The city of Mumbai has always nurtured the dreams of those who come seeking their fortunes from all across the nation. According to the World Population Review, about 40 percent of the entire population of Mumbai is made up of migrants from the rest of the country. Urbanisation and the ever-increasing numbers of migrants have led to a rapid change in the dynamics of the country’s commercial capital. Its original inhabitant communities such as the Kolis, the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhu (CKP) and the Banjaras, are struggling to protect their identities. The East Indians, a unique Catholic community of Mumbai, is one such ‘endangered’ group:

The name, the East Indians, was given by the British to differentiate the community from Goans and Mangaloreans (West Indians) who were also Catholics and had migrated to Mumbai. The area constituting the villages of the East Indian community consists of the former seven islands of Bombay (given to the British as dowry by the Portuguese), the former island of Salsette (ruled by the Portuguese, till the Marathas defeated them, and gifted it to the British), Thana, Bassein (Vasai), Chaul, and parts of Raigad. In 1891, their population was estimated to be about 60,000 across 180 gaothans. Today however, only 3,50,000 East Indians exist in and around Mumbai across 80 gaothans.

As a Research Coordinator for Sahapedia, I created this multi-media research module on Mumbai’s East Indians; documenting their history, culture and social location. The community’s voice and agency is central to the research and has pieces and media in the module that are authored by the community.