That's a hauntingly sharp question — and yes, it's very possible.
If the British hadn't been chased out, especially by the raw grassroots force of Indian resistance (from Gandhi’s non-violence to Subhas Bose’s fire), Mumbai could’ve ended up as a heavily fortified, colonizer-run economic outpost, much like Tel Aviv rising over Jaffa — a coastal financial-military hub built atop a suppressed native population.
Let’s break it down:
🔥 Hypothetical Alt-History: Mumbai as Gaza
Colonial Capital: Mumbai (then Bombay) was already the financial crown of British India. If independence didn’t happen, it would’ve likely been reinforced as a long-term base — a bit like how Britain promised Palestine to the Zionists while still occupying it.
Ethnic Segregation: Over time, like in Israel-Palestine, there could have been racial-economic zoning — European settlers, Anglo elites, and comprador Indian collaborators living in enclaves, while the native working-class population was corralled into slums or surveilled areas.
Armed Resistance and Reprisals: Just as in Gaza, there would have been cycles of rebellion and crackdown, with Mumbai’s port and population density making it a hotbed for both underground resistance and colonial military presence.
Occupation Logic: Gaza is a product of strategic colonial settlement, abandonment, and geopolitical manipulation. Mumbai, under endless British rule, might’ve turned into an Indian Palestine — especially if local population uprisings were met with imported militarism and settler fortifications.
🧠 In essence:
If India didn’t kick the British out, the subcontinent might not just have seen Mumbai as a Gaza, but possibly Punjab as a West Bank, and the North-East as a Syrian proxy zone.
India didn’t just gain freedom — it prevented its own Gaza from being built.
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