GATEWAYS TO THE SEA Historic ports and docks of mumbai region
Photo by : Incredible India Info
Publisher: Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India
Book Review:
GATEWAYS TO THE SEA
Historic ports and docks of mumbai region
Compiled by Maritime Mumbai Museum Society
Publisher: Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India
ISBN: 978-81-19936-67-0, Price: INR 515/- USD $22, Pages: 186, PB
By - SANTANU GANGULY
The Governor of Maharashtra Shri Ramesh Bais released a book titled 'Gateways to the Sea: Historic Ports and Docks of Mumbai Region' at Raj Bhavan Mumbai on June 22, 2024 (Saturday). The book has been published by the Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. It comprises of 18 articles by renowned authors, compiled by the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society (MMMS).
On the occasion, Governor of Maharashtra Shri Ramesh Bais felicitated MMMS and the 17 authors and two editors earlier today. He also encouraged the citizens of Mumbai to learn about their ancient maritime history. A presentation of the book was also made at Durbar Hall in Raj Bhawan by Publications Division in collaboration with the Asiatic Society. The invitees included historians and history enthusiasts.
This book compiled by MMMS is a compilation of authoritative articles on the history of various ports and docks of the Mumbai Region like Sopara, Vasai, Versova, Mahim, Kalyan, Thane, Panvel, Alibag, Chaul, Mandad, and Janjira. Historians, researchers, maritime experts, conservation architects and writers have contributed all the 18 chapters. The publication of this book is an important milestone in creating awareness about the ancient ports stated above and it also covers the development of modern ports and docks of Mumbai including Mazagon Dock, Mumbai Port, Bombay Dock, Sassoon Dock and Ferry Wharf also known as Bhaucha Dhakka.
The President of the Maritime Mumbai Museum Society Captain KD Bahl, Vice Admiral (Retd) Indrasheel Rao, Editor Dr Shefali Shah, Vice President Anita Yewale, Deputy Director of Publications Division Sangeeta Godbole and the contributing writers were present in the function.
The book comprises of 18 chapters that are assimilated in a way that make for an easy and leisurely yet historically rich and informative read. The book brings to light the story of Mumbai, beyond Bombay…
‘Gateways to the Sea’ is a compilation of essays that illuminates for the reader the history of the Maharashtra and Konkan coastal regions from every perspective- geopolitical, geographic, economic, cultural, people, land, rivers, estuaries and sailing vessels.The fertile hinterland had an abundance of agricultural produce like mangoes, coconuts, and spices, while artisans and crafts persons created products like cotton cloth, cartwheels, jewellery, and gems, which were prized in markets as far as the Arab lands and beyond, to Greece and Rome. ‘Gateways to the Sea’ explores the fascinating growth of ports including Sopara, Vasai, Mahim, Thane, Kalyan, and Chaul, and the numerous forts at harbor mouths and hinterland.
Prof. Smita Dalvi’s essay titled, ‘Rice, Salt and Cartwheels: the story of Panvel Bunder’ features in a beautifully produced volume: ‘Gateways to the Sea: Historic Ports and Docks of Mumbai Region’. It is conceptualised and edited by Maritime Mumbai Museum Society and published by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India.
Dr. Pushkar Sohoni?from the Humanities and Social Sciences department of IISER Pune contributed a chapter titled "Janjira Fort and Rajapuri Fort: Connected Histories in a Coastal Context" in this book.
Publications Division is a repository of books and journals highlighting subjects of national importance and India’s rich cultural heritage. Established in 1941, Publications Division has emerged as a premier publishing house of the Government of India, enriching the national knowledge repository in distinctive streams as under :
(i) Preserving and showcasing India’s heritage with quality publications on land and people, history of the freedom movement, art and culture, flora and fauna, Gandhian literature, biographies of the builders of modern India during the freedom movement, leading luminaries in the field of culture, philosophy, science, literature, etc.
(ii) Bringing out speeches of the Presidents/ Prime Ministers, books on contemporary science, economy, history, and other subjects with an underlying focus on Indian society and readership; and
(iii) Bringing out Children’s literature - fiction and non-fiction material with the broad objective of providing infotainment, spreading awareness about the land, people, heritage, culture, and society aiming at inculcating human values and scientific temper among children.
The contribution of DPD assumes importance as being a unique publishing house competing in the market on one hand, and a pioneer government organization on the other. The Division played a pioneering role in publishing classic works during the days when the Indian publishing industry was nascent and media reach was limited.
