The Bombay East Indians: Rediscovering the Roots

Fr. Larry Pereira

The villages gradually became congested because when there was a need for additional accommodation new houses were built on any open space in the village in a haphazard manner. Gradually tall buildings and chawls sprung up on the outskirts of a village. (A rooftop view of Ranwar Village)

The ‘Bombay East Indians’ are the descendants of the thousands of indigenous, Marathi-speaking people of Mumbai (Bombay) and its environs who embraced the Catholic faith, mainly in the period 1547 to 1600. Though drawn from diverse social groups, they developed a ‘consciousness of kind’ over the centuries, chiefly due to the common religion that they professed. While the masses remained rooted in the rural soil, retaining their Maharashtrian characteristics, the lifestyle of the urbanised sections of the community was gradually transformed due to Portuguese and English influences.

The designation ‘Bombay East Indian’ was adopted on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria (1887) by the leaders of the community and the ‘Bombay East Indian Association’ was established on the 26th May of the same year.

The Origin of the Community

Maharashtra is one of the few states in India that has the distinction of having the presence of Christian communities in the pre-colonial period. These communities were based at Kalyan, Chaul (Revdanda), Sopara (Vasai) and Thane and their presence was acknowledged by Pope John XXII in 1329 when he addressed letters to the Christians of ‘Konkan – Thana’, and sent them with Bishop Jordan Catalani of Quilon, who had been a missionary at Thane, Sopara, etc. from 1321 onwards. Though Elsie W. Baptista in her doctoral thesis (‘The East Indians’, 1957) links the East Indians with these early Christian communities, we do not have, at present, any evidence of their survival.

In fact, the foundation of the East Indian community was laid in the period 1547 – 1600, when thousands in this area (from Dahanu in the north to Chaul in the south) embraced Christianity, chiefly due to the missionary enterprise of the Franciscans and the Jesuits.

The two outstanding missionaries of the early period were Fr Antonio do Porto O.F.M. and Bro. Manuel Gomes S.J. who was ordained a priest subsequently. Due to the zeal of these two missionaries (and many more), village after village received Christianity, and hundreds were baptised at solemn ceremonies. The following are examples of four places (among many others) at which the baptisms took place:

1) Mazagaon (Bombay city)

The prolific Franciscan chronicler, Paulo da Trindade, says: “This village of Mazagaon was entirely made up of Hindus, but through the preaching and industry of our friars, they were all converted together and baptised at a solemn baptism, more than three hundred souls, and the fervour and enthusiasm with which they received the baptismal waters (was so great) that each one tried to be the first to receive (baptism) and all who were present were not a little astonished and filled with admiration”.

(Source: Ancient Franciscan Provinces in India, by A. Meersman OFM, pg. 200)

2) Bandra (Bombay Suburban District)

A Jesuit wrote from Bandra on the 15th December 1575 : “There are now three of us living in this place … All work well for the conversion of souls, so much so that this year two hundred have been baptised”. In 1580 over two thousand were baptised at Bandra. This was followed by many baptisms in the subsequent years. The annual letter of 1584 states that practically all the people, except those of the Muslim localities, were already Christians. And, we are informed that, in the year 1603, “there are no Hindus anywhere in Bandra, all having been given the name of Christ”. In 1616 there were over six thousand Catholics in Bandra and hence the parish was bifurcated.

(Source: History of Christianity in India, CHAI, Vol. II and the notes of Fr A. Conti S.J.)

3) Marol (Bombay Suburban District)

In 1579, on the feast of St John the Baptist, when the church of the same name was blessed at Condita (near Marol) 500 hundred adults were baptised. “On the eve of the Assumption in 1588, the whole village of Marol became Catholic. After a very short time thirteen other villages under the jurisdiction of Marol followed her example”. According to the Jesuit report of 1669 the names of some of the other villages are Chakala, Gundowli, Bamanwada, Condita, Saki, etc. From the same report we know that there were 3,027 (or 3,178 in another account) Catholics in these villages of which 1,380 were in Marol.

4) Borivili or Mandapeshwar (Bombay Suburban District)

Mandapeshwar (Mount Poinsur) and the village of Borivili were separate entities in the past. Fr Gago S.J., writing in 1549 mentions that there were four hundred Christians at Mandapeshwar. Other writers give us more details. This is a very early reference about the presence of a Christian community in this region (North Konkan) in the colonial period.

