Humans of Bombay
{{short description|Indian photoblog by Karishma Mehta}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox website
| name = Humans of Bombay
| type = Photoblog
| language = English
| owner = Karishma Mehta
| employees = 5
| url =
| commercial = Private limited company
| current_status = Online
}}
Humans of Bombay (HoB) is an Indian photoblog about people in Mumbai (previously known as Bombay). It was started in 2014 by Karishma Mehta.).{{Cite news |date=2023-09-27 |title='Haven't received a penny for a single story': Humans of New York founder hits back at Humans of Bombay for reducing art to a 'product' |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/havent-received-a-penny-for-a-single-story-humans-of-new-york-founder-hits-back-at-humans-of-bombay-for-reducing-art-to-a-product/articleshow/103962624.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2024-12-18 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}} The photoblog document inspirational stories of individuals on their social media channels and a website.
Development
Inspired by the Humans of New York (HoNY) website, Karishma Mehta started Humans of Bombay in January 2014, by traveling around Mumbai and asking people questions about their lives and for permission to take and upload their photographs and their answers to her website.{{cite news |last1=Lakhe |first1=Amruta |title=Being the humans of Bombay |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/being-the-humans-of-bombay/ |access-date=28 June 2021 |work=The Indian Express |date=22 April 2014}}{{cite news |last1=Jain |first1=Sanya |title=She Was Just 21 When She Started 'Humans Of Bombay'. Here's Her Story |url=https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/karishma-mehta-the-woman-who-started-humans-of-bombay-heres-her-story-2623975 |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=NDTV |date=November 25, 2021}} By April 2014, the Facebook page had more than 135 posts and almost 40,000 followers. By November 2015, the page had reached 4 lakh followers.{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Tanaya |title=Meet the Human Behind the Popular 'Humans of Bombay' Page |url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/39315/humans-of-bombay-facebook-karishma-mehta/ |access-date=28 June 2021 |work=The Better India |date=26 November 2015}}
By 2015, Mehta began using the page to conduct fundraising campaigns, including for Kranti, an organization that supports the daughters of sex workers, and collected Rs. 6.5 lakhs for Kranti in one day. In 2015, Humans of Bombay featured the story and picture of a girl speaking out against child marriage, that within two days gained over 60,000 likes on Facebook, and created an opportunity for Humans of Bombay to promote Aangan, the child protection organization supporting the girl.{{cite news |last1=Lakshmin |first1=Deepa |title=Her Parents Tried To Marry Her Off At 15, And She Said No. This Is Her Story. |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/2240830/humans-of-bombay-child-marriage/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150816232528/http://www.mtv.com/news/2240830/humans-of-bombay-child-marriage/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 August 2015 |access-date=28 June 2021 |work=MTV |date=14 August 2015}} A crowdfunding campaign for a child with blood cancer raised Rs 10.31 lakh within days.
