Difference Between Mumbai and Bombay

Mumbai vs Bombay

Mumbai and Bombay shouldn’t be confused with each other because they refer to one and the same city name. It’s just that Mumbai is the new name of the metropolitan city of Maharashtra while Bombay was its former name.

Mumbai is dubbed as India’s chief financial district and, not surprisingly, the most-populated city in India. In fact, it has more than 20 million residents that even dwarf the population density of the country’s capital itself – New Delhi. As a center for the country’s trade and commerce, Mumbai is recognized worldwide as an important Alpha global city having the greatest GDP in most of Asia (particularly among the central, west, and southern Asian nations) and possessing the greatest wealth among all other key cities in the country.

Geographically, Mumbai is composed of seven major islands which were once under the rule of the Portuguese prior to its capture by the East India Company. The Arabian Sea borders several of its boundaries. The said islands were previously filled with villages like Worli and Girgaum, whose names echoed across the region and were noted down in the accounts of renowned travelers such as Ibn Batutta. In the 18th century, it was the British who established a port in the area which contributed to the boom in population growth and infrastructure development. The total population seemed to grow uncontrollably thus overshadowing the individual villages and merged to become the metropolitan city known as Mumbai today.

Historically, it was a Portuguese writer, by the name of Gasper Correia, who was first responsible for coining the term “Bom baim” that means “good, little bay.” It was only in the 17th century that the British, who were starting to occupy the area, formally changed the city name to Bombay. And so, the name “Bombay” became its official city name for many centuries after that.

Later on, the local folks of the city (predominantly the Guajarati and Marathi) felt the need to rename the city after the end of the British Imperial rule, and that it must be named after Mumba , the Kali goddess’ name, and Aai, which means “mother” in the Marathi native tongue. The move for change ended with the creation of the city’s new name Mumbai. Nonetheless, it was only because of the 1997 Parliament that the official transition to the new city name came to be, although the new name already materialized as early as 1995.

There were many reasons for the name change. First, it served to strengthen the local Marathi identity. Second, “Bombay” sounded like a corrupted English alternate name for “Mumbai,” which many of the locals didn’t like. Lastly, the name “Bombay” is somewhat reminiscent of the British colonial legacy.

Summary:

1.Mumbai is the new name for India’s chief, financial district.
2.“Bombay” is the former name of “Mumbai” which is the metropolitan city of Maharashtra.
3.A Portuguese writer coined the name “Bombai,” which was derived from a term that means “good, little bay.” Shortly after, it was the British who formally changed it to Bombay.
4.The new city name “Mumbai” came as a result of the merging of the Kali goddess’ name “Mumba” and the Marathi word for “mother” “Aai.”

Sharing is caring!