Tourists in front of the Gateway of India on May 21, 2025. The monument is under extensive restoration after years of sea-worn decay and damage.
One Architect’s Quest to Save Mumbai’s Heritage From Disappearing
Abha Narain Lambah’s project to restore the Gateway of India is the latest in a long career dedicated to protecting the city’s rich history.
Mumbai is a city in the middle of a huge building boom. Signs saying “Mumbai is upgrading” are visible everywhere, while its residents contend daily with dug-up roads, poor air quality and ever-worsening traffic jams.
The danger is that much of the architectural heritage that forms Mumbai’s rich, multicultural history gets lost in the upheaval. One resident who has made it her mission to preserve Mumbai’s cityscape is conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah, a rare practitioner of the craft in India.