This is the first of the five-article series of blog posts about Bombay’s Iranian Bakeries and Cafes. If you want to read it in a single, scrollable long-form format, you can access it here.

Bombay’s Irani Cafes have a big part to play when it comes to establishing the city’s cosmopolitan ethos. A part of Bombay’s multicultural heritage, some of these cafes have been around for over a hundred years. The owners and managers of these cafes have become as iconic as these establishments. Over the years, these men have become a link between the city’s past and the present. A conversation with them reveals a wealth of knowledge about the Indo-Iranian heritage.

As a part of a college documentary project, I got to meet a number of these people and visit some of the most iconic bakeries of Bombay. Here’s a recollection of some of what we gathered from these people and places.

Today, migrants from all across India come to Bombay to seek a better life and a better future. However, the Iranians were among the first group of people to do so. In the early 1900s, following years of famine and religious and political persecution, there was an en masse migration of Iranians to Bombay. Seated on a Polish bentwood chair at the Sassanian Boulangerie (an Irani Cafe established in 1913), city historian Deepak Rao explains that the Iranians who came to India in the early 1900s started off these cafes, mostly in the corner-shops. This was because back in the early 20th century, there was quite a superstition among the locals around shops/houses located on corners and bends. Making the best of this opportunity, the Iranians rented these places at an inexpensive price.

Meherban Kola, the owner of the Sassanian Boulangerie explains how these cafes started off as general stores offering everything from soaps to calendars. He explained how newspapers and magazines of various languages once used to be stocked up at his cafe. However, over the years, as specialized department stores opened up, the trends changed and they evolved into pure bakeries and cafes.

Today, these Irani Cafes are going through a major crisis. About 50 years ago, Bombay had over 300 such cafes and bakeries all across the town. Today, there are not even 50 of these cafes left. Here’s a look at the Irani Cafes of Bombay – and what is causing them to disappear!

• Introduction: Documenting Bombay’s Irani Bakeries and Cafes
• The Irani Cafe Experience: Bombay’s Iconic Bakeries and Cafes
• The Taste of Iran: Food at the Irani Bakeries and Cafes of Bombay
• Meeting The Showrunners: Men Who Manage Mumbai’s Iranian Bakeries and Cafes
• Curtain Call? The Disappearing Irani Bakeries and Cafes of Bombay