Opinion
The merchant who built Bombay: How David Sassoon shaped a global city
Summary
- Escaping persecution in Baghdad, David Sassoon arrived in Mumbai and built an empire of trade, philanthropy, and architecture. From opium and textiles to synagogues and schools, his influence still shapes the city—yet few remember his name.
Sassoon Docks, tucked away in the bustling heart of South Mumbai’s Colaba, is a living testament to the city’s maritime soul. Just a stone’s throw from the Gateway of India, it is more than a mere port—it is the fish-scented, beating heart of Mumbai, where history, hustle, and heritage converge in an unforgettable sensory symphony.
Built on reclaimed land in 1875, Sassoon Docks was Mumbai’s first commercial wet dock, a pioneering feat that revolutionized trade. Initially a hub for cotton and silk exports during the American Civil War boom, it allowed Mumbai, then Bombay, to capitalize on the Suez Canal’s opening in 1869, cementing its status as one of the world’s rising global ports.
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At the center of this transformation was David Sassoon, a visionary Baghdadi Jewish merchant. Few industrialists of the 19th century have a story as compelling—or as overlooked—as his.
Born into wealth in Baghdad in 1792, Sassoon was a scion of the legendary Sassoon family, treasurers to the Ottoman pashas and often described as the Rothschilds of the East.
Forced to flee Iraq in 1832 amid persecution of the Jewish community, Sassoon arrived in Mumbai—a city on the cusp of transformation. With impeccable timing, he positioned himself at the crossroads of the booming cotton and railway industries.
Within a decade, he had established offices in Shanghai, Canton, and Hong Kong, tapping into the lucrative opium trade in China, much like the Parsi businessmen of the era.
In Mumbai, fuelled by wealth from Chinese markets, Sassoon built a vast business empire, starting with Sassoon Docks, which he later sold to the Bombay Port Trust in 1879. He eventually moved to England, running his empire from London, yet his heart remained in Mumbai. Unlike many tycoons, he poured his wealth and energy into shaping the city’s urban landscape, leaving behind a legacy that reads like a gazette of Mumbai’s landmarks.
Today, over 150 years later, Sassoon Docks thrives as one of Mumbai’s largest wholesale fish markets, where the salty tang of the sea mingles with the clamor of Koli fisherfolk unloading their daily catch. Beyond commerce, it remains a cultural lifeline for the indigenous Koli community, whose traditions persist amid the chaos.
If the docks were part of his commercial legacy, his architectural contributions were just as significant. The Mechanics’ Institute for adult technical education, the Sassoon Hospital in Pune, the David Sassoon Industrial and Reformatory Institution, Elphinstone High School, and the David Sassoon Library all bore his distinctive aesthetic—a blend of Victorian Gothic and Indo-Saracenic elements that became synonymous with Mumbai’s colonial-era architecture. His buildings weren’t just functional; they were statements of a cosmopolitan future, symbols of civic commitment and belonging, as historian Mustansir Dalvi notes.
Beyond philanthropy, Sassoon played a key role in shaping Mumbai’s financial and industrial landscape. He established the Bank of India and developed Mumbai’s first planned industrial suburb in Byculla, which became a blueprint for the city’s industrial expansion, drawing waves of immigrants and shaping its working-class culture.
His legacy also endures in the iconic Sassoon House and the many historic buildings in the Fort area. Curiously, despite his vast empire, he never learned English, relying instead on Hebrew-speaking accountants.
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Unlike many of his contemporaries, Sassoon embraced his Jewish identity, building synagogues across India, including the ornate Magen David in Mumbai and the Ohel David in Pune. Yet his philanthropy was strikingly non-sectarian—his institutions, from the David Sassoon Benevolent Institution to the David Sassoon Infirm Asylum, served people of all communities.
By the time of his death in 1864, Sassoon was extraordinarily wealthy—a billionaire by today’s standards. His son, Albert, expanded the family business into a multinational empire spanning banking, shipping, textiles, and real estate. Yet, over time, the Sassoon heirs left for Britain, their legacy fading into history.
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What made David Sassoon the ultimate Mumbaikar wasn’t just his success—it was his ability to arrive as an outsider and become an insider, all while preserving his Jewish identity in Mumbai’s vast melting pot. Not for nothing was this Mizrahi Jew called the Badshah of Bombay.
