Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Gulzar Recalls Mumbai’s Irani Hotels as Shared Water Spaces
Gulzar is talking about how people found drinking water in two cities.
In Delhi, public hand-pumps were available.
One person could pump the water while another person drank it.
Gulzar says Mumbai did not have the public fountains or taps he saw in Delhi.
But Mumbai had Irani hotels on many street corners.
These hotels kept glasses of water on a tray.
Anyone who was thirsty could enter, drink a glass, and leave.
They did not have to buy anything.
Gulzar contrasts everyday public water access in Delhi and Mumbai.
He says Delhi had public hand-pumps where people could drink water.
In Mumbai, he says he never saw public drinking fountains or taps.
Instead, Irani hotels stood on many corners across the city.
Their water glasses allowed thirsty visitors to drink without making a purchase.
- Who
- Gulzar.
- What
- He recalls how people accessed drinking water in Delhi and Mumbai.
- Where
- Delhi and Mumbai, which Gulzar also calls Bombay.
- Why
- To describe a difference in everyday city life and public access to water.
- Speaker
- Gulzar
- Delhi water access
- Public hand-pumps were available for drinking water.
- Mumbai water access
- Gulzar says he never saw public drinking fountains or taps there.
- Mumbai alternative
- Irani hotels commonly offered drinking water.
- Water arrangement
- The hotels kept a tray filled with glasses.
- Cost
- Visitors could drink water without any transaction.