Mobaikar Post
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Kaka Baptista    
    6 October, 2008, 10:12 am in "Unfiled"
Image for Entry 1223316767 Barrister Joseph Baptista popularly known as Kaka Baptista was born on March 17, 1864, in arpacady, Mazgaon, Mumbai. His father was John Baptista from Uttan, Salsette near Bassein. He was educated at St. Mary's High School, Nesbit Road, Mazagaon. He was one of the brilliant students of the school. After matriculation he joined 'The College of Science at Pune and studied Civil Engineering.
In 1886 he acquired the L.C.E. degree of the University of Bombay. He was then employed in Bombay Provincial Government as engineer in the Forest Department. He was engineer at Thane and Sind for seven years. He did not like the element of corruption then prevalent amongst the Europeans and so left the job. After his resignation he sailed for London to pursue studies in Law and Political Science. He obtained B.A. degree in Political Science in 1898 from Fritzbillian College, Cambridge as also the Law Tripos from Cambridge in 1899. This was the time when Baptista first met Lokmanya Tilak. Napoleonic in stature, he was 'a prize for his size'.


Some of the important events of his life.



Passed Matriculation
1883 Passed L.C.E. of B.U.; Joined Forest Department of Bombay State
1894 Resigned the Forest Department
1895 Proceeded to London to study Law and British Politics
1897 Moved a resolution in the Students Union, Cambridge
1899 Passed B.A. in Politics from Cambridge and acquired Law
Tripos from Grey's Inn and returned to India to practice Law
1900 Lecturer in Law School, Bombay
1901 Published his two booms:
International Commerce Law
Roman Law
1901 Accepted Vaklat Nama of Mr. V.D. Savarkar and others
1901 Entered in Bombay Municipal Corporation
1908 Accepted Vakalat Nama of Tilak
1908 Accepted Vakalat Nama of S.M. Paranjape
1915 Poona Provincial Conference and Baptista's speech
1916 Home Rule League set up in April at Belgaum
1916 'Draft Constitution' on Canadian Pattern
1917 First Labour strike of Postal Dept. : Baptista's Leadership
1918 Baptista's pamphlet in London on 'Selft-determination for India'
1919 Bombay Provincial Conference
1919 'Responsive Co-operation' to U.K.
1919 Mill Worker's strike : Baptista's Leadership
1919 'Rowlat Act': Baptista pronounced it as 'Kala Kaida'
1920 Lokmanya Tilak's demise at Bombay
1920 'All India Trade Union Congress' formed by Lala Lajpat Rai, Diwan Chaman Lal Dua and Barrister Baptista
1921 Second Session of AITUC at Jharia and Baptista's Address
1924 Baptista elected at Legislative Council
1925 Baptista elected Mayor of Bombay
1927 Baptista proceeded to Geneva
1930 August, pronounces help to Indian National Congress
1930 September, Baptista's demise at Bombay




First East Indian movie ready to hit the screens    
    12 September, 2008, 11:49 pm in "Unfiled"
Image for Entry 1221292178 The East Indians, one of the original inhabitants of Mumbai, are ready to release the first feature film in their dialect but the movie’s producers are despairing of finding a cinema hall to screen it.
The music of the film called ‘Tu Maaza Jeev’ was released last week and its producers will send the film to the Central Board of Film Certification or the Censor Board next week for certification so that it can be released in October.
Made with a shoe-string budget of Rs 12 lakhs, the film was supported by the community and church that donated costumes and offered free shoot locations like the St Bonaventure at Madh Island.
Since they wanted to encourage acting talent in the community, the producers put out an advertise calling aspiring actors to apply for the roles. However, they had to settle for actors from Marathi and Bhojpuri films to do the lead roles. “We did not want to compromise with the quality of actors and took professionals for the major roles,” said the film producer Nelson Patel.
The music director Cedric Braz Tixeira has used traditional East Indian folk rhythms in the nine songs.
The East Indians who trace their origins to conversions to Catholicism by Portuguese missionaries in the fifteenth centuries live in coastal villages between Alibaug and Dahanu. They have their own folk songs that are sung during weddings and church festivals. They also have their own theatre that is performed during parish competitions. But nobody had ever thought of making a movie in the dialect before.
“Apart from the obvious reasons like finance, there is also the problem that the East Indian dialect is not widely understood,” said Bonnie Pereira of the East Indian Sena, a community group.
Also speakers of the East Indian Marathi dialect number just a few lakhs – not a large number to sustain a film industry. Patel, for whom the movie is a labour of love, said he was under no illusion that the film would make money. “I am doubtful whether distributors will sell it and if theatres will agree to screen it,” he added.
But Tixeira has a lot of hopes for the film. “Every East Indian has been waiting for this film to happen. All of them will want to have a look at it,” he said.


