Sifra Lentin is Fellow, Bombay History Studies. She was Visiting Fellow 2018 at the Herbert Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at University of Pennsylvania for a project on Karachi’s Jews. Her latest Gateway House policy report on “India and the SCO, Bound by Buddhism” (November 2020) proposed how India could leverage her soft power as the holy land of Buddhism in this multilateral grouping. Her “Mumbai-Shanghai Sister Cities” report (May 2017): proposed recommendations on how sister city relationships between these two cities can be made to work. She has also written a number of books, namely, Bombay’s International Linkages (Gateway House, 2019); Our Legacy: The Dwarkadas Family of Bombay (2018), and A Salute to the Sword Arm – A photo Essay on the Western Fleet (Western Naval Command, 2007). Her work has also appeared in edited volumes: “The Jewish Presence in Bombay” in India’s Jewish Heritage: Ritual, Art, & Life-Cycle (Marg Publication, 2002), “Shalom India” published in One India One People’s book Know India Better (2006), “The Jewish presence in Mumbai: their contribution to the city’s economic, social and cultural fabric”, in Mumbai—Socio-Cultural Perspectives: Contribution of Ethnic Groups & Communities (Primus Books, 2017).
Sifra graduated in English Literature from Elphinstone College, Mumbai, and went on to complete her Bachelor’s in General Law (BGL) from Government Law College, Mumbai. Her earlier career was in journalism with a focus on Bombay and South Asian Jewish history. Most notably, she wrote a popular thrice-weekly column for Mid-Day “Vintage Mumbai” from 1995 to 1997 and a five-part Partition series for Reuters on the golden jubilee of Indian Independence in 1997. She is on the Board of Trustees of the Sir Jacob Sassoon School (Byculla, Mumbai).
In the late 19th century, Bombay was a key import and transshipment port for Russian kerosene. The city’s market was dominated by the Russian product, with American kerosene in a distant second place. The jousting for Indian market share between the two nations unfolded amid geopolitical tensions between Great Britain and Imperial Russia – and gave the U.S. a decisive edge.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Republic of Cyprus on June 15-16, and was warmly received by President Christodoulides. Deep in the bilateral connection is an Indian-origin First Lady, Lilla Irene (Erulkar) Clerides, wife of former president Glafkos Clerides. Lilla, an Indian Jew from Bombay, lived through India’s and Cyprus’ independence and Partition. It made her a passionate advocate for the unity of her adopted home.
The proposed IMEC corridor connecting India to Europe through the Gulf can be transformative, helping to reduce risks to the global movement of goods and data. It’s early days yet, and there are gaps to be filled in terms of missing infrastructure and overcoming a diplomatic rift.
Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium was inaugurated in October 1974, making this year its golden anniversary. The first test match was played on its grounds from 23-27 January 1975. It was the last in the India vs. West Indies test series and was memorable for the 242 not-out scored by West Indian batsman Clive Lloyd. It led to such jubilation in the stands that a fan excitedly ran onto the pitch to congratulate him. He was arrested by the Bombay police.
The anti-migration movements in the West have had a dampening effect on students traveling for study. There is diminished intake, higher fees and no guarantee of a job after graduation. This can play well for India, whose new education policy seeks to attract foreign students to its shores. Delhi must offer reciprocal work visas to foreign students, creating a cohort of those with valuable India experience.
A visit to Israel in the last week of January coincided with the six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust in which 6 million Jews were killed during the Second World War. It revealed a country at war and in mourning, yet one whose natural resilience looked to the future with optimism.
The India Middle-East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) announced during India’s G20 leaders’ summit in September 2023 aims at security and ease of connectivity by multi-modal physical, digital and energy corridors connecting India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Europe. Like many of the connectivity projects created around the world today, IMEC’s origins are 2,300 years old, ancient routes that connected the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea
Iran has the largest Jewish diaspora in the Middle East outside of Israel. Since the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, a proxy of Iran, the Iranian Jews have been publicly denouncing Israel’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon. Is this a sign of a loyal community or one under pressure from Iran’s ruling regime?
Mumbai and Jakarta share a 200-year history of trade in spices and a once-shared love for Bombay’s silent films. Transnational networks of Indian spice and cloth merchants have marked both cities with their business, culture, and faith. A testimony to this history today is the city’s Indonesian consulate, established in 1951 – just four years after India’s independence.
Mumbai and Antwerp share a history from the 18th century. Traffic between the two ports expanded with Belgium among the top three European countries trading with Bombay. After the Second World War, both cities developed a chemical industrial complex adjoining their ports. Today their centuries-old connections have come full circle with an active collaboration between their port authorities.
Courtesy: The Tontine Coffee House
Courtesy: Katie Clerides
Courtesy: Gateway House
Courtesy: Shashi Prabhu
Courtesy: India Spend
Courtesy: Gateway House
Courtesy: Oxford University Press
Courtesy: X / Jaime Kirzner-Roberts
Courtesy: The Jakarta Post
Courtesy: