Taking the example of Bombay (Mumbai), explain how the imperial vision of the British was realized through town planning.

Or

Describe the characteristics of the public buildings built in the new classical style with special reference to Town Hall’ of Bombay.

Initially Bombay was a state of seven islands. With the increase in population, these islands were joined to create more space and new one big city was created. With the growth of Bombay’s economy a need was felt from the mid 19th century to expand railway and shipping and even develop the administrative structure. A number of new buildings were constructed at this time. The architectural style of these buildings was usually European.

Bungalows and Public Buildings : Initially these buildings looked very strange in comparison with the traditional Indian buildings. But gradually Indians too vised to European style of architecture and they adopted this style. On the other hand, British adopted some of the Indian style to suit their needs. One of its example is bungalows which were made for government officers in Bombay and other parts of the country. The bungalow was constructed on large piece of land. It not only ensured privacy for the people living in it but it also marked a distance from the Indian world around. It had traditional pitched roof and surrounding veranda to keep the bungalow cool. There were separate quarters for domestic servants in the compound.

Basically three architectural styles were used for public buildings. Two of these styles were prevalent in England. One of these styles was neo-classical style. The buildings constructed in this style had geometrical structures. They also had lofty pillars in the front. It resembled the style of buildings in the ancient Rome. This style was considered most suitable for the construction of buildings in the British India. The Town Hall of Bombay was built in 1833 and was based on this architectural style.