Humans of Bombay Book launch
Featuring the lives of everyday people in the maximum city of Mumbai, Karishma Mehta, blogger and photographer, started the portrait blog on Facebook in January 2014. Since then, the blog has amassed over 6,00,000 followers on digital and has been featured widely in major publications across India as well as globally.
Over a conversation, Arjun Vaidya, close friend and confidant of Karishma, suggested converting the successful blog into a book. Immersed in the content of the blog, and knowing of her friend’s business acumen, they decided to put their skills to use together. Equipped with passion and dedication to make a difference, Karishma, along with the sibling duo Arjun and Karan Vaidya, scions of The Rose Group of Companies came together to publish Humans of Bombay, the book. Presenting exclusive, stunning photos, the book features all-new riveting stories, quotes and anecdotes. “In a city like Bombay, we barely have the time to take a moment out of our daily routines to converse with those around us. The book assists people like me to get engaged with and be inspired by the journeys of our fellow citizens. That feeling of empathy, captured in the pages is irreplaceable for every follower Of HOB the world over”, says Karan Vaidya, Co-Publisher.
Arjun Vaidya, Co-Publisher of the book muses, “Humans of Bombay, the book allows us busy residents to get to know a little more about that stranger on the street or at the train station you’ve never got a chance to interact with. When Karishma asked me to take on the initiative, I was busy with my own start-up, yet wanted to devote time to support the cause. As a team, we thoroughly enjoyed crafting each page of this exceptional book for the past 8 months to create what we believe is a slice of this city.” Karishma says the book shares some of the best stories from the blog, never-seen-before stories and sights from the bustling city which make you feel like, ‘you’re holding a bit of Bombay in your hands.’
Proceeds from the sale of Humans of Bombay, the book will help continue to support the ongoing charitable initiatives of HOB as well as go on telling people’s stories on the blog.
About Humans of Bombay
A platform of joy, hope and great reverence, Humans of Bombay was launched in January 2014 as a portrait blog on Facebook by Karishma Mehta. “After my graduation, I grappled with multiple ideas, made lengthy business plans and even gave one or two of them a shot. But the idea of Humans of Bombay gnawed away at the back of my mind. One December morning, I decided to simply go out for her first shoot to the iconic Marine Drive with limited knowledge of operating a DSLR camera at that time.” 10 photos and fascinating stories later, she launched Humans of Bombay in January 2014 on Facebook. The page crossed 10,000 likes in the first week and steadily grew, now boasting of a devoted following of more than 6,00,000 followers on digital. “I realised, people would tell their stories if you cared enough to ask them”, adds Mehta. The blog has utilized its prominence to create a significant impact throughout its time — it has not only raised over 50 lakh rupees for different charitable causes but also helped break barriers over several taboos in Indian society like gender stereotypes, sexual orientation and domestic violence. Some of the charity organisations include Kranti, Happy Home Happy Feet, Make Love Not Scars, Care India for Nepal. The blog continues to tell enthralling stories of the people in this fast-paced city.
