By-Ways of Bombay

A lively chronicle of turn‑of‑the‑century Bombay unfolds through the eyes of a seasoned government clerk who recorded the city’s people and customs as they crossed his path. From bustling street vendors and the hum of opium clubs to the quiet rituals of woven‑marooned communities, each vignette offers a snapshot of a metropolis buzzing with contrast and colour.

One standout episode follows a grieving fisherman as he summons neighbours, a Gondhali priest and a medium to perform a protective rite for his recently deceased wife. The detailed description of offerings, chants and symbolic objects brings the ritual’s intensity to life, while also illuminating the deeper beliefs that shape everyday existence in the harbor city. Listeners will come away with a richer sense of Bombay’s hidden corners, its diverse inhabitants, and the subtle magic that once threaded through its streets.