About the Book

The idea for this book originated when the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Undertaking (B.E.S.T) in Mumbai marked 75 years of its municipalisation in 2022. Writing the official book for the undertaking, titled BEST Story Book, was an absolute honour and a valuable learning experience for me. That version of the book is publicly available with the B.E.S.T undertaking. However, this particular manuscript was not accepted by the undertaking as they required it to follow a specific template to align with the Marathi version. Although this version did not become the official BEST Story Book, it remains a significant work, featuring authentic administrative data, unique snippets, and a comprehensive history. Therefore, I have independently published it to make it accessible to the public.

About the Author

Rajendra B. Aklekar (born 1974) is an Indian author, historian, and journalist, known for his work in railway history, public transport, infrastructure, archiving, and documentation. He has nearly 30 years of experience as a journalist, reporting extensively on Mumbai’s public transport and infrastructure. Currently, he serves as the Deputy City Editor at Mid-Day Mumbai and is the author of several best-selling books on India’s railway history, heritage, and trains.

Aklekar is also the biographer of India’s legendary railway engineer, Dr. E. Sreedharan, and a trained museologist. He received formal training in museology from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly the Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai) and has significantly contributed to setting up the Rail Heritage Gallery at the UNESCO-listed Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus). He has also played a vital role in documenting the heritage relics of India’s first railway.