The ancestor    
    20 June, 2008, 07:04 am in "Unfiled"
Image for Entry 1213974243 Reasons why the aborigine natives of Bombay are known as east indians:
The ancestor's of the aborigine natives of – Bombay / Mumbai / Mobai / Salsette ( bombay suburb's ) / Bassien (Vasai) / Thane / Kolrai – adopted the name east indians in honour of the East India company who liberated them from the tyranny of the Marathas in the 18th century – 1818 to be precise. It was this same British East India company that had in the 17th century provided logistical support to the Marathas to eject the Portuguese out of Konkan including Bombay.

BUT THERE ARE SOME WHO SAY THIS :
Bombay was the first foot-hold that the English acquired in India when King Charles II handed Bombay over to the East India Company to be "the true and absolute Lords and Proprietors of the Fort and the Island". By choosing the designation 'East Indian', the local Catholic community of Bombay wished to assert their rights and privileges as original citizens of Bombay Island and its environs in view of the fact that Catholics from Goa and Mangalore who had similar surnames like east indians were migrating to Bombay, after the introduction of the steamships and railways.

Unfortunately the British east india company did not come to India to serve any community and their land acquisition policy harmed the economic interest of east indians this explains why many east indians joined Mahatma Gandhis freedom struggle. The Maharashtra govt. does not want to disclose in History books the contribution of catholics in India’s freedom struggle. Again in the 1950s and the 60s the Maharashtra government under the same land acquisition act which the British east india company had framed grabbed whatever agricultural lands which eastindians possessed in Bombay and its surroundings.

East Indians are the only large Christian community in India which are indigeneous to a metropolis. Being sons of the soil they find themselves strangers in their own land. Their ancestral lands are acquired, their houses have been ruined; for want of money their children cannot get higher education, and for want of higher education, they cannot get better jobs.

Since this blog is focusing on the economic problems being faced by east indians we will not discuss issues related to the other aborigine natives i.e. the kolis (fisherfolk) at the most we can say is that the kolis have also suffered due to pollution, coastal development, rampant reclamation of mangroves, overfishing and foreign trawlers are all leading to a fall in fish catch which is affecting the livelihood of kolis.

Before the name east indians, the locals in north konkan, west maharashtra were known by the name of the place where they lived. East Indians living in mobai (bombay/mumbai) were known as mobaikar, eis living in vasai were known as vasaikar and so on. East Indians speak a language which is a mixture of marathi & portuguese language.

The Natives of North Konkan (Bombay / Mumbai / Mobai / Salsette / Bassien (Vasai) / Thane / Kolrai), West Maharashtra embraced Catholicism during the 13th century due to the missionary work of European Fransiscans, Dominicans, Augustinians and Jesuits. Pope John XXII in 1329 has acknowledged the presence of Christians when he addressed letters to the Christians of 'Konkan-Thana', and sent them with Bishop Jordan Catalini of Quilon, who had been a missionary at Thane, Sopara, etc from 1321 onwards. Even The Apostle of Jesus Christ St. Bartholomev is reputed to have come to Kalyan (Thane district). Christianity existed in north konkan, west maharashtra even before the european missionaries arrived.

The name east indian is not an exclusive one, for it is also used by some in West Bengal who are in no way connected with those in and around Bombay bearing the same name. Besides, the name was formerly used by those who are called Eurasians today. Because of this inappropriate name, some East Indians are at a loss when people ask "What are you?" or "Where are you from?" or “Where is your muluk ( native place )”. For the answer will elicit more questions than he or she would be able to answer. This is the reason why east indians from Vasai are calling themselves vasaikars and not east indians.