By 2016, Mehta moved the blog to humansofbombay.in, and self-published the book Humans of Bombay.{{cite news |last1=Lakhe |first1=Amruta |title=From the heart, through a lens |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/from-the-heart-through-a-lens/article8474697.ece |access-date=28 June 2021 |work=The Hindu |date=14 April 2016}} By then, the blog had covered a wide range of subjects, from everyday interactions to topics such as depression, alcoholism, domestic violence, child sexual abuse, Sapna Bhavnani discussing her gang-rape, and people sharing their own stories and support for others. Fundraising campaigns continued on the website, including in 2017, raising Rs 11 lakh within four days on behalf of the daughter of a sex worker to support her education at New York University.{{cite news |title=How Humans of Bombay is helping a sex worker's daughter study at New York University |url=https://www.firstpost.com/living/how-humans-of-bombay-is-helping-a-sex-workers-daughter-study-at-new-york-university-3534567.html |access-date=28 June 2021 |work=FirstPost |date=9 June 2017}}
By 2018, Humans of Bombay had grown to six permanent employees, expanded beyond Mumbai, and established an Instagram page with what Aishwarya Upadhye of The Hindu described as "Stories that make you grin from ear to ear, stories that would give you pangs of guilt, the ones that would make you well up, those that cement your belief in hope and survival,"{{cite news |last1=Upadhye |first1=Aishwarya |title=When the Humans of Bombay came to Chennai |url=https://www.thehindu.com/society/when-the-humans-of-bombay-came-to-chennai/article23604612.ece |access-date=28 June 2021 |work=The Hindu |date=19 April 2018}} and Sadaf Shaikh of Verve described as "all kinds of stories – some that plaster a big grin on your face, others that elicit a quick prayer for having a privileged life."{{cite news |last1=Shaikh |first1=Sadaf |title=Karishma Mehta On How Humans Of Bombay Captures The Invincible Spirit Of The City |url=https://www.vervemagazine.in/people/karishma-mehta-on-how-humans-of-bombay-captures-the-invincible-spirit-of-the-city |access-date=28 June 2021 |work=Verve |date=11 January 2018}}
Controversies
In September 2023, Humans of Bombay began a copyright infringment case against the People of India website,{{cite news |last1=Timsit |first1=Annabelle |last2=Masih |first2=Niha |title=Humans of Bombay is suing another spinoff. Humans of New York isn’t happy. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/26/humans-of-bombay-lawsuit-explained/ |access-date=18 January 2024 |work=The Washington Post |date=26 September 2023}} and a summons was issued by the Delhi High Court in Humans of Bombay Stories Pvt Ltd v. POI Social Media Pvt Ltd.{{cite news |last1=Jha |first1=Prashant |title=Delhi High Court issues summons to 'People of India' in copyright infringement suit by 'Humans of Bombay' |url=https://www.barandbench.com/news/delhi-high-court-summons-people-of-india-copyright-infringement-suit-humans-of-bombay |access-date=22 January 2024 |work=Bar and Bench |date=20 September 2023 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Sunilkumar |first1=Singh Rahul |title=‘Related to IP, not storytelling’: Humans of Bombay clarifies on copyright lawsuit |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/humans-of-bombay-vs-people-of-india-latest-news-copyright-infringement-lawsuit-humans-of-new-york-101695560972716.html |access-date=18 January 2024 |work=Hindustan Times |date=24 September 2023 |language=en}} In October 2023, Humans of Bombay lost the case when the Delhi High Court ordered each website to "refrain" from using the copyrighted work of the other website.{{cite news |title=Humans of Bombay founder, CEO Karishma Mehta addresses controversy after Delhi High Court ruling |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/humans-of-bombay-founder-ceo-karishma-mehta-addresses-controversy-delhi-high-court-ruling-8980006/ |access-date=22 January 2024 |work=The Indian Express |date=13 October 2023 |language=en}} Monetary damages were not ordered for either party, and the court noted when people send their own images, these images are not considered copyrighted by the websites.{{cite news |last1=Venugopal |first1=Sahana |title=What ‘Humans of Bombay’ vs ‘People of India’ reveals about copyright violations on Meta’s Instagram |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/what-humans-of-bombay-vs-people-of-india-reveals-copyright-violations-meta-instagram-explained/article67460919.ece |access-date=22 January 2024 |work=The Hindu |date=26 October 2023 |language=en-IN}}
