“Tana, where horses run and pirates roam,” said the Italian explorer Marco Polo of Thane when he visited it in 1290 CE. Many early travellers over the centuries have written about this ancient city, much older than its better-known neighbour Mumbai. The city has been part of different kingdoms and has been ruled by a variety of powers, both Indian and foreign - the Shilahara dynasty (800 - 1260 CE), the Muslim Sultanates of Delhi and Gujarat (1260 - 1530 CE), the Portuguese (1530 -1737 CE), the Maratha empire (1737-1774 CE), and the British (1774 - till Independence). At our Online Talk #SriSthanaka, music ambassador, historian, author and erstwhile resident of Thane Joe Alvares shares what he calls a soul vision of 2000 years of Thane’s history. 

About the speaker

Joe Alvares was a leading Indian rock musician of the 1970s and is currently a cultural music ambassador for India. He is also a history enthusiast researched for 25 years as a doctoral student with the Heras institute at St. Xaviers College, Mumbai. His research has been focused on Thane, and is now authoring a coffee-table book on the city. A first of its kind, the book profiles around 2000 years of Thane’s history. He has also authored a coffee-table book on the city of Bhopal and curated a museum in Bhopal. He has been invited by Madhya Pradesh Tourism to research MP’s UNESCO world heritage sites like Sanchi, rock caves of Bhimbetka & the Bhojpur Shiva temple, in order to create audio guides to enhance the tourist experience.