Give explanations for the following: (a) Why well-off Londoners supported the need to build housing for the poor in the nineteenth century. (b) Why a number of Bombay films were about the lives of migrants. (c) What led to the major expansion of Bombay's population in the mid-nineteenth century.

(a) Well-off Londoners supported the need to build housing for

the poor in the nineteenth century on account of three reasons:

→ one-room houses of the poor came to be seen as the

breeding ground of diseases, and hence, a threat to public

health.

→ Fire hazards became a worry in these over-crowded, badly

ventilated, unhygienic homes.

→ There was a widespread fear of social disorder, especially

after the 1917 Russian Revolution. Housing schemes were

undertaken to avoid a rebellion by the poor.

(b) Bombay became an attractive destination for people seeking

jobs after the British administration replaced Surat with Bombay

as its principal western port. The consequent increase in trade

and industries led to a great influx of people. Thus, migrants

were (and still are) an important facet of Bombay. Most of the

people in the film industry were migrants themselves, and

wanted to portray the plight of this class of people through

films. Thus, a number of Bombay films were about the lives of

migrants.

(c) In mid-seventeenth century, Bombay became East India

Company's principal western port, replacing Surat. Later, by the

end of the nineteenth century, it had become an important

administrative as well as industrial centre. All through these

years, the prospects for trade and commerce, and employment

kept increasing, thereby making Bombay an attractive

destination for migrants.