Question

What led to the major expansion of Bombay’s population in the mid-nineteenth century?

Answer 1

Answer:

• In the beginning, it was a major outlet for cotton textiles from Gujarat. In the nineteenth century, the city functioned as a port through which large quantities of raw materials such as cotton and opium would pass.
• Bombay became capital of the Bombay Presidency in 1819, after the Maratha defeat in the Anglo-Maratha war. This led to its expansion.
• As the trade of cotton and opium grew, large communities of traders and bankers, artisans and shopkeepers came to settle in Bombay. 4
• The establishment of textile mills led to a fresh surge in migration. The first cotton textile mill in Bombay was established in 1854. By 1921, there were 85 cotton mills with about 146,000 workers.
• Only about one-fourth of Bombay’s inhabitants between 1881 and 1931 were born in Bombay. The rest came from outside. Large numbers flowed in from the nearby district of Ratnagiri to work in the Bombay mills.
• Maritime trade also attracted a large number of people to the city.
• Bombay was at the junction head of two major railways. The railways also encouraged higher migration into the city. For example, the famine in the dry regions of Kutch drove large numbers of people into Bombay in 1888-89. As a result of above factors the population of Bombay increased from 644,405 in 1872 to nearly 1,500,000 in 1941.

Answer 2

Answer:

Bombay was at the junction head of two major railways. The railways also encouraged higher migration into the city. For example, the famine in the dry regions of Kutch drove large numbers of people into Bombay in 1888-89. As a result of above factors the population of Bombay increased from 644,405 in 1872 to nearly 1,500,000 in 1941.