Books on the life and thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi hold a place of pride for the Division. Publications Division has published several books on Gandhian thoughts including the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG) in 100 volumes, in English, and Sampoorna Gandhi Vangmaya in Hindi which is considered to be the most comprehensive and authentic collection of Gandhiji’s writings. The Division enjoys credibility among the publishers and is well recognised for the authenticity of the content and affordable price of publications. Publications Division, in collaboration with Gujarat Vidyapeeth, and under the supervision of prominent Gandhian scholars, has also prepared the e-version of the Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (e-CWMG), a fully searchable Master copy, in the form of a well-designed set of DVDs. This monumental work is a lasting contribution to the national heritage by preserving Mahatma Gandhi’s written words in permanent and tamper-proof electronic format. The e-CWMG is also hosted on the Gandhi Heritage Portal, a comprehensive repository of authentic Gandhian literature. The endeavor to get more Gandhian titles is continuing.
Publications Division is continuously endeavoring to outreach its efforts to further enrich and diversify its content and to reach more and more people. With this end in mind, Publications Division is making meticulous efforts to make partnership arrangements with reputed institutions, Gandhian Organizations, and prestigious publishers working for similar causes of enriching the reading public. Publications Division is also making similar arrangements with its sister organizations in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Such partnerships have already started bearing fruits and the Publications Division is being enriched with quality publications in the areas of Gandhian thought, art, culture, cinema, and other aspects of national heritage.
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Besides books, the Publications Division also publishes 18 monthly journals, which include Yojana in English, Hindi and 11 other languages, Kurukshetra (English and Hindi), Bal Bharati (Hindi) and Aajkal (Hindi and Urdu). These journals have a large readership and enjoy a high degree of credibility among the public. These journals reflect the initiatives of the Government and the country’s progress in different areas covering a wide range of subjects such as economic development, rural reconstruction, community development, literature, culture, children’s literature and information on employment and career opportunities.
Yojana, the flagship journal of the Division published since 1957, seeks to carry the message of planned development to all sections of society and serves as a forum to promote a healthy discussion representing a cross-section of views on socio-economic aspects of development. Yojana, published in 13 languages with a combined circulation of above 2 lakhs per month, is counted among the largest circulated journals in the field of development journalism. The journal tries to focus on contemporary issues.
Kurukshetra, published since 1952 in English and Hindi, is a unique monthly journal dedicated to rural development issues. It serves as a platform for exchange of ideas on policies and programmes related to rural development. Combined circulation of Kurukshetra (English and Hindi) is close to 1,00,000 per month. During last one year, Kurukshetra has highlighted the government’s initiatives in the rural sector covering varied topics such as Swachhta, Boosting farmers’ income, Rural Health, Irrigation and water conservation, Digital Rural India and Skilling Rural Youth.
Bal Bharati, the popular children’s monthly in Hindi, is being published regularly since 1948. Its objective is to provide healthy entertainment to children while educating them at the same time and also inculcating in them human values and scientific temper through short stories, poems, picture stories and informative articles.
Ajkal, the prestigious literary magazine published since 1945 in Hindi and 1942 in Urdu, brings out a number of special issues and covers different aspects of Indian culture and literature.
Employment news is the flagship weekly job journal of Publications Division ,Ministry of Information and Broadcasting .It was launched in 1976 with a view to provide information on employment and career guidance opportunities to youth of the country who are seeking jobs or better career options.The job journal is published in English, Hindi (Rozgar Samachar) and Urdu (Rozgar Samachar).
It provides information related to job vacancies, job oriented training programmes, admission notices related to job oriented exams and results of recruitment exams in respect of (a) Ministries/Department/Offices/organizations/ autonomous bodies/societies/PSUs of the Central Government, State Government and UT Administrations (b) Nationalized banks/ RRbs / UPSC/SSC/ Constitutional and statutory bodies and (c) Central/State Government Universities/ Colleges/ Institutes recognized by the UGC/AICTE. In addition to this, Employment News also provides editorial content on socio-economic issues as a guide to the youth; especially those in rural areas, by helping them gain an understanding of the job market and the plethora of employment opportunities that otherwise may go unnoticed. The weekly educates young people to make an informed decision about their careers. It is available throughout the length and breadth of the country.
ORGANIZATIONAL SETUP
The Directorate of Publications Division is headed by Director General (DG), who is assisted by Director level officers heading Editorial, Business, Production, IT and Administration divisions and Employment News. The headquarters of the Publications Division is at Soochna Bhavan, CGO Complex at New Delhi and it functions through its various sales emporia at New Delhi (Headquarters), Delhi (old Secretariat), Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Patna, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram and Yojana offices at New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Thiruvananathapruam and Bengaluru.
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