Language as a Remnant of Imperialism

This portion of the map features the rather large advertisement by HP Gas. Note that it is written in both English and “Hinglish” but features Indian persons, and so is aimed towards a multilingual Mumbaikar community.

The Rajabai Clock Tower is one structure remaining from the era of the British Raj, its style drawing a parallel to “Big Ben” of London.

What is immediately noticeable about this map is the language it is mostly written in: English. This simple aspect translates a substantial amount of knowledge about Mumbai’s and greater India’s histories, and recognizes the city as a place of conquest throughout the millennia. Having originated as a religious center in the Maurya Empire circa 300 B.C. Mumbai was subsequently claimed by the Islamic Gujarat Sultanate in 1348, the Portuguese in 1534, and the British Empire in 1661 [1], the latter of which was the most recent imperial establishment that continues to exist in recent memories of the city and its denizens. The English presence transformed Mumbai forever and saw itself reflected onto urban architecture, political systems, and in the words of the people; indeed, English and Hindi stand as two of the most spoken languages in the city and entire Indian nation, oftentimes being mashed together into the blended dialect of “Hinglish” [2]. The advertisement on the flipside of this map illustrates Indians’ adoption of the language, for the term “Promise yahi, weight sahi” is entirely Hinglish, roughly translating to “Promise the right weight” [3], referencing HP Gas’s campaign to better standardize the weights and prices of its propane tanks [4]. All the same, other imperial presences have left their mark on the city, and because remnants of so many distinct cultures reside there, Mumbai has quickly escalated as a global city.