East Indian Villages and houses :
There are more than 200 east indian gaothans ( villages ) spread across Bombay and its suburbs characterised by its narrow winding lanes, quaint houses with out-door wooden staircases and wayside crosses. A typical village house comprised of a verandah, drawing room, hall, dining room, bedrooms, kitchen etc. The houses were so planned that there was a lot of space for social gatherings like christenings, marriages etc. Today these houses have been divided and sub-divided so as to accommodate the family members or tenants. Sometimes the front of a house is used as a shop – a feature that is very common in the Bandra bazaar. Sometimes the Quaint cottages or one storeyed houses were demolished to make room for tall buildings. While the number of residents of a village has increased, the water supply, sanitation and other facilities have remained the same.

AGRICULTURAL LAND's of EAST INDIANS :
All the agricultural land surrounding the east indian villages in Bombay and its surroundings was taken over first by the British east india company and next by the Maharashtra govt. in a naked land grab. It is precisely on the former agricultural lands surrounding an east indian village that town planning schemes, housing societies, slums, textile mills, airport's, railway, roads, schools, colleges, cinema hall, parks, playgrounds, university, factories, offices, midc, seepz, etc have sprung up.:


THE EAST INDIAN COMMUNITY IS RUINED :
Due to forcible land acquisition of their agricultural land surrounding their villages in Bombay & its surroundings first by the British east india company and next by the Maharashtra govt in a naked land grab. Vegetable/Fruit/Poultry farms of east indians were also taken over by the Maharashtra govt. The ponds, wells, crosses surrounding the east indian villages were also not spared. The Bombay Muncipal corporation even confiscated the bullocks, horses, bullock carts, horse carriages of east indians. The BMC also prevented east indians from rebuilding their old & dilapidated Ground + 1 bungalows. All in all the British East India company, the Maharashtra govt. and the BMC are directly responsible for the loss of livelihood of east Indians.

Due to Unemployment & Poverty most of the east indians had to sell or rent their houses this explains why today around 75% of the residents of gaothans are non-eis.


Every year the Maharashtra govt. and the BMC earn thousands of crores in revenue by commercially utilizing east indian lands but not even 1% of the revenue is utilized for the welfare of east indians. The Maharashtra govt. and the BMC have given many freebies including free flats to slum dwellers but for east indians nothing.


All catholic churches and catholic schools in Bombay and the suburbs were built on the land's donated by east indians but it was the goans/mangaloreans who benefitted the most.

1960 onward's due to economic problems none of the east indian parents were interested in giving their son to the church as a result unscrupulous priests from goa and mangalore got an opportunity to become parish priests here in Bombay. The goan/mangalorean priests made sure that only the goans/mangaloreans living in Bombay got preference in everything including admission in catholic schools as a result east indians were sidelined.


In Goa the catholic church will go full throttle to protect the rights and livelihoods of goan catholics there and will even shutdown catholic schools to protest land acquisition by the goa government but here in Bombay the goan & mangalorean priests who are controlling all catholic churches incl. church properties & catholic schools were/are not interested in protecting the rights and livelihoods of east indians.


In Goa the catholic church has preserved most of the centuries old churches but here in Bombay the goan/mangalorean priests in order to accommodate more parishioners (read goans/mangys) authorized the demolition of the centuries old churches which were built by the ancestors of east indians and in its place now stand concrete structures which can accomodate more people although a few centuries old churches have still survived because the east indians in those parishes opposed the demolition of their ancestral churches by the goan / mangalorean priests. The precious wooden artifacts from the old churches which were demloished were transfered to churches in Goa and Mangalore.

The Konkani language is the mother tongue of both the Goans & Mangaloreans. During the konkani mass in church what sermon the goan/mangy priests give to the goans/mangys we east indians will never know hence there should be a Ban on Konkani language mass in churches in bombay. If there are no east indian language mass in any church in bombay so why should there be konkani language mass. Only English, Hindi & Marathi language mass should be allowed in Churches in Bombay.


The Portuguese gave the bad habbit of drinking Alcohol to the locals and the chopras & kapoors of Bollywood always made fun of Kolis & Christians by depicting them as drunkards in their movies. 1990s onwards the chopras & kapoors stopped making such movies due to protests from Christian organizations. The lethargic white breads ( pav ) which you lovingly eat daily was first introduced by the Goans.

The vaccant properties in possession of church in Bombay which were half a century back donated by poor old east indian vanjri ("childless") couples are now worth at todays market rates thousands of crores of rupees. Over the years the goan/mangy priests sold away or gave on rent most of the church properties and what the goan/mangy priests did with the money recvd. from the sale of church properties is for you to find out.



Following are the three demands of East Indians :
The Maharashtra government should either give government job to one member of each east indian family either give 500 sq.ft. flat to each east indian family either return back all the agricultural lands to east indians which were taken in the 1950s and 60s under threat.

East Indian gaothans are allowed only Ground + 1 structures. The Maharashtra govt. and the BMC should permit east indian gaothans Ground + 2 structures with Terrace.

The Church in Bombay should reserve 51% seats in parish councils, church committees and catholic school committees for east indians.

Obviously Brother to get the above demands you will have to scream, shout and protest just like the slumdwellers do. Also pray for the people of Gorai, Manori, Uttan, Madh Island and Sahar that God gives them courage to defend their lands and also pray for yourself that God gives you the courage to demand justice from the Maharashtra govt. & the BMC.


The Vatican has an outdated rule that priests should remain celibate. It’s time married people are also allowed to become priests provided they are of high moral character, deeply religious, deeply honest and know every paragraph of the Bible byheart and are prepared to serve the poor with great zeal. God can give the unmarried priest grace to remain celibate if that is the way He has chosen for him. God can also give the married priest the wisdom and strength to be both a good shepherd to his parishioners and to his family.



The Mangaloreans & Goans on this blog refer to catholics of goa and mangalore origin and NOT other non-catholic communities of goa and mangalore. Compared to the Goans & East Indians the Mangaloreans are very very very smart and you will not be able to understand a mangalorean if you have a low IQ.

Following Comments recvd. from east indians and non-east indians:

EI from Vile Parle:
We have to blame ourselves for sitting pretty and not having any ambition or aspirations. Our easy going disposition has ruined us. I know families where the father returns from his 9 to 5 job, takes a bath and pours his peg and sits before the TV. On the other hand the other communities are working hard. I have learnt the hard way that "our community is what it is because of what what we are".... No EI is willing to prop up or help another EI... (write on this how an EI can forget the past and think of the future)... We should be looking foward... not backward.... You can site examples of how other immigrant communities have achieved what we not even dared to dream. Tell our EI brothers and sisters to forgive and forget the past and look forward to the future... The sad part is EIs with education and wealth have always looked down on the poor average EI……..This is why a lot of our EIs are leaving the catholic church...... We have been decimated... Our children are so much exposed to the Goan and Mangy culture that all they see is Goan and Mangy... They cant see any East Indian……. Nobody cares for us East Indians... And the East Indians who can care.... dont bother to think of their EI brothers and sisters....It is only EIs, like us, with limited resources who are sacrificing time and effort for the EI Cause.
Its time EIs learnt from the "Bhaiyyas" and "Biharis"... who are prepared to built small huts and squat in these.... But then we are afraid of what Pedru Uncle will say the fun Rosemary Aunty will make out of it. It's time we EIs begin to do what the Bhaiyyas are doing in Mumbai. I am involved with a project and have some plans to incorporate the Bhayyais ideas in our plans... Most important we need a leadership for our community which is lacking. Can you suggest some names...of some daring and shameless eastindians who you think can achieve for us what our Suit Boot EIs in Bombay City could not.

EI from Kalina :
When a poor EI could not find a Girl in the community then they would marry girls from Daman, Goa or Mangalore. (This explains the entry of the early Damanese families , Goan Families & Mangalorean families in bombay). Our EIs are marrying Goans and Mangloreans. and their reason is: "Where are the East Indians.... cant find any suitable" And then they go and marry a Goan or a Mangy. The entry of Goans/Mangys in East Indian homes and villages resulted in massive infighting among east indians.

EI from Gundavli :
Every EI village had one or two "Shana Guys" who would invite the Talati feed him with stuffed Gavti Chicken and get his name put on the land records of a deceased EI member.

EI from Khotachiwadi:
St Teresa's Parish Girgaum have many houses in Khotachiwadi and the surrounding areas given by our East Indians to the Church for housing of needy Catholics. However the control / rent collecting lies with St Stephen's Parish, Camballa Hill.

While at the initial stage the Church did honor the wishes of the donors of these houses, it is sadly noted that as time passed the wishes of these house donors were forgotten by the Catholic Clergy and in its place the Catholic Clergy looked at monitory benefits which as you are aware of most Catholic are unable to comply with.

In view of which nearly all these houses are presently occupied by rich non-Catholics thus reducing the Catholic population of the Parish as well as in Khotachiwadi and the surrounding areas. Had it not been for the greed of the Catholic Clergy - Khotachiwadi & the surrounding areas as well as other parts of St Teresa's Parish would have a sizable Catholic population.

The parishoners have made many representations to Archbishop's House at Woodhouse but unfortunately the clergy look the monitory way and the benifits which attract them rather than looking at the housing and wellbeing for their flock, etc. but at the same time the clergy which includes the Bishops & Cardinal preach from the pulpit about poverty and helping the poor with cash and kind which includes housing. HYPOCRISY AT ITS BEST IN THE CHURCH OF MUMBAI!!!!!!!!!

EI from Ranwar Village :
Glad to know that someone is trying to do something about the sorry state of our community. my dad has literally come up from the gutters because his father drank. not all of us are blinded by money. most of us are. true a bungalow in bandra when sold will leave you with enough money to drink away the rest of your life, but do we have to think this way? people have come to bombay and made their dreams come true with nothing in their pockets. sadly we've gone the other way.

EI from Khar :
It would be a good idea to write to all the parish schools in the archdiocese of Bombay to ensure that there is enough representation for East Indians on the School Committees. After all, almost all the schools and the churches in Bombay are built on lands donated by East Indians.

Another good point to be raised by East Indian Parish Councilors in their meetings would be to insist permission for The Local East Indian Associations to be allowed use of the Parish Hall or Parish Meeting Rooms so that they can conduct their meetings and also use these rooms for discussing problems faced by East Indians...After all arent the Church Buildings built on East Indian Land - On my last visit to the Church of our Lady of Nazareth, Bhyander, I was thrilled to observe that the Office of the Parish East Indian Association is located just as one enters the church premises. I salute and congratulate the East Indian Association of Bhayander.

Most often, East Indians on the Parish Council feel frustrated and walk away in a huff when they are not heard and understood. This is not the right attitude an East Indian Parish Councilor should adopt. Walking away is an act of cowardice...... This paves the way for goans and mangaloreans to fill in the vacant slots on the Parish Council.

EI from Thane :
Keep at it Good Fellow.!!... Let nourishing food for thought flow.... Roll out those words of wisdom... Its time East Indians woke up to Reality. The need of the hour is the willingness to set aside "personal" prejudices. Let's work for the benefit of the community and stand by each other for the "Cause".

EI from Orlem :
And now again its that time of the year when the Traditional East Indians..will celebrate "Intruze". Some communities will sit in the "Goth" sharing wine and pork. Wining and dining in merriment from Fat Sunday to the wee hours of Wednesday. Oblivious to the fact that it is just this easy going attitude of ours which has let us lag far behind the goans/mangys. Times have changed now. We dont have fields anymore. We have to concentrate on the development of our children. Keep reminding them of their cultural roots. That they are East Indians and that they ought to get more involved in Parish Activities.

EI from Dadar:
I am an east indian and a former member of parish council of one of the churches in the archdiocese of bombay and I agree with what you say about the goan and mangalorean priests favouring the goans and mangaloreans and ignoring the poor east indians. Regarding the BEIA which has majority of its members from Bandra are only interested in organizing social gatherings at bandra gym khana where only the economically well off east indians are invited.

Anonymous:
A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is a specially demarcated area of land, owned and operated by a private company, which is deemed to be foreign territory for the purpose of trade, duties and tariffs. SEZs will enjoy exemptions from customs duties, income tax, sales tax, service tax. Thanks to exemptions from customs duties, income tax, sales tax, excise duties and service tax (even on luxury hotel facilities, shopping malls, health clubs and recreation centres) given to SEZs, the Finance ministry estimates a loss of Rs.1,60,000 crore till 2010 in revenue. The stated purpose of creating SEZs across India is "the promotion of exports”.

SEZs will attract modern industry and services in order to succeed. To that extent they are unlikely to generate too many jobs. Moreover, the few jobs that will be generated will be for highly skilled labor. The SEZs will also require large doses of foreign investments and if the foreign investments are not coming the SEZ developer may simply utilze the land for real estate speculation.

But to build the SEZs first the Central/State governments has to acquire land from farmers and pass it on to private developers and if one checks the newspapers and tv news channels one will find that everywhere in India farmers irrespective of which caste or religion they belong to are revolting (their land is the only means for survival). If fertile agricultural land's are acquired for SEZs that will also endanger the food security of the country.

SEZ's to function properly will require lot of water & electricity which is already in short supply across India including the finance capital of India i.e. Mumbai.

EI from Vile Parle :
Today, no one knows of the original villages, no one knows of the original inhabitants, no one knows of their livelihood, houses, culture...The road side cross are now demolished, by saying they have "encroached" public space. A few years down the line, history will be edited to show that Bombay never ever was originally Christian/Catholic. It is time we stand and support our fellow East Indians who have been protesting and protesting against this rampant injustice.

EI from Marol :
There is an acute problem of Housing which is the product of the Discrimination of the Government upon our community. For the slum dwellers the F.S.I provided is 2.5 to 4, whereas for the Gaothans the F.S.I provided is .75. The Slums which are 10 years old get this facility for housing, recreation, schools, Hospitals etc. But what about the Original Inhabitants of this City ? We demand the Government should direct the Corporation to give the Repair Permissions within 30 days of application and the Government to pass the F.S.I for Gaothans as it is for the slum Dwellers. After giving our valuable lands for Airports, university, Government Developments, Hospitals, Railways,etc still jobs are not provided for our local youths. We being `Asli Mumbaikars’ what a pity in our land and city, we are jobless. GOD HELP US.

EI from Andheri :
We have been overrun by the countless cultures that have descended on our Soil... so much so that we tend to forget our culture and tradditions and our ways of living. We should be writing to Hierarchy of the Catholic Church of Mumbai to give wide publicity to the plight of our East Indian Brothers and Sisters. We have to write to be heard. It is for the BEIA which purports to be the Representative Body of EIs to take it upon themselves to spearhead a movement with a mass publicity campaign so that the everbody concerned is made aware about the sorry plight of the hapless East Indian. We have to make efforts to write to National and International dailies with a request to give publicity to the plight of east indians. Most importantly get the support and sympathy of the International Human Rights Organizations and their associated bodies.

EI from Kalina :
Its time for us east indians to get over with what has happened, educate our children and ensure that they or we dont do the same mistakes that some of our people did by not bothering about education and drowning in alcoholism. ...God Bless u all.

A Mangalorean :
I am a Mangalorean very interested in my genealogy and I stumbled on this site during a search. The rapid industrialization of Goa and Mangalore are following the same path in which bombay and its original inhabitants have been destroyed.

A Keralaite Syrian Christian :
I am pleasently surprised to find the St.Thomas connection. I only became aware of East Indians recently. I have Karalite Syrian Christian background and didn't know about other communities that was influenced by St.Thomas. To my East Indian brothers and sisters. I have only one word - EDUCATION. That is what saved Kerilite Christians. Let's put our lot together and we'll do well..

A Mangalorean :
To my EAST-INDIAN friends a.k.a [western coast of maharashtra catholics].i am a mangalorean catholic…..The martyrs of mangaloreans catholics exceed the martyrs of catholics belonging to any other catholic community in india. The catholic mangaloreans today are the descendants of the 8% catholics of mangalore that survived during the tyrannical rule of Tipu Sultan, more than two centuries ago. They managed to integrate themselves in different parts of India and the world ever since. They have come up in different spheres by their sheer grit and determination. They started off from a scratch as they had lost every thing to the muslim rulers of the south. They educated themselves under dire hardships and secured jobs through merit and not influence in different spheres including nuclear science, banking, literature, politics, education, engineering, medicine,etc.

They retained their indianess in their language, dress style, food and all life style. With their hard earned money they brought houses and flats in real estate all over mumbai and other places in india too.

The native catholics of vasai dont even call themselves east-indians. They unlike most of the bombay east-indians have excelled in the field of education and serving in government jobs, including the post office, as well as teachers,doctors and other intellectual spheres in Bombay and the rest of india and the world. Many families in Vasai have given their sons and daughters for vocations as priests and nuns in churches and convents all over.


EI from Vile Parle :
I would agree that amongst all the communities we EIs are of most jealous nature and want to pull down members of our own community. This is sad. I salute the Manglorean community who are not only industrious but are willing to help each other. They (mangloreans) gang up to support themselves. If we leave out Vasai and Uttan-Gorai region there are more Mangloreans than EIs in rest of the places. They purchased properties in ei villages which were up for sale due to the economic problems of eis. They have four weekly publications from Mumbai in English and Kannada and two in konkani. They celebrate their native festivals with gusto even in Mumbai. They have instituted awards for excellence within their community. They have excelled in business and moved to high places. They promote education. They are well networked and have strong trusts. We east indians need to learn a lot from the mangaloreans.

EI from Mazgaon :
Can anyone file a PIL on the Maharashtra government and the Bombay Muncipal Corporation and question what steps the Maharashtra govt. and the BMC have taken for the welfare and upliftment of the original inhabitants of bombay i.e. kolis & east indians.


EI from Kalina :
we need to act n to act fast after all has happened to our community seems to be going extinct no one understand who an EAST INDIAN is? Where is an EAST INDIAN from? we need to wake up make our presence felt.......Better late than never.......Better now than later.

EI from Chembur :
When people who live in gaothans all over Mumbai wish to add a floor to expand their cottage to accomodate their children they meet with opposition in the form of lack of Floor Space Index (FSI), even simple repairs to their properties need long hours spent at the BMC ward office. But if and when frustrated by red tape they sellout to builders have you noticed how easily and illegally huge buildings are built, putting a huge strain on the gaothans existing civic resources vis a vis water, drainage, roads, parking etc; no wonder our gaothans are disappearing. It was with this in mind that our Mayor proposed an additional limited FSI increase to be given to cottage owners which would allow old cottage owners to add a floor to their cottages to accomodate their children who then would not have to move out of their ancestral home or be forced to sell out to builders.The Mayor’s initiative in thinking about the welfare of gaothans needs to be applauded and supported by all municipal councillors and citizens if we are to save this integral part of our city’s heritage which if developed with care by the citizens and the BMC can turn out to be huge tourist attractions giving visitors a glimpse into Mumbai’s past. This can happen only if we protect these gaothans from the preying eyes of unscrupulous builders.

EI from Andheri :
The mayor is unaware about the ground realities existing in gaothans. The mayor claims that owners can develop their plot, if additional FSI is given. If gaothan residents had money for redevelopment, they wouldn't have sold or rented their houses. In addition to this the bungalows in gaothans are too old and a floor cannot be added the entire bungalow will have to be first demolished and a new one will have to be build if additional floors have to be added.

EI from Bandra:
The 189 Gavthans (urban villages) must be preserved cause they serve as the only reminder of the rich heritage and culture of this Island City. However with changing times and the high cost of maintining these sacred precints it is becoming increasingly difficult for the poor Gavthan residents to maintain the glory of these Vintage Houses.

Government must pay for maintaining these Gavthans. They must subsidize the restoration and repair jobs. They must also provide additional accommodation to the growing (extended) families who cannot be accommodated in the Gavthan Houses. If migrant slum dwellers and squatters on encroached government lands get alternate accommodation of 220 or 280 sq. ft or whatever, why shouldnt the East Indians who have been reduced to a backward class because of their agricultural lands being taken away for "development" of Mumbai. The Maharashtra govt. and the BMC has to compensate east indians for the past injustice.

Alternatively, if Gavthans are to be protected, then the Maharashtra Government & the BMC must give an assurance that there will be no construction activity (Buildings) within a radius of at least 500 feet... Only then it is worth saving Gavthans.

EI from Juhu :
I agree with the views of the Bandra resident but there are only 8 or 10 gaothans that have retained the old world charm, the condition of all the other gaothans has become similar to slums. Due to unemployement and poverty our people are giving away their bungalows to builders and some builders take the owners for a ride and dare and build poor quality structures. Most gaothan houses today are ground plus one structures with asbestos sheet roofs with interwinding two to three feet lanes. The problem is big and there are no easy solutions. Neither do we have a proper voice to make representations before the govt.. To add to the misery the BMC has purposely reduced the water pressure of the Gaothans. The Maharashtra government and the BMC has been persecuting us because we are Christians.


The BCS Rally – March 15, 2008 - AZAD MAIDAN    
    20 April, 2008, 10:12 am in "Unfiled"
Image for Entry 1208715122 The BCS Rally – March 15, 2008 - AZAD MAIDAN

About 35 / 40 thousand people from all walks of life mostly christians, including Bishops, priests, nuns and faithful, from Virar to Churchgate and from Kalyan to VT participated in a massive show of strength and resentment at the government’s apathy towards the Christian Community of the Archdiocese of Mumbai and Vasai. The meeting organized by the Bombay Catholic Sabha and supported by various groups like the Sahar Citizens Forum, The Dharavi Bet Bachav Sangarsh Samiti, the National Alliance of Peoples Movement, The Bombay East Indian Association and the Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Mumbai.

It was a sight to behold as people thronged the Azad Maidan. They came in droves from the north south, east and west and assembled in front of the Giant Stage with the BMC domes in the background, towards the north east of Azad Maidan.

The event opened with the Famous Singing Priest Fr.Donald together with the popular East Indian Singer Hector Tixera who broke into an impromptu Anthem – MORCHA RE MORCH !!– They got the crowd to participate in the singing and hand clapping, reminiscent of the Woodstock festival on farm near New York in August 1969. The crowd cheered and went wild with Fr. Donald’s extempore compositions sung in the East Indian dialect, about how We Christians who have been soft targets traditionally should wake up to reality and fight back discrimination and injustice.

Gordon D’Souza and Rita D’Sa, both Vice Presidents of the Bombay Catholic Sabha anchored the rally. What was noticeable and went well with the mass gathering was that the speeches were mainly in the Marathi and Hindi language with only a sprinkling of English.

Fr.Salvador in a moving speech talked about how We as Christians have gone about selflessly doing “everything” for “everybody” “irrespective”. But now we are at the receiving end when our lands are being taken, our churches being desecrated and our people being displaced from their native lands.

Prominent among the speakers of the Day were Fr.Allwyn D’Souza who spoke about the villagers of Sahar Parish and their church. Vilas, Vivian D’souza, Godfrey Pimenta, Joseph Gonsalves who spoke of the possible plight of the inhabitants of the Gorai/Utan island , Nicholas Almeida, Fr. Francis D’Britto, Bishop Bosco Penha and Dolphy D’souza.

It is probably for the first time in the history of the Archdiocese of Mumbai that a Bishop adddressed a Protest Rally from a Giant Stage on the sprawling Azad Maidan.
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Candlelight Vigil    
    8 February, 2008, 07:47 pm in "Unfiled"
Image for Entry 1202532461 Candlelight Vigil held at Salvacao Church, Dadar, this was a silent protest against desecration and destruction of churches all over india. Also I would like to thank you for those terrible pictures of the destruction of the Church in Orissa.. Kind regads... Walter.


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