Lisa Ray Instagram – Cultural commentators and pop culture junkies in India today can’t ignore the creative cauldron of 90s Bombay that set the imaginative foundation for a globalised version of India. The urban scene today is built on the shoulders of the fertile minds of the 90s; pioneers who embraced their eccentricities and stepped into the wild world of Bombay on the cusp of becoming Mumbai. I personally LOVE this edition of @thisismotherland guest edited by @tee.bha.crew which reflects on Bombay-Mumbai of 1995-1996. It was the year we were introduced to Motorola pagers. The year ‘Bombay Electric Supply and Tramways’ was renamed to B.E.S.T. MTV, Indi-pop, The Ghetto, @adsingholive Great artists like @sudarshanstudio returned to the ‘ever-evolving tableau’ of Mumbai to establish a world class practise and a home. Mahesh Mathai, one of the best advertising directors in the country at that time says it best: ‘It was a time when we did great advertising for pretty bad products, whereas nowadays you see pretty bad ads for good products’ I wrote in my piece: we were all part of the process. We played. Bombay was an ally. A city that supported our imagination, ambition and sexiness. I was personally curious about the name change- can a name change a city or does a city change and the name follows? Who knows? Today I keep toggling between Mumbai and Bombay easily. I accept both versions of my city- the city that made me, broke me, made me again and taught me so much.’ @thisismotherland MUH @theartistreshumalhotra