'#RainingGold - The Bombay Dock Explosion of 1944' by Cdr. Mohan Narayan (Retd.)

In 1873, the modern port of Mumbai came into being with the formation of the Bombay Port Trust. It witnessed steady, sustained growth and had an enviable record of safe operations barring a few minor incidents and accidents. That reputation took a severe beating on a scorching summer’s day in the April of 1944. The Bombay Dock Explosion was a catastrophe that severely crippled port operations for the next seven months right in the midst of a raging World War. In our Online Talk #RainingGold, maritime history expert Cdr. Mohan Narayan (Retd.) outlines the reasons for that disaster and the response of the authorities. He also highlights individual acts of courage, stoicism in adversity, the resilience of the average Mumbaikar and , of course, the ‘spirit of Mumbai’, which all come to the fore when officialdom fails the city.

About the speaker:

Commander Mohan Narayan IN (Retd) is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pune, and a former officer of the Indian Navy. He has been the longest-serving Curator of the Maritime History Society (MHS), Mumbai, and has overseen its lecture programmes, field research, annual seminars and publishing activities. He has contributed to setting up the Maritime Heritage Exhibition at Mumbai in 2001, the restoration of the Bombay Castle, heritage walks in the 500-year-old Naval Dockyard, the maritime museum onboard the Vikrant, the 1946 Naval Uprising memorial and the Ballard Bunder Museum, and has curated the Maritime Heritage Exhibition in 2011. After relinquishing charge of the MHS in 2015, he remains actively engaged in the pursuit and promotion of maritime history and heritage.

Charges for participation Rs. 199/-

Date: 10th June 2020

Time: 7.00 pm

Duration: 1 hour + Q&A

What You Need To Get Started:

- An internet connected computer, laptop, or mobile.

- Zoom app downloaded on your computer, laptop, or mobile. You can download the zoom app from https://zoom.us/download.

- A webcam (optional)

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Accessing Zoom:

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Audio

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Q&A

- Q&A will take place after the talk.

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Other Instructions:

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- You will waste time if you do not do this in advance of the online talk as we will start promptly at 7 pm IST. Since this is a paid online talk, we will not be able to make refunds due to system access (All details about system requirements for zoom can be found https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362023-System-Requirements-for-PC-Mac-and-Linux).

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- Event starts at 7.00 pm IST sharp. Late entrants will not be admitted.