Sharada Dwivedi

Sharada Dwivedi (c. 1942 – 6 February 2012)^[1] was a Mumbai-based historian and researcher. She had authored several books on the history and culture of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). She was also on the panel on the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee. Among her most famous works was Bombay, the Cities Within (1995).^[2]

Dwivedi completed her schooling at Queen Mary's in Mumbai and then graduated from the Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics from the University of Mumbai. She then followed it up with a degree in Library Science from Mumbai University and training in reference work in Paris.^[2]

Books authored

Dwivedi subjects included art, architecture, interiors, heritage, conservation and the traditions of cuisine and beauty.^[2]

In addition, she had written numerous articles on conservation and urban issues on Mumbai. Among the other books that she has authored include:^[2]

• Lives of the Indian Princes (1984)
• Reach for the Stars (1993) – the corporate history of Blue Star Ltd
• The Broken Flute (1994) – a children's novel
• The Maharaja (1999)
• A Celebration of Style (2000) Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosia.

She was actively involved in several conservation projects in Mumbai, and has served as a member of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee. She was a member of the Executive Committees of the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), the Kala Ghoda Association, and was a consultant to the Bombay Collaborative.^[2]

In the early 90s disgruntled with how authors were not being paid their fair dies she started her own publishing company - Eminence Designs Pvt. Ltd. which has gone on to produce over 30 titles on a variety of subjects from Bombay history, art and architecture to cookery, beauty and film. Her book 'Almond Eyes & Lotus Feet-' authored with Shalini Devi Holkar went on to be published by Harper Collins in the US.

References