Sharada Dwivedi (1942-2012) recorded the contribution of everyone to the growth and evolution of Bombay, whether it was that of a colonial administrator, an immigrant labourer, an itinerant scholar, an industrialist or a trade unionist. If she was the chronicler of vanished eras in the city's collective life, she was also a passionate advocate of contemporary causes such as pedestrianisation, low-cost housing and conservation of architectural heritage.