New book chronicles how Mumbai has changed in past 3 decades since Babri Masjid demolition
SoftCover

New book chronicles how Mumbai has changed in past 3 decades since Babri Masjid demolition

Published by HarperCollins, 'Bombay after Ayodhya' by Jitendra Dixit will be released on 5 December on ThePrint’s Softcover.

   
Book cover: HarperCollins

Book cover: HarperCollins

New Delhi: Three decades since the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, which led to riots across India, journalist turned author Jitendra Dixit traces some of the key events that took place in Mumbai, those that went on to change the city forever.

In roughly 400 pages, ‘Bombay after Ayodhya‘ documents Mumbai’s transformation, from its physical appearance and civic issues, to its economy, real estate and politics.

Published by HarperCollins, ‘Bombay after Ayodhya‘ will be released on 5 December on Softcover, ThePrint’s online venue to launch non-fiction books.

Having reported from Mumbai for the past three decades, Dixit documents the city’s altered demographics, its gang wars, new political equations and now commercialised festivals like Dahi Handi and Ganesh Utsav.

Dixit, who is the west India editor of the ABP Network, has closely witnessed the horrors of communal violence and gang wars in Mumbai. He has covered crime and conflict extensively, including the 2002 Gujarat riots, the Mumbai underworld and the 26/11 terror attacks.

Dixit has also authored other bestselling books like 35 Days, Bombay 3 and Valley of Red Snow.

“I see parallels between Kashmir and Mumbai. The 1990s were tumultuous for both, and I grew up witnessing bloodshed on the streets of Mumbai as a result of communal riots, gang wars and terrorist attacks. In my view, the events triggered by the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya have transformed Mumbai. This transformation has affected every aspect of the city, including its politics, underworld, police, social fabric, real estate and so on,” said Dixit.

‘Honest, stark and gripping’ 

As with many other parts of India, the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition caused unprecedented communal unrest across Mumbai.

There were incidents of violence in December 1992 and again in January 1993, followed by a series of blasts in March the same year, killing over 250 and injuring 700. And the year 2008 saw the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.

Swati Chopra, associate publisher at HarperCollins India, said, “On 6 December this year, it will be 30 years since the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya triggered communal unrest around the country. Bombay after Ayodhya recounts not just what happened in the immediate aftermath, but also how the event caused fundamental changes in the very character of the city. It documents the three decades in which Bombay/Mumbai became and remained a ‘city in flux’.”

The book has also been praised by many of its renowned residents, such as Rakesh Maria, former Mumbai police commissioner, who called Dixit’s illustration of the city as “honest, stark and gripping, capturing the key events speckled on the city’s landscape”.


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