MELBOURNE, October 2, 2026 — Deakin University academic Ashinto Roy describes himself as a proud man today, deeply moved by nostalgia and powerful family memories.
He, his wife, and Federation University PhD scholar Deepa Chandran have put on display photographs of iconic Bombay landmarks taken by Ashinto’s father, Samandrea Roy, between 1942 and 1944, when he was just 17 years old. It was a period when the anti-British Quit India movement was at its peak.
The exhibition, Feeling the Unlived: Memories of Bombay (Mumbai) and the Indian–Australian Migrant Experience, features 15 black-and-white photographs taken with a German camera. A moving presentation of the images, accompanied by music from Poly Varghese, added further layers to the shades of Mumbai memory from a bygone era.
Ashinto told South Asia Times that the aim of the exhibition was to share photographs that hold deep meaning for his family and friends with the wider community.
“In the internet era, a still photograph is a great memory in time,” he said.
An introduction to the photographs and the story behind the exhibition was delivered by Dr Rashmi Lahiri Roy of Federation University. Professor David Waldron, also of Federation University, followed with a philosophical reflection on history and the way photographs allow the past to resonate in contemporary life.
Together, their presentations set the tone for an intimate evening in which memories appeared to pass from one generation to the next.
For this reporter — originally from Delhi and now living in Melbourne for more than two decades — several images were instantly recognisable. I visited Mumbai in 2015 for interviews in Bollywood, and the Gateway of India and the building that is now the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel stood out among the photographs.
I had long heard of the Bombay dock explosions of April 1944, and seeing a historical photograph of the disaster was especially striking. The explosion, caused by the British cargo ship SS Fort Stikine, devastated Victoria Dock and remains one of Mumbai’s worst wartime disasters.
Deepa Chandran’s paintings further connected the exhibition to its historical moment. One work, titled Quit India Movement, evokes the political atmosphere in which Samandra Roy made his photographs.
The photograph of Victoria Terminus — now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus — carries particular resonance for Melbourne audiences. The station is a celebrated example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture, blending European Gothic forms with Indian decorative traditions.
Looking at Samandrea Roy’s Bombay is to enter a collective memory shaped by architectural grandeur, quieter streets and a slower pace of life. It is a city before today’s skyline of skyscrapers — a Bombay whose identity was anchored in sweeping Gothic and Victorian structures.
Exhibition – Feeling the Unlived: Memories of Bombay (Mumbai) and the Indian–Australian Migrant Experience
Curator – Dr. Deepa Chandran
Dates – October 3 & 4, 2026
Timings – 11 am to 5 pm
Venue– Australian Indian Community Centre, 16-18 Kingsley Close, Rowville Vic 3178