Humans of Bombay received backlash across the globe for plagiarism, especially for copying the work of American photo blogger Brandon Stanton's page Humans of New York.{{Cite news |date=2023-09-26 |title=Humans of New York's Brandon Stanton wades into India copyright row |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-66877898 |access-date=2024-12-18 |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |date=2023-09-25 |title=Humans of Bombay's climbdown after backlash over reaction to Humans of New York |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/humans-of-bombay-vs-humans-of-new-york-backlash-copyright-lawsuit-controversy-update-2440144-2023-09-25 |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=India Today |language=en}}
Details
Marine Drive was the first location chosen in 2014 and from there now they have covered thousands of people in Mumbai including Ratan Tata,{{Cite web|url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/people/ratan-tata-at-his-candid-best-talks-about-his-break-up-childhood-parent-s-divorce-11581578229708.html|title=Ratan Tata at his candid best: Talks about his break-up, childhood, parents|last=Kumar|first=Ravi Prakash|date=2020-02-13|website=Livemint|language=en|access-date=2020-02-26}} Narendra Modi,{{Cite web|title=I spent five days in a jungle during Diwali every year to reflect on life, says Narendra Modi|url=https://scroll.in/latest/910514/i-spent-five-days-in-a-jungle-during-diwali-every-year-to-reflect-on-life-says-narendra-modi|access-date=2021-10-31|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US}} Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rajkummar Rao, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher, Kartik Aaryan,{{Cite web|url=https://www.mensxp.com/special-features/features/71365-10-best-tell-all-tales-ft-b-town-celebs-on-lsquo-humans-of-bombay-rsquo-in-2019-that-are-worth-re-reading.html|title=10 Best Tell-All Tales Ft. B-Town Celebs On 'Humans Of Bombay' In 2019 That Are Worth Re-Reading|last=Datta|first=Devlina|date=24 December 2019|website=MensXP.com|language=en|access-date=2020-02-26}} Sunil Chhetri,{{Cite web|url=https://www.theweek.in/news/sports/2019/11/30/sunil-chhetri-gets-candid-about-his-love-affair-with-his-coachs-daughter.html|title=Sunil Chhetri gets candid about his love affair with his coach's daughter|website=The Week|language=en|access-date=2020-02-26}} Milind Soman, Sapna Bhavnani,{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/meet-karishma-mehta-the-woman-behind-humans-of-bombay/story-Zwhwt3VJmysEGx62ZsuukJ.html|title=Meet Karishma Mehta, the woman behind Humans of Bombay|last=Joshi|first=Poorva|date=2016-05-05|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=2020-02-26}} Kajol and Ajay Devgan,{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/on-ajay-devgn-and-kajol-s-21st-anniversary-check-out-their-10-best-most-romantic-pics/story-o7SP1aYspxcrkE2xbd67CL.html|title=On Ajay Devgn and Kajol's 21st anniversary, check out their 10 best, most romantic pics|date=2020-02-23|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|access-date=2020-02-26}} and Devika Rotawan.{{cite news |title='Devika Rotawan was 9–year-old when she identified Kasab' - Uddhav Thackeray urged to allot a house to girl |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/india/maharashtra-news/article/devika-rotawan-was-9-year-old-when-she-identified-kasab-uddhav-thackeray-urged-to-allot-a-house-to-girl/652431 |access-date=16 November 2021 |work=TimesNowNews |date=14 September 2020}} Topics include acid attacks, sex workers, domestic violence and inter-caste love stories. Humans of Bombay published a first-hand account of a Jamia student talking about the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAA) and the Jamia attack.{{Cite web|url=https://www.scoopwhoop.com/news/jamia-student-opens-up-about-violence-after-caa-protest/|title=Didn't Have Any Shred Of Humanity Left: Jamia Student Opens Up About Violence After CAA Protest|last=Magan|first=Srishti|date=2019-12-17|website=www.scoopwhoop.com|language=en|access-date=2020-02-26}} In 2021, a post by actress Sanjana Sanghi was removed after protests on social media over the content of her post featuring domestic workers.{{cite news |title=Sanjana Sanghi's Humans of Bombay post deleted after backlash |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/sanjana-sanghi-human-of-bombay-post-deleted-after-backlash-7407195/ |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=July 16, 2021}}
Publications
- {{Cite book|last=Mehta|first=Karishma|title=Humans of Bombay|year=2017|isbn=9788179918951}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.humansofbombay.in/ Humans of Bombay website]