The above are just four examples that illustrate the fruit of the Franciscan and Jesuit missionaries. Indeed their zeal, and that of others, was so great that by the early decades of the 1600s there were more than 74,000 Catholics in this region i.e. from Dahanu in the north to Chaul in the south. In the following table the figures for Mumbai Island are obtained from Paulo da Trindade (I, 36) and the figures for the other places are obtained from the quinquennial report sent to Rome on the 10th May 1621.

Dahanu  500
Tarapur  1,000
Mahim - Kelva  600
Vasai (Bassein)  25,000
Salsette Island  30,000  (see following section)
Mumbai Island 5,220
Elephanta Island  all the inhabitants
Karanja Island (Uran) 1,500
Chaul (Revdanda)  0,600
Total  74,420

These new Christians were drawn from the following social groups: Samvedi Brahmins in North Vasai, Vadvals in South Vasai, Kunbis in Salsette and Mumbai, Kolis in Vasai, Salsette and Mumbai, Bhandaris in Salsette and Mumbai, Prabhus in Mumbai, Khatris, in Thane. In addition, they were also drawn from the following groups in different places: Brahmins, Kumbhars, Pachkalshis, Charkalshis, Sonars, Nhavis, Dhobis, Kharpatils, Bhois, Mahars and Chambars.

Conversion, Change and Continuity

Some naively assume that conversion to Christianity brings in its wake, changes in one’s lifestyle. They erroneously think that a Christian should be suited or skirted, use a fork and a spoon, speak English and necessarily wear a white wedding gown!

Names

Most of the converts assumed the surname of the priest who baptised them or of the sponsor. For example, the Jesuit report of 1669 mentions that many converts assumed the name ‘Gomes’ in honour of Bro. Manuel Gomes S.J. who evangelised in what is now the Bombay Suburban District. Usually all the converts of a particular pakhadi (hamlet) assumed the same name, as can be seen from the gravestones and the registers of baptisms, marriages and burials in the old churches. It must be emphasised that they assumed Portuguese surnames and not ‘Christian’ ones as is often understood. (Christians all over the world usually have local surnames).

In fact many families of the Koli and Bhandari community did not change their surname at conversion. This is consistent with their lifestyle that has been hardly affected by anything Portuguese or English – be it food, fashion, or furniture.

Cultural Groups

As mentioned earlier, the converts were drawn from various social groups. After conversion they could be classified into the following groups:

  1. Samvedi Christians: The Samvedi Christians lived with their Hindu counterparts in the Northern half of Vasai (Bassein) near the Vaitarna river in villages like Agashi, Nandahakal, Nirmal etc.. Their ancestors were brahmins who took to agriculture very much before they accepted Christianity. This group has retained much of its pre-Christian culture and traditions. For example they do eat beef.

  2. Vadvals: The Christian Vadvals live with their Hindu counterparts in the Southern half of Vasai in villages like Remedy, Giriz, Sandor, Merces etc. They are descended from the Pachkalshis and Somavanshi Kshatriyas. They are a warrior class that has taken to agriculture. Like the Samvedi Christians they too do not eat beef.

  3. Koli Christians: The Kolis are not essentially a fishing caste. However, some of them, who migrated to the coastal areas, took to fishing as an occupation. There are indications that their conversion to Christianity took place a little later than that of the other groups. Though the Kolis are included under the East Indian ‘umbrella’,

    1. they rarely refer to themselves as ‘East Indians’
    2. the women do not wear the traditional East Indian sari
    3. they usually have different surnames from the other East Indians as most of them have retained their pre-conversion surnames. In spite of the above, some writers mistakenly use the words ‘koli’ and ‘East Indian’ interchangeably.

  4. Salsette Christians: The Salsette Christians are often regarded as typical ‘East Indians’, only because of their numbers and the media exposure that they have received. Besides they are the ones who constantly and consistently refer to themselves as ‘East Indians’. They inhabit the large Salsette Island, which is considered to be the heartland of the East Indians. In the past, Salsette was often referred to as a ‘granary’ by many writers.

  5. The urbanised group: This section is in many respects similar to the Salsette Christians. The difference lies in the fact that they received education in English from the Jesuits, the Religious of Jesus and Mary and the Daughters of the Cross. In general they were influenced by the English rather than the Portuguese. In religious matters they usually belonged to the Propaganda jurisdiction, while their counterparts in Salsette belonged to the Padrado jurisdiction. They inhabit areas like Khotachiwadi, Matherpakhadi, Dadar, Mahim, etc.. Though Bandra was part of the Salsette Island, yet its inhabitants were considered to be a part of the urbanised group, because of the excellent educational and other facilities available.

  6. Miscellaneous groups Besides the above, there are East Indians who belong to social groups, like the Bhandaris, Khumbars etc, some of whom have retained their traditional lifestyle and occupation. (Classification based on Chapter II of ‘The East Indians’ by Elsie W. Baptista).

Dress

Among the men there was no change in dress at the time of baptism, for their traditional dress was suited to their occupation. Besides there is no such thing as ‘Christian’ clothing.

The women continued to wear the traditional sari and choli but at some time, we do not know when, modifications and additions were introduced as follows: The Christian women of all the social groups, with the exception of the Kolis, wear a sari with small checks and two borders; only checks – no flowers or other designs. The colour varies from group to group - usually red or orange. The Samvedis wear a deep red while the Bhandaris wear green. Among the Kunbis, the widows wear dark blue instead of red. The manner of draping the sari and the length to which it is allowed to fall, depends on the occupational group to which one belongs.

Strangely, the end of the sari is not used to cover the head as is customary among other Indians. Instead, the head and the entire body is covered by the ‘vol’ which is a large white sheet that reaches the ankles and has a puffed effect behind. A traditional woman would wear the ‘vol’ to church, while for shopping, visiting etc, she would wear a shorter, semi-transparent veil called the ‘chundhri’. It is interesting to note that though the women of this community were drawn from diverse social and cultural groups, yet they adopted a common dress – almost a uniform!

Diet

Conversion to Christianity did not necessarily imply a change of diet. Even today there are tens of thousands of indigenous Christians in Vasai Taluka who do not eat beef. However some sections of the community gradually introduced changes in their diet due to western influences and urbanisation.

Language

East Indians Marathi is a dialect that is comprised of many variants, depending on the area in which it is spoken. Today this dialect is largely being replaced by standard (‘shuddh’) Marathi due to education and the media. Of course, in most areas, English has replaced it.

Interestingly, those who spoke the literary or standard Marathi often despised those who spoke colloquial Marathi. They did not realise that all over Maharashtra people spoke different dialects and that the knowledge of a dialect was an indication that one was a ‘son of the soil’.

Villages and houses

There are areas in Mumbai city and its suburbs that are dominated by high rise buildings. But behind these stereo-typed structures one suddenly comes across an ‘East Indian Village’ which is characterised by its narrow winding lanes, quaint houses with out-door wooden staircases and wayside crosses.

  Kotachiwadi and Matharpacadi; Pali, Rajan and Ranwar in Bandra; Amboli, Gundawali and Marol in Andheri; are examples of these hamlets. In fact our international and domestic airport is built on the rice-fields of the agriculturists of some of the surrounding East Indian villages. (Clockwise): Kalina, Vakola, Vile Parle, Sahar, Marol and Kurla.

The layout and houses in an East Indian Village depends on the occupational group that lives in it. Accordingly there is a difference between the villages of the farmers and the fisherfolk, between those of the growers of rice and the growers of vegetables. As elsewhere in this study the focus in this section will be on the villages/hamlets of the ‘Salsette Christians’ whose ancestors were the owners of fields, which they cultivated. The villages of the Salsette Christians are comprised of houses that are built in very close proximity to one another with narrow alleys in between. It is interesting to note that the villages of the Hindu cultivators in the neighbouring districts also have the same pattern – without the wayside crosses.

Why are these houses huddled together when there is so much open land around the village? Well, the houses are usually built close to one another, often on a rocky or less fertile spot, so as to leave the surrounding land free for the cultivation of rice. In contrast those who grow vegetables have their individual houses surrounded by ‘wadis’ or gardens. It is precisely on the former rice fields surrounding a village that town planning schemes and housing societies have sprung up. Bandra is a typical example of this.

Today many architects study these ancient villages and tourists are fascinated by them. Some of them have been declared as ‘heritage areas’. However these villages are rapidly losing their character due to the following reasons:

  1. While there were a few houses in the past, the villages gradually became congested because when there was a need for additional accommodation new houses were built on any open space in the village in a haphazard manner.

  2. Gradually tall buildings and chawls sprung up on the outskirts of a village.

  3. Sometimes the quaint cottages or one storeyed houses were demolished to make room for tall buildings.

    A view of an old bungalow (built in 1841) being demolished -  another view of high rise apartments jostling with traditional tiled cottages on the Bandra skyline.

  4. 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.

  5. Originally pedestrians frequented the winding lanes and alleys. Today they are used by two-wheelers and other vehicles.

  6. While the number of residents of a village has increased, the water supply, sanitation and other facilities have remained the same. Today the words village or hamlet are used interchangeably. However strictly speaking a village is comprised of many hamlets or ‘pakhadis’. From the church registers, other records and gravestones we know the names of the extant and extinct hamlets.

Given below are the names of some of the East Indian villages and hamlets.

The first section covers Bandra while the second section covers the rest of the Salsette Island.

Villages and hamlets in Bandra

Villages and hamlets in the rest of Salsette Island

Customs

The East Indians retained much of their pre-Christian culture; this is especially true of the Samvedis, Vadvals and Kolis. However even the Salsette Christians and the urbanised sections retained marriage and other customs that are similar to those of the other Maharashtrian groups in the area. For example, sakarpuda, anointing with turmeric or saffron, umbracha pani i.e. procession to a well, nuptial bath on a stool, mangal sutra, inspection and criticism of gifts etc.

Homeland and Heritage

The homeland of the East Indians is in North Konkan, West Maharashtra. Specifically, they are the indigenous people of the Mumbai Islands, Salsette Island, Vasai and a few other places. This habitat, which is characterised by bounty and diversity, has had an influence on the economic life, culture and outlook of the community. In order to understand and appreciate this, one has to roll back the urban sprawl to reveal the rice fields and forests beneath. It is difficult to imagine that the slums of Saki Naka cover former farmland, the produce of which sustained the Jesuit Mission in East Asia and that the Salsette Island was frequently called a ‘granary’.

Water

Water always adds a refreshing touch to a landscape besides satisfying personal, agricultural and other needs. The East Indian homeland has a great deal of water because of its proximity to the sea and the abundant rainfall that it receives. In addition to the Vaitarna and Ulhas rivers, there are many monsoon streams. Another source of water supply was the numerous tanks, ponds and wells. Besides, bays, creeks, and inlets are useful for transport, fishing and the manufacture of salt. The creeks in particular are the source of the ‘black sand’ which is used for construction and which comes down all the way from the ghats. Indeed we take this salt and sand for granted without realising that they are peculiar to this region. For example, though Kerala has a long coastline, the conditions there are not favourable for the manufacture of salt.

Islands

Islands have a charm of their own, specially tropical ones. In this region there were first of all the seven islands of Mumbai: Colaba, Al-Omanis, Mumbai, Mazagaon, Worli, Parel and Mahim. Journalists and others usually refer to these as swampy islands. However records indicate that they were just as good as any other tropical islands, like the neighbouring Elephanta or Salsette for example. The large Salsette island had satellite islands like Trombay, Juhu, Dharavi and others. Vasai (Bassein) was described as an island a few centuries ago.

Ports

In an age when the seas and waterways were the chief means of communication, places on the coast and rivers usually grew in importance. The North Konkan has been fortunate to have a number of ports each supreme at different periods, which carried on trade with places as far off as Rome. These ports were Chaul (Revdanda), Sopara (Vasai), Kalyan, Thane and Mumbai. Besides there were smaller ports or ‘bhandars’. It was through these ports that the colonists, traders and missionaries reached these regions earlier than places inland.

Hills and Forests, Churches and Caves

Another feature that enhances the landscape is the range of hills, lying on the North-South axis, the most outstanding ones being the Salsette hills, the Dharavi hills, Tungar (2300 ft) and Kamandurg (2160 ft).

These basaltic ridges, especially the ones at Dharavi, provided the Portuguese with stone for their churches and forts at Vasai, Goa and other places. Basalt is one of nature’s many gifts to our great state of Maharashtra. Due to this basalt and the diligence and skill of our people, among all the states, Maharashtra leads in the number of forts and cave temples. In Salsette itself we have caves of great religious significance: Kanheri, Mandapeshwar, Mahakali (Kondivita), and a few others. On another island are the renowned Elephanta caves. Besides, these ranges were covered with dense forests, which were a rich source of timber for the building of the churches, forts and other buildings. Boats fashioned from this timber sailed for distant shores, and ornate altars and pulpits adorned numerous churches.

Climate

The climate is temperate as the massive Sahayadris shield the coastal plain from the hot and cold winds during the day and night respectively. And as the region is at sea level it receives refreshing sea breezes especially in summer.

Soil

As the East Indians are called the ‘sons of the soil’ it would be appropriate to conclude this section with a reference to the soil of their homeland. The various types of soil have been intelligently used for different purposes: sandy soil for the coconut palms, laterite soil for the rice fields, the ‘powdery’ soil for growing bananas, vegetable and flowers, the hill sides for mango groves, banks of the creeks for the manufacture of salt and the clayey soil for pottery.

Not only were the East Indians the ‘sons of the soil’ but they possessed a great deal of it, as about 90% of them were engaged in agriculture e.g. the Kunbis, Vadvals and the Samvedis. Agera was their harvest festival. While some land is yet in possession of the community, especially in the rural areas, most of the land has been sold or acquired by the Government.

It is interesting to note that what is Shivaji Park once belonged to some East Indian families of Dadar. Similarly housing colonies in Dadar were the rice field of the villagers of Wadala, Gowari etc. Mumbai’s international airport stands on the rice fields of the original villagers of Kalina, Vakola, Sahar etc. In Bandra, housing colonies, Town Planning schemes etc, have come up on the rice fields of the villagers of Pali, Malla, Kantwadi, Ranwar, etc.

A discussion on the designation ‘East Indian’

Former designation

Before 1887 the local Catholics did not have a fixed or all-embracing designation. Obviously they referred to themselves as Catholics and Christians. But they also called themselves ‘Kunbis’ (farmers), ‘Bhandaris’ (toddy - tappers), ‘Kolis’ (fishermen) etc. The Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Vol. XIII, Pt I, published in 1882, has about 19 pages on the native Christians in which it consistently calls them ‘Thana Christians’ as Bandra and the rest of Salsette Island was included in Thane District till a few decades ago. This gazetteer was published just five years before the designation ’East Indian’ was adopted.

A large and high-profile section of the community was referred to as the ‘Salsette Christians’. Some writers called the community ‘Native Bombay Portuguese Christians’ as the elite were educated in Portuguese and aped Portuguese ways. Some sections of the community were previously referred to as ‘Norteiros’ as they belonged to the Portuguese ‘North Province’ in India.

The adoption and significance of the designation ‘East Indian’

As mentioned earlier, the designation ‘East Indian’ was formally adopted by the indigenous Christians of the North Konkan, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria i.e. in 1887, by the leaders of the Community and the ‘Bombay East Indian Association’ was launched on the 26th May of the same year Incidentally, it was in the same year, 1887, that the Bori Bunder Station was given a new name: Victoria Terminus, which in turn has been re-named Chattrapatti Shivaji Terminus.

It must be emphasised that the leaders of the community consciously and deliberately chose the name ‘East Indian’. This is a fact that needs to be highlighted and publicised if we are to dispell the mists of vagueness, confusion and ignorance that persist about the origin of the name. If this fact is not known then the door is left open for simplistic and far-fetched theories to enter. A writer has said that the Europeans mistook the west coast of India for the east coast. Another has erroneously said that the East India Company converted the ancestors of the present day East Indians!!

But why did they adopt this name? Bombay was the first foot-hold that the English acquired in India and the 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 were migrating to Bombay, after the introduction of the steamships and railways.

The choice of the name also indicated that the leaders of the community wished to express their gratitude and allegiance to the English in contrast to some Catholics, indigenous and migrant, who were pro-Portuguese. Bombay island was reluctantly surrendered to the Portuguese in the years 1661-65 and the Salsette island, Vasai etc. were liberated from the Portuguese rule by the Marathas in 1739. However, vestiges of the Portuguese presence lingered in Bombay and its environs through the presence of the ‘Padrado’ jurisdiction in church affairs. One of the reasons for the anti-Portuguese sentiment was that the Portuguese crown and clergy did not give much importance to education, commerce etc. in contrast to the English.

Those who chose the name ‘East Indian’ did not find it an incongruous designation for an indigenous community of the west coast since, technically speaking, any Indian could be called an ‘East Indian’ as the world was divided into the ‘West Indies’ and ‘East Indies’, with Europe as the point of reference. In fact the West Indian Cricket team once referred to our Indian XI as the East Indian team! Did the ‘East India Company’ restrict themselves to the east of India? Those who express surprise that there ‘East Indians’ on the west coast of India indicate that they know their geography but not their history! Besides, it would be more confusing if the members of community were called ‘West Indians’, as they would be mistaken for natives of the Bahamas or some other West Indian Islands in the Atlantic ocean!

  ## The designation: dissatisfaction and disadvantages

Not all the leaders were in favour of the designation ‘East Indian’. Notable among those who did not approve of it was Kaka Joseph Baptist, the right-hand man of Lokamanya Tilak and the first President of the Home Rule League. ‘East Indian’ was a name that was more suitable to the urbanised sections of the community rather than the Marathi-speaking masses who in any case hardly used it or identified with it. Even after a hundred years there are many who are not even aware of it. For example in Vasai there are tens of thousands of native Catholics who are ‘East Indians’ but they reserve this name for those who inhabit two or three villages or hamlets! Even the Catholic Kolis hardly refer to themselves as ‘East Indians’. And strangely, some non-East Indians identity the word ‘East Indian’ with the Vasai Catholics and the Kolis exclusively.

The name 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. The name is an inappropriate and misleading one, for few would be expected to be aware that it has a historical and not geographical connotation. Whereas the native Catholics of Kerala and Goa are called Keralites (Malayalees) and Goans respectively, a large section of the original Catholics of Maharashtra are not called Maharashtrians but East Indians! It appears that the designation ‘Maharashtrian’ has been monopolised by the Hindus! Ironically, some Hindu Maharashtrians who have recently migrated to Mumbai from distant districts of the State imagine that the East Indians are outsiders in ‘amche Mumbai’.

However, there are some who are aware that the East Indians are truly ‘sons of the soil’. One of these migrants to Mumbai, Bal Thackeray, wrote as follows in 1968: “The East Indians, who are essentially Maharastrians, have also suffered. Being sons of the soil they find themselves strangers in their own land. Their ancestral lands are acquired, their houses have been demolished; for want of money their children cannot get higher education, and for want of higher education, they cannot get better jobs.” (Page 5, ‘The Bombay East Indian’, 15 January 1968). Because of this inappropriate name, some East Indians are at a loss when people ask “What are you?” or “Where are you from?”. For the answer will elicit more questions than he or she would be able to answer.

 

While Catholics from other states in India identity with their respective States and even in Mumbai speak nostalgically of their ‘native place’. East Indians, by and large, are not enthusiastic about their state although it is a prosperous and progressive one. On the other hand it must be admitted that the name ‘East Indian’ has given the urbanised sections and some others a sense of identity and served as a cohesive element.

A change of designation?

Elsie W. Baptista, in her doctoral thesis on the community, states : “The name ‘East Indian’ is a misnomer. In 1887 there were, no doubt, certain circumstances that compelled the leading lights of the community to adopt the name ‘East Indian’. Those circumstances are now no more in existence. The East India Company has gone forever. The British Raj has pulled out of the Indian soil gracefully. India today is a sovereign state. Among the diverse people of this land, ‘East Indian’ appears to be an odd element with a foreign flavour. The homeland of the East Indians is situated in Maharashtra. Their language is Marathi. A good deal of their culture, especially of the ruralites, is Maharashtrian. Is it not in the fitness of things and in accord with the community’s historical and cultural background for the East Indians to adopt the designation Maharashtrian Christians?”

Elsie Baptista made this proposal before the State of Maharashtra was formed. While the State was being formed this suggestion was revived by many in the community. However it was not considered seriously. While the designation Maharashtrian Christian, would not be an exclusive one, as it would also include the indigenous Christians of Ahmednagar, Nagpur etc, it would have many advantages. A suggestion has also been made that the members of the community should be called Mumbaikars, as a substantial percentage of them hail from Greater Mumbai. Even those who are originally from adjacent areas could be called Mumbaikars, just as those who are originally from places which are at a great distance from Mangalore, are called Mangaloreans.

Conclusion

As this paper has been mainly concerned with the rediscovery of the roots of the community, it has not focused many interesting topics, e.g. community traditions, customs, cuisine, forklore, folk-songs, the development of the community, urban occupations and professions, and contemporary challenges, etc… However it is hoped that some of those participating in this seminar will read about these aspects in order to understand and appreciate this community, which is unique, in as much as it owes its origin to a change of religion. Besides, it is the only large Christian community in India which is indigeneous to a metropolis.

Bibliography

  1. Baptista Elsie W., The East Indians
  2. Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency, Vol XIII, Part I
  3. Godwin C.J., Change & Continuity
  4. Gracias Francis, Behold All Generations
  5. Meersman Achilles, The Ancient Franciscan Provinces in India
  6. Pera L.C., In the Mission Field
  7. The Bombay East Indian Association, Golden Jubilee Souvenir, 1887-1937
  8. The East Indian Journal (Monthly)
  9. Thekkedath Joseph, History of Christianity in India, Vol II (CHAI)