Andre Baptista has been living in Khotachiwadi for almost all his life. His ancestors: The East Indian were converted into Christianity by the Portuguese in the 16th and 17th centuries. Later, they were re-Indianised, so to speak, re-Sanskritised under the Maratha occupation. While they were undergoing this massive transformation, they suddenly found the English as their overlords. 

The colonial rulers sparked dense cultural evolution, owing to the history that transpired in the then-known Bombay, informs Baptista. “But speaking of Christmas as it`s celebrated here, I don`t know whether it bears any resemblance to the Latinised world. However, our customs would probably have more similarities with the English world, as the communities over here got anglicised in the early 20th century.”