The East Indians of Bombay: Homes and Uncertain Futures
By Sharon Misquitta
The Portuguese arrived in Bombay in the 16th century and soon converted a majority of the existing native populations, consisting of Muslims and Marathas to Roman Catholicism. These new Catholics came to be known as the North Konkan Christians. In the second half of the 17th century, Bombay’s possession was transferred to the British Crown and on 21st September 1668, Bombay was transferred to The East India Company for an annual rent.
The North Konkan Catholics considered themselves the native Catholics of Bombay and wanted a designation which would clearly distinguish them from the migrant Goan and Mangalorean Catholics. On the occasion of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, the North Konkan Catholics, also known as Portuguese Catholics (as the Portuguese had converted them), re-christened themselves as ‘East Indian Catholics’ to prove their loyalty to the British Crown.
Within the East Indian Community there exists various sub-communities that have developed as a result of the variety of occupations. The Kulbi community were farmers, Aagri community were salt pan workers, while Bhandari community were toddy-makers who made and sold palm wine. Kumbhar community served as potters, Dhobi community, the washer-folk who would also iron clothes, and the fisher-folk, Koli community.
(Image of the house built by Mr. Paul Santos around 100 years ago in Sahar Gaothan. Image retrieved from a book written by Ms. Zeena Santos on the ‘Family History of the Santos Family’.)
Traditionally, original inhabitants built ground level houses with three to six rooms. As families expanded, there was a need for larger houses, so families constructed a first floor atop the ground-level houses. Today, most houses in these Gaothans are ‘ground +one’ or ‘ground +two’. Traditionally, every house featured a veranda with wooden benches or chairs where evenings would be spent.
(Image clicked by Ms. Sharon Misquitta in Sahar Gaothan on 31st January 2021.)
Walls of houses were made of stones and mud with an averaging width of 18 inches, flooring was leveled with cow-dung (before tiles were used) while flooring for mezzanine and staircases was of wood. Roofs of houses were made of teak wood beams and traditionally covered with nalli kavlas (U-shaped tiles). Before electricity, kerosene kandils (a glass pot with a wick) would be the only source of light post-sunset.
(Image of a staircase inside the house belonging to Mr. William Baptista in Pond Gaothan which is 108 years old. Image clicked by Ms. Sharon Misquitta on 8th February 2021.)
(Image of nalli kavlas. Image clicked by Ms. Sharon Misquitta on 7th February 2021.)
(Image of kandil clicked by Ms. Sharon Misquitta from the house belonging to Mr. Oscar Fernandes in Marol Gaothan on 7th February 2021.)
Traditionally, houses featured small backyards, reserved for rearing poultry and domestic animals. The richer the family; more the poultry and domestic animals they would rear. As urbanization swept through the city, families stopped rearing them within their houses and its vicinity due to space and hygiene constraints.
(Image clicked by Ms. Sharon Misquitta in the lanes of Pond Gaothan on 8th February 2021.)
There are many issues being faced by the community, Mr. Anthony Misquitta, resident of Pond Gaothan recalls that 35 years ago when the municipal corporation widened the access road for vehicular traffic, they acquired his large veranda without sufficient monetary or land compensation. There are other similar cases where residents of the Gaothans lost portions of their lands with little-to-no compensation. While we all enjoy the fruits of urbanization, we often sideline the troubles the residents of these Gaothans face due to urbanization of their hometown.
The senior citizens of the Gaothans are upset about this, having enjoyed verandas and open spaces around their houses from childhood. Much could not be done then as property demarcations were informal, hence they couldn’t legally fight the corporation on these matters. Today the senior citizens share their plight with younger generations.
Another issue being faced by the residents is gentrification, which is ‘the process whereby the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in, improving housing, and attracting new businesses, often displacing current inhabitants in the process’. Gentrification is a result of urbanization; as the Portuguese handed over Bombay to the British, Bombay’s development began. This industrialization and modernization attracted wealthy merchants as well as skilled and unskilled workers to the commercial center, Bombay. These wealthy merchants became industrialists and funded infrastructure projects, residential buildings, hospitals, private schools, bridges, etc. which developed around peripheral areas of the Gaothans. Soon, wealthy builders began encroaching upon verandas and open spaces of independent houses. Mr. Hector Pereira, resident of Marol Gaothan recalls that his relatives sold their family fields to the Borosil Glass Factory and Raj Oil Mills which have now been replaced by residential buildings.
Locals undoubtedly owe thanks to British and Indian industrialists for the modernization of Mumbai. Today, gentrification continues as peripheral areas of Gaothans are encroached upon by nearby slums. Builders coax natives with independent houses to redevelop them into residential buildings, diluting the socio-cultural ethos of the Gaothans. Some locals have vowed to never leave or sell their ancestral homes, however, some senior citizens (especially whose children are settled abroad) feel that after their death, their houses will be sold.
The future brings the Development Plan 2034, which proposes further widening of roads, potentially meaning the loss of a few village homes, a municipal school, and crosses that have been in the gaothan for centuries. What seems to upset local residents is that while their ancestors were the original inhabitants of the area, their homes appear in the slum and cluster categories. The East Indian Community has taken a stand on the Development Plan 2034; the ‘Watchdog Foundation’ assists community gaothans with legal matters and the residents are hopeful that their homes (which are now heritage structures) will be preserved.
Ms. Sharon Misquitta is currently pursuing Masters in History from the University of Mumbai. She is a published researcher and writes extensively on the East Indian Community. Her research articles are published in her college journals as well as on Academia. Her recent achievement is that of presenting a research paper on the East Indian Community in a national conference organized by Konkan Itihas Parishad in October 2021. Her research is validated by MGP (Mobai Gaothan Panchayat). Edited by Indraneel Banerjee.
