You may be surprised to find that this review is not really about Bombay, the place, but Bombay, the people.
The Philippines had been a melting point since pre-history times. Researchers say that the Chinese and the Malaysians (partly Indonesians) were the first to come. Then came the arrival of other races like the English, Dutch, Americans, etc. But I believe, and according to our history teacher, that Indians were also part of the first wave of traders and migrants.
Indians here are called BOMBAY. Funny? No, the name originated from the numerous Indians coming from Bombay. The language barrier prevented the Filipinos to cultivate the real origins and the name Bombay stuck. So now, every Indian-looking person is called a Bombay. This rings true with Spaniards. The lowly Spanish soldiers mostly came from the state of Castilla and so every Spaniard is called CASTILA.
Back to Bombay, the typical business of an Indian here is lending money. You normally see Bombays riding in motorcycles, almost always with their wife who’s holding several boxes. Those boxes contain brand new appliances like electric fan, rice cooker and the like. They are being sold in daily installments. Say an appliance costs 1, 200 as sold and the payment is only 20 pesos per day. That scheme is very popular to the masses so the Bombay’s business is booming here. I’d say in a few years they will be big businessmen with nice cars.
The typical description of a Bombay is the beard, the turban and his motorcycle. It used to be an umbrella because when I was young, Bombays walk around with an umbrella (for his use in case it rains) and a pack of mosquito nets for sale. Times have changed, ha? A Bombay is normally friendly and speaks a little Filipino and a little English but mostly businesses are done by hand signals. I find most Bombays here to come from elite families because they are educated and refined. Some people identify Bombays with their body smell, maybe from the spicy food. But I, myself, haven’t noticed that infamous Bombay smell which is equivalent to unpleasant body odor. I also believe that Bombays have different habits like any race. Filipinos normally take 2 baths a day but some don’t even take one bath per week. Same with Bombays maybe.
Lastly, Bombays are low-profile, giving people the suspicion that they are illegal residents of our country. I previously said that Bombays will succeed because of their perseverance and good business attitude. A Bombay by name of Bagatsing was mayor of Manila, the premier city, way back in the 1980s. His slogan in the election was “Anak ng Bombay” to mean son of an Indian. Yes, he won handily and was a good mayor. In fact, 2 of his sons are still in the lower legislature.
Bombay is a city to most Indians and there’s also a New Bombay. But to us, Filipinos, Bombay is the personification of people coming from India, low-profile but with high regard.
I am now residing in Cainta, a town of Rizal province near Manila. During the short British invasion, when the Philippines gained control of the small battles, Indian soldiers employed by the English were forced to hide in Cainta. Since Bombays are friendly, the locals accepted them. So Cainta has been known to have dark-colored people, mostly sired by the renegade soldiers. And their legacy is the sumptuous beef stewed in ground peanuts called KARE-KARE, a variation of curry food.