of the first railways in India via the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR, today’s Central Railway) and the subsequent (and competing) Bombay, Baroda & Central India Railway (BB&CI, today’s Western Railway), to it’s expansion within the island city, the development of the railways shot past the Western Ghats (no easy feat), eventually connecting with the rest of India.
This seminal journey revolutionized connectivity and transportation in the subcontinent, beginning with humble origins in ideas formulated on our (formerly) 20 square miles of land.
In the centenary year marking the electrification of Bombay Railways, visit the journey of the origins of our railways, as the technology powering it shifts from steam to electricity, via a walkthrough of prints, maps, watercolours, and design plans from the collection of the India Visual Art Archive.

Date: 2nd May 2025 (Friday)
Time: Viewing begins at 4 PM
Walkthrough begins at 5 PM
Venue: Durbar Hall, The Asiatic Society of Mumbai

- Prof. Mangala Sirdeshpande, Hon. Secretary Asiatic Society of Mumbai.
- Dr. Shehernaz Nalwalla, Vice President of the Society & Chairperson